This document summarizes key differences and similarities between higher education in the United States and China from the perspective of an administrator at the University of California, Irvine. It discusses three main points: 1. Major differences between U.S. and Chinese higher education include the lack of a standardized exam like the GAOKAO in the U.S., greater student mobility and diversity of institutions in the U.S., and different sources of funding. 2. Important trends in both countries include expanding access, meeting rural needs, aligning degrees with jobs, and internationalization. 3. The concepts of a "60-year curriculum" and alternative digital credentials are important for lifelong learning and aligning education with workforce

1. YUNNAN UNIVERSITY
Lessons from the U.S. and California for
Yunnan Faculty and Administrators
Gary W. Matkin, Ph.D.
Dean, Continuing Education
Vice Provost, Career Pathways
University of California, Irvine
September 23, 2019

2. Who Am I?
• Gary W. Matkin, BS from USF, (Accounting) MBA, Ph.D.
from UC Berkeley (Education), CPA (CA. inactive)
• Dean, Continuing Education& Vice Provost, Career
Pathways
• Age 75
• 45 Years of Service

3. What You Will Learn
1. What makes me proud of UCI
2. What the world admires about Chinese higher education
3. How U.S. higher education compares to Chinese higher
education
4. The importance of the 60 Year Curriculum
5. The importance of digital credentials

4. Personal Objectives
• What are your objectives in coming to this program?
• What do you expect to be able to do that you don’t do
now?
• What behaviors do you hope will change in yourself, in
your colleagues?

5. UC Los Angeles
UC San Francisco UC Berkeley
UC Santa Barbara
UC San Diego
UC Merced
UC Riverside
UC Davis
UC Santa Cruz
About the University of California
UC Irvine

6. The California Master Plan
Primary Features
1. Three levels clearly defined
• UC (top 12.5%, research, doctoral granting,180,000 students, 10
campuses)
• CSU (top 33%, 4 year teaching, masters, 370,000 students, 27
campuses)
• Community Colleges (everyone, 2 year, 1.6 million, 100 campuses)
2. Separate governance (UC has constitutional autonomy)
3. Separate state supported budgets

10. UCI—An International Focus
• 80 different languages spoken on campus
• 70% of students have at least one parent born outside the
U.S.
• 20% of students born outside of the U.S.
• Over 50% of UCI students speak a language other than
English at home
• 54% Asian-American

11. UCI Focuses on Social Uplift
UCI’s current Hispanic enrollment is
25.7 percent, double what it was a
decade ago

12. Why the World Admires
Chinese Higher Education

13. China’s Student Population Growth is Amazing

14. CHINA NOW HAS THE WORLD’S LARGEST STUDENT BODY,
WITH GRADUATES PREPARED FOR A RANGE OF INDUSTRIES AND ROLES

15. China’s Scholars Have Markedly Increased
Their Contribution to the World’s Knowledge
China emerges at the top
contributor to global science
when considering author
nationality, accounting for
perhaps 40% of potential
journals

16. Hard Work Accounts for Tremendous Increases
• In order to achieve the government’s goals for the
country, people, including university faculty, who have
collectively worked from 9am-9pm, 6 days a week.

17. China’s Key National Strategy
• Concentrating knowledge production among a small
number of institutions, who produce about 90% of
scientific research publications.

18. How U.S. Higher Education Compares
to Chinese Higher Education

19. Major Differences Between
U.S. and Chinese Higher Education
• No GAOKAO!
• Second chance (change of major, community colleges,
credit “banks”)
• Adult degree seekers
• No Ministry of Higher Education (little government control,
local control)
• Institutional diversity

20. Institutional Diversity
Number of Institutions by Category
Doctoral 326
Master’s 733
Baccalaureate 529
Baccalaureate/Associate 275
Associate 1,041
Special Focus-2 Year 364
Special Focus-4 Year 841
Tribal Colleges 84
TOTAL 4,144 (China has 2,631)

21. Student Mobility
• 1 in 3 U.S. students graduate from an institution other
than where they started
• One half of UCI students change their majors

22. Degree Seekers
• In 2016, 57.4% of U.S. degree seekers were over 25
years old.
• Approximately 25% were over 35 years old.

23. Financing Diversity
Sources of Revenue Public 4-Year Institutions (2016)
Tuition & Fees 22.5%
State Appropriations 17.8%
Federal Grants & Contracts 12.6%
Hospital Income 14.8%
Ancillary Enterprises 8.8%
State and Local Grants & Contracts 6.9%
Investment Income & Gifts 3.4%
Other 20.1%

24. Common Objectives of Higher Education:
California and China
• Provide access to the under served and poor
• Meet educational needs of both urban and rural populations
• Balance degree production with labor needs
• Create financial support systems for students and institutions
• Improve management, governance and promote high quality
institutions
• Plan for long term enrollment and program growth that is not too
rapid
• Internationalize higher education

25. Trends of Convergence in
Chinese Higher Education
1. Decentralization of authority from central national
government to provinces
2. Merger of universities (612 to 250)—comprehensive
movement
3. Fees and recognition of higher education market
4. Multi-campus systems to share resources and governance
(hezuo)
5. National and international competition

26. The Importance of the
60 Year Curriculum

27. The 60-Year Curriculum Defined
• Lifelong learning (learners)
• 60-year curriculum (institutions)
• Starts in freshman year
• Focuses on life changes and transitions

28. The Relevance of the 60-Year Curriculum
• Higher education imperative
• Market demand
• Institutional response to lifelong learning

29. Build the 60 Year Curriculum as an
Organizing Principle
Alternative
Digital
Credentials
Sports, Events,
Public Lectures
Career
Services
60 Year
Curriculum
Alignment of
Traditional
& Economic
Goals
Continuing
Education
Alumni
Services

30. The Importance of
Digital Credentials

31. The Concept of ADCs (Badges)
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32. ADC Pathways
Secure,
Unhackable
Repository
ADC
Recipient
Friends LinkedIn
Social Media
Potential
Employers
Digital Resume
Issuing
Organization
Permanent
Record

33. What Does an ADC Contain (Metadata)?
• Verification of earner’s identity
• Qualification and information about the issuer
• Date issued, date to be expired
• Description of competency
• Criteria used to assess competency
• Relationship to other related competencies
• Examples of student work (optional)
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34. Characteristics of ADCs
• Alternative to what are now issued
• Non-degree certifications of skills and abilities related to
workforce needs
• Digitally created, stored, and transmitted
• Attest to competencies
• Portable
• Easily understood
• Information rich
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35. Rationale for Institutional Adoption of ADCs
• Already widely used
• Transcripts largely irrelevant to workforce needs
• Certify valuable, more granular, non-degree-level skills and abilities
• Makes universities accountable
• Young adults demand shorter, relevant education
• ADCs are a natural outcome of open education
• Companies use digital searches to hire candidates
• The ADC ecosystem is developing
• Employer acceptance is increasing
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