Generative AI (GenAI) technologies have been widely adopted by college students since the launch of ChatGPT in late 2022. While the debate about GenAI’s role in higher education continues, there is a lack of empirical evidence regarding whether and when these technologies can improve the learning experience for college students. This study utilizes data from a survey of 72,615 undergraduate students across 25 universities and colleges in China to explore the relationships between GenAI use and student learning engagement in different learning environments. The findings reveal that over sixty percent of Chinese college students use GenAI technologies in Academic Year 2023–2024, with academic use exceeding daily use. GenAI use in academic tasks is related to more cognitive and emotional engagement, though it may also reduce active learning activities and learning motivation. Furthermore, this study highlights that the role of GenAI varies across learning environments. The positive associations of GenAI and student engagement are most prominent for students in “high-challenge and high-support” learning contexts, while GenAI use is mostly negatively associated with student engagement in “low-challenge, high-support” courses. These findings suggest that while GenAI plays a valuable role in the learning process for college students, its effectiveness is fundamentally conditioned by the instructional design of human teachers.

With the expansion of higher education in China, gender equity has been largely improved at the entrance to undergraduate education. Yet, whether male and female students developed equally during college is still under debate. Using data from a Chinese national college student survey in 2021, this study explores gender differences in learning behaviors and outcomes of college students and examines whether they are influenced differently by educational environmental factors. Employing multiple regression models, we find that though female students outperformed males on active learning behaviors and academic scores, they were less active in higher-order learning behaviors, resource-intensive high-impact educational practice, and student-faculty interactions and reported lower educational gains than their male counterparts. Environmental and educational factors, including institute type, gender composition, academic challenges, and student support, influence the gender gaps in different ways. Overall, most female college students behave under the gender expectations of society and are less responsive to educational factors than their male counterparts. Collectively, these findings underscore the need for heightened awareness of gender gaps in the learning process in different learning environments and advocate for a more tailored collegiate environment that optimally supports female students’ educational pursuits.

Despite the importance of undergraduate research for student learning and development, not enough work has been done to clarify its effects in different disciplinary contexts. Using data from the China College Student Survey, this research adopts Becher and Trowler's theory of discipline classification to understand the relationship between undergraduate research and students' learning outcomes in different disciplines. It indicates that first, contributing to journals/conferences correlates with students' self-reported learning outcomes in Physics, History, and Engineering, but these relationships can be explained by process-centered activities, except in Physics. Second, early-year undergraduates' learning outcomes are relatively weakly related to conducting research with faculty in pure disciplines. By contrast, such relationships are distinct in applied disciplines. Third, in soft disciplines, participating in competitions significantly correlates with more types of students' learning outcomes than conducting research with faculty, while in hard disciplines, they both play quite important roles. It makes recommendations for future research and practice, which enrich insight into how universities can best engage undergraduates in research.

Purpose - This paper aims to identify patterns in the career intentions of PhD students and explore factors influencing these patterns. Design/methodology/approach - Based on data from the Nature 2019 global PhD survey, the paper uses latent class analysis to identify the number and types of patterns in PhD students' career intentions. Multinomial logistic regressions are used to analyse the influential factors, and means comparisons are used to describe differences in study experiences among career intention patterns. Findings - The paper reveals distinct career intentions among PhD students: Pure Academic Enthusiasts (25.60%), Research-Driven Flexibles (28.64%), Neutralists to Non-research (16.27%), Uncertain Career Explorers (13.63%) and Non-academia Pursuers (15.86%). Research-Driven Flexibles, inclusive of researching roles beyond academia, demonstrate similar engagement and academic skills but have more transferable skills compared to Pure Academic Enthusiasts. Uncertain Career Explorers express positivity but show relatively lower engagement and academic skills. Non-academia Pursuers spend above-average time on learning but have the weakest relationship with supervisors, participation in academic activities, campus environmental support and transferable skills. Older doctoral students with dual degrees are less likely to be Uncertain Career Explorers, while those motivated by academic interests are more likely to be Research- Driven Flexibles or Pure Academic Enthusiasts. Originality/value - This study provides a more accurate multi-dimensional perspective of PhD students' career intentions, extending previous research that focused solely on the type of work PhD students sought or the sector in which they desired to work.

Parenting styles play a significant role in promoting social-emotional skills. However, a comprehensive understanding of parenting style taxonomy in China and its impact on adolescents’ social-emotional skills remains limited. This study delved into this gap by analyzing data on a sample of 7,246 Chinese adolescents participating in the 2019 Study of Social and Emotional Skills by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD-SSES2019). Employing latent profile analysis, this study identified six distinct parenting styles, including neglectful (28.70

Class reticence is a stereotype about the characteristics of Chinese college students' classroom participation. This study explores the current situation of Chinese college students' active expression behavior in class and whether it could facilitate their learning under the background of social modernization and China's higher education reforming. This paper examines the problem with descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis methods based on the China College Student Survey (CCSS) dataset 2016–2017. The results show that, first, most Chinese college students express their views in class to a certain extent, and such explicit expression is always based on implicit deep-thinking engagement. Second, students who are more active in in-class expression have better learning gains, particularly those with a relatively lower level of deep-thinking engagement. The findings suggest that both traditional and modern culture should be considered when exploring Chinese college student learning features. It is also worth changing teachers' and students' traditional ideas about active expression to encourage students to express more in class.

大学生竞赛既为广大学生提供了实践创新的平台,又被视为拔尖创新人才评价和选拔的手段之一.从学生发展角度来说,竞赛在选拔之外具备怎样的育人功能?参赛和获奖孰轻孰重?本研究使用2018-2020年的全国大学生调查数据和10项全国性高水平大学生竞赛的获奖信息,发现参赛经历对学生的教育收获,尤其是能力提升具有正向影响,作用大小在不同类型学校和专业中有所不同.高水平竞赛选拔出了学业优秀的学生,但获奖并未带来更多的教育收获.要发挥大学生竞赛作为高影响力教育活动的价值,应重塑"重过程、轻结果"的竞赛观,通过优化竞赛内容、提高参与面、提供优质指导等方式以赛促学,达到鉴才和育才的统一.

Over the last 40 years, and particularly in the most recent decade, both the research papers and expert community surrounding Higher Education Research & Development (HERD) have made formative contributions to understanding and improving how higher education students engage and succeed. This paper takes stock of these contributions. After introducing the focus and approach, a review of contexts and bibliometrics is presented in a three-part historic structure. First, it documents foundation research in the 1980s and 1990s. Next, it analyses contributions made through HERD and its community since the turn of the century. The penultimate section unpacks more recent developments and trends. The paper concludes by clarifying emerging scholarly trends, practical needs, and research frontiers.

Whether faculty research affects college student learning has long been the subject of debate. Previous studies use subjective measures of student learning; focus on correlation rather than causation; and typically focus on one college, thus lacking generalizability. Using unique, large-scale survey and assessment data that we collected from nationally representative samples of STEM undergraduates in China, India, and Russia, as well as a causal identification strategy that accounts for differential sorting of students to faculty, we present generalizable estimates of the effect of faculty research on objective, standardized measures of student learning. Results show that faculty research has a negative effect on student learning, suggesting direct trade-offs between the university’s dual mission of producing research and learning.

The popularization of higher education in China has led to an increasing number of families with first-generation college students. Promoting the learning and development of first-generation college students requires a comprehensive understanding of this group's characteristics and the challenges they face. This study analyzes the pre-college experience of first-generation college students, their college experience, their evaluation of colleges, and their educational gains, using data from the 2015 Tsinghua University "Chinese College Students Survey on their Learning and Development" (CCSS). The results show that first-generation college students' families had lower economic status and cultural capital. They enjoyed fewer high-quality educational resources in high school, rarely got guaranteed admission or independent recruitment opportunities for college enrollment, and most of them went to local ordinary colleges and universities. During their college years, first-generation college students were less likely to be active learners and less likely to have active social interactions. They were less likely to participate in extracurricular activities, but spent more time on part-time jobs. In addition, they were less likely to participate in two types of high-impact educational activities: extension of existing work and research-related work. In terms of evaluating colleges and educational achievement, first-generation college students had low ratings of support for social interactions provided by colleges and low perceived gains in communication and leadership skills. First-generation college students had preexisting disadvantages that were difficult to change. They experienced a lack of support both academically and financially during their study in colleges. They require colleges and universities to promote their better development through improved resource allocation and support measures.

20世纪后半叶以来,多国博士生教育在蓬勃发展的同时也面临不同挑战和问题,如何提升博士生教育质量逐渐引起学术研究和政策实践的关注.基于20世纪以来博士生教育质量评价的开展背景及内容,对质量评价背后蕴含的质量内涵进行提炼,发现博士生教育质量内涵经历了从"学术地位"、"公共效率"、"市场产品"到"学习者发展"的演变.新时代"共同利益"这一博士生教育质量内涵,其指向的质量评价要素,在人才培养方面应建立公正且适当兼顾更广泛群体利益的招生机制;创设有利于不同群体全面发展的过程环境;注重培养博士生作为社会成员和未来高层次专业工作者需具备的素养.在知识生产方面应在预防和化解事关人类福祉的挑战和风险方面发挥支撑作用,并推动知识成果在学术界乃至全社会的开放、共享和传播.

As global higher education lacks robust and reliable information on student learning, evidence from a large international collaboration on student engagement has an important role to play. This introductory chapter reveals the research agenda and rationales, states the topic, the research foundations and surveys’ surrounding assumptions, and introduces the global contributions which follow. We assert that globally aligned surveys of student engagement provide useful insights into what students are actually doing, an empirically grounded framework for meaningful conversations about excellence, and a stimulus for guiding new thinking about good practice.

In recent years, gender harassment in higher education has become a serious problem in China.This paper reviews the causes of sexual harassment, including structural factors and personal factors.The features of sexual harassment on campus in China and its reasons mainly stem from three aspects the silence of victims, school management and legislation.Also, the effects of sexual harassment are mainly observed from three perspectives: psychological, physical, and social view.Through analyzing all these previous researches, this paper tries to find out the ways to reduce the incidence of sexual harassment in higher education in terms of victims, the school management, the law, and traditional gender role values.This paper also considers how do the policies and regulations on sexual harassment in the United States help empirically mitigate sexual harassment in China.This is also the importance of analyzing the condition of sexual harassment in higher education in China from different perspectives.

运用扎根理论方法,探究低年级直博生学术热情消减的原因,指出学术热情消减是在个体入学前学习基础、动机与准备,教育情境中的重要他者和发展平台,以及就业前景等因素的作用下引发的行动回应,在不同个体身上体现为"主动放弃"或"被动抽离"两类维度,进而对个体后续发展趋向产生差异化的影响.据此提出了建议:贯通"后推免时期"与博士生教育阶段,提升本博衔接水平;因人施教,设定合理角色期望与支持策略;适应学生多元的发展需求,建设开放包容的博士生培养体系.

Employing data from a national survey, the China College Student Survey (CCSS), this study tests the effectively maintained inequality (EMI) theory against the case of gender equality in China. Multiple regression models with interaction terms are used to investigate the gender gaps in access to elite higher education and performance at college. The study finds that the overall gender equality of higher education has been improved in China, though segmentally-maintained inequality (SMI) persists for female college students from rural and lower social status.

Universities contribute to economic growth and national competitiveness by equipping students with higher-order thinking and academic skills. Despite large investments in university science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, little is known about how the skills of STEM undergraduates compare across countries and by institutional selectivity. Here, we provide direct evidence on these issues by collecting and analysing longitudinal data on tens of thousands of computer science and electrical engineering students in China, India, Russia and the United States. We find stark differences in skill levels and gains among countries and by institutional selectivity. Compared with the United States, students in China, India and Russia do not gain critical thinking skills over four years. Furthermore, while students in India and Russia gain academic skills during the first two years, students in China do not. These gaps in skill levels and gains provide insights into the global competitiveness of STEM university students across nations and institutional types.

This chapter presents an analysis of the practices and effectiveness of student support and services in Chinese higher education institutions. Using examples from four institutions of different types, it finds that Chinese higher education institutions are placing increasing emphasis on promoting student development through student support and services. With data from a national survey of college students, the chapter further shows that institutional services and support are well perceived by students in most 4-year higher education institutions and are positively correlated with better academic outcomes and higher satisfaction of overall college experience. However, it also finds that the availability and quality of support vary across student backgrounds and institution types. Chinese higher education institutions need to deepen the understanding of students’ needs to provide targeted support and services for students in different academic levels and development stages.

The demand for large-scale assessments in higher education, especially at an international scale, is growing. A major challenge of conducting these assessments, however, is that they require understanding and balancing the interests of multiple stakeholders (government officials, university administrators, and students) and also overcoming potential unwillingness of these stakeholders to participate. In this paper, we take the experience of the Study of Undergraduate Performance (SUPER) in conducting a large-scale international assessment as a case study. We discuss ways in which we mitigated perceived risks, built trust, and provided incentives to ensure the successful engagement of stakeholders during the study's implementation.