On April 26, 2018, China Daily (overseas edition) interviews students of CQU-UC Joint Co-op Institute (the “Joint Co-op Institute”) and releases an article titled “Joint college course bears fruit”. The article describes details of the Joint Co-op Institute.

The Joint Co-op Institute sees its first graduates in 2018 since it was founded in 2013. On April 28, the first 56 graduates of the Joint Co-op Institute will celebrate their graduation, and will obtain double bachelor's degree given by Chongqing University and University of Cincinnati. By that time, a delegation led by President Zhang Zongyi of Chongqing University will visit the University of Cincinnati to extend congratulations on the first graduates.

The Joint Co-op Institute, as the demonstration organization for undergraduate teaching and international school running of Chongqing University, is the first in China to introduce the advanced Co-op mode from the University of Cincinnati. All courses are taught in English and the American teaching style is adopted. The five-year education system is implemented. From the second to the fourth year, the students will attend classes and take on substituted post exercitation alternatively. In the fifth year, the students will study at the University   of Cincinnati and finish their graduation project. The Joint Co-op Institute course has eventually borne fruit.

Yuan Yuchan, one of the first graduates of the Joint Co-op Institute, decides to study for the master’s degree and doctoral degree at the University of Cincinnati after graduation, despite the fact that she has received offers from a number of reputable universities such as the Northwestern University. During the interview, Yuan states that in the past 5 years she has grown up a lot, in particular when compared with her junior middle school students who received traditional education. “Compulsory internship allowed me to find out what I like and what I don’t like, and allowed me to learn how to work and handle the interpersonal relations.”

In the year in UC, the students gained more than just academic improvement and their opinions on American students have changed. Now they believe that American students are both “smart and diligent”. Jia Feifan, a graduate, says that he has become more independent and more aware of the importance of communication and teamwork.

More than 80% of the first graduates of the Joint Co-op Institute decide to pursue further study at home or abroad and continue with the engineering science. “The students have found the way that best suits themselves through our joint education program. This is what we have expected.” Zhang Zhiqing, the vice president of the Joint Co-op Institute says that “In China, 40% of the students of engineering have very weak practical working ability. This is why we have introduced the Co-op mode from UC.”

By now, the Joint Co-op Institute has established partnership with more than 50 enterprises, including 9 among the “Fortune 500”. “This is a very successful program. The number of student applicants is increasing year on year”. President Zhang says during an interview that “Now we have more than 400  students. It is planned that we will offer two additional specialties, including civil engineering and software engineering in 2019.”

Tom Huston, American president of the Joint Co-op Institute, says during the interview that “Co-op Program allows the students to get involved in the real world so that they would be able to tell what they like and what they don’t.” “Their English level would improve bit by bit. The courses are all taught in English, which is actually a tough job for them.” However, in this age of economic globalization, we need to reach out to a bigger world, Tome adds.

Given the national exchange platforms, individualized cultivation schemes and characteristic teaching modes, the Joint Co-op Institute has been making steady improvement in the course of exploration, as supported by Chongqing University and the University of Cincinnati. Now the Joint Co-op Institute is seeing the first ones of its graduates. They are the best embodiment of the fruits of the joint education program. Let’s wish the graduates a bright future.

Link to the original article of China Daily:

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201804/26/WS5ae0f561a3105cdcf651a81d.html