FROM “TEACHERS TEACH” TO “STUDENTS LEARN”

Student-centered teaching and learning is now widely accepted in the modern higher education worldwide with active learning as its core. It is a big challenge for both the teachers and the students to turn successfully from the traditional teacher-centered teaching to the relatively new student-centered learning. This paper presents a discussion on the feasible and efficient ways from the traditional“teacher-centered teaching”to the “student-centered learning” organized by the Quality Assurance Office and the Center for Excellent Teaching of the Tongji University. Being used to the cramming teaching, some students lack the initiative of active learning, teachers should do their best to arouse students in class. Effective ways to encourage active learning include designing an appropriate quality evaluation system, focusing on student learning efficiency and ability improvement, with an effective teaching pedagogy such as the “peer instruction”, and the introductions of problems or projects without preset answers in class.