Fudan offers more choices to undergraduates

Liu Weitao, a professor from the School of Physics at the university who teaches the honors courses, says she is amazed by the undergraduates' performance.

"I teach freshmen the basics of electromagnetism. But students in the honors class discuss quantum mechanics and even general relativity.

"Students (in the honors courses) learn not only for academic credits, but also out of interest. They regard the honors courses as a way to broaden their horizon. Some even think that the classes are not long enough," she says.

Hu Qiong, a sophomore majoring in physics, says that she has developed research skills with the honors course.

For instance, for her report on energy transformation, she bought a drinking bird online, a perpetual motion device, and explored its velocity under different environmental conditions.

"That report received compliments from my lecturer, which made me feel proud. I expect to do further scientific research on the subject," says Hu.

Hu hopes that lecturers raise more research-worthy questions in the class for discussion.

"Instead of reading existing literature on a problem which has already been solved, I am more than willing to deal with new issues that need independent thinking. It is really critical in science," she adds.

However, Liu says that interactivity in class is not enough.

"Not all students like to express their opinion or ask questions, which means I need to try other teaching methods to motivate students to interact," she says.