Research on the Innovation of Course Setting and Practical Teaching of Logistics Management Major Based on SPT Concept ()
1. Introduction
SPT is the abbreviation of Successful & Practical Talents, which means the training of successful application-oriented (foreign language) talents. The main contents of Yuexiu SPT talent training system can be summarized as “one orientation, two types of talents, three core competencies, four types of certificates, and successful talent education”. “One orientation” means that the SPT talent training objective is to cultivate application-oriented talents for foreign trade, foreign economy, foreign-funded enterprises and foreign affairs service units, closely following the needs of Zhejiang’s foreign economic development. “Two types of talents” (Jiang, 2019) refers to SPT talents can be divided into two categories: one is applied foreign language talents who can use foreign languages to engage in a certain occupation, and the other is foreign-related management talents who can skillfully use foreign languages to communicate in their professional work. “Three core competencies” mean that SPT talents should have foreign language application ability, professional practice ability and comprehensive professional ability. The “four types of certificates” mean that SPT talents should have graduation certificates, foreign language certificates, vocational qualification certificates and public skill certificates when they graduate. The previous teaching research mainly focused on the formulation of talent training program, which is also more detailed. However, for the unique teaching characteristics of the new undergraduate higher vocational colleges, and their teachers have certain inheritance, how to achieve undergraduate talent training on the existing basis must have its own school running characteristics. SPT teaching concept has achieved good social effect and recognition in the process of higher vocational talent training in our school. From higher vocational education to undergraduate education, SPT teaching concept is just another innovation based on its own educational characteristics and language advantages. This article mainly discusses from these.
2. Curriculum Design of Logistics Management for Undergraduate Students Based on SPT Concept
As long as the existing literature on procurement control focuses on the internal control of procurement business, it mainly focuses on the procurement risk control points, such as procurement evaluation system, improving business processes and strengthening procurement acceptance. This paper also focuses on this point. It is the foundation of procurement business management to do a good job in the selection of procurement personnel.
2.1. Setting up the Curriculum System of Talent Training Based on the Orientation of Running a School
Logistics education in China has evolved from material management, transportation management, commercial storage and transportation management and other majors. In recent years, with the importance of logistics as the “third profit source” by enterprises and relevant parties, logistics education has also been developed accordingly. In colleges and universities in China, logistics management and logistics engineering majors have been set up or logistics related courses have been set up in relevant majors, focusing on training logistics talents. At present, an education system at the level of doctor, master, undergraduate, junior college and technical secondary school has been preliminarily formed. However, logistics higher education is faced with a series of problems, such as unclear positioning of logistics boundary, lack of demonstration of professional training programs, unreasonable teaching materials and curriculum settings, and lack of teachers. The teaching of many schools still stays on the traditional logistics, and the phenomenon of curriculum duplication among different majors has not been alleviated. The logistics education in many colleges and universities is only a link in the modern logistics theory, which has greatly limited the training of talents. At the same time, the logistics specialty is too detailed, too specialized and too narrow, which neither meets the development requirements of modern market economy, nor is it conducive to the cultivation of students’ comprehensive ability in the fierce market competition (Hou, Xiang, Li, & Liu, 2021).
At present, the shortage of logistics talents in China is not a shortage of total quantity, but a shortage of senior and compound talents in logistics and supply chain management. Although the number of colleges and universities offering undergraduate, master or even doctoral logistics professional education in colleges and universities has increased year by year, and various logistics training and education efforts have been strengthened, the contradiction in the structure of logistics talents is still prominent. From the structural point of view, the logistics planning consultants, logistics researchers, export-oriented international logistics talents and other senior talents are in short supply, while the general operational personnel are relatively saturated. Middle level professional logistics operation talents are the most urgent demand of China’s logistics enterprises at present, and the demand for high-level professional logistics management talents is also very strong. According to relevant surveys, there is a shortage of compound talents who understand both technology and modern management concepts, accounting for only about 1% of the total number of talents, especially those who systematically master management, economy, law and finance, and can engage in industrial organization management, enterprise management and specific transportation management. Therefore, our undergraduate logistics management talents training system should be positioned in the middle and senior compound talents such as export-oriented international logistics talents, relying on our English advantages and Zhejiang’s export-oriented economic characteristics.
2.2. Adjust the Content of Teaching Courses According to the Needs of Talents
The setting of the curriculum system is the core content of the logistics management specialty. It is a complex systematic project to build a reasonable curriculum system that meets the social needs and reflects the characteristics of the school in combination with the training objectives of professional talents.
The following factors should be considered when setting up the courses of logistics management (Zhang, 2014):
1) Consider the Need to Cultivate Logistics Talents with Solid Basic Knowledge
Logistics is a highly comprehensive discipline with many links, strong system, high scientific and technological content, and close combination of theory and practice. As a college graduate, he or she should have a high ability to comprehensively apply knowledge, learn and innovate, which requires a solid theoretical foundation. When setting up courses, we should pay attention to the basic education of professional theories.
2) Consider the Need to Cultivate Logistics Talents with “Four Abilities”
Paying attention to the cultivation of students’ practical ability, creativity, employ ability and entrepreneurial ability is the key to the cultivation of talents in the 21st century, especially in logistics management, which is a highly comprehensive and applied major, and requires more talents with creative thinking and strong practical ability. When setting up courses, we should pay attention to the reasonable setting of practical courses.
3) Consider the Need to Cultivate Logistics Talents to Meet the Needs of Local Economy
Serving the local economic construction and training the logistics professionals required by the local economic construction is the orientation of local economic colleges. When setting up courses, we should combine the characteristics of Zhejiang’s export-oriented economy and the regional characteristics of the Yangtze River Delta.
The logistics discipline is a highly interdisciplinary comprehensive discipline integrating knowledge in economic theory, industrial economy, enterprise management, information technology, international trade, engineering technology, marketing, financial accounting, finance, law and other multi-disciplinary fields. Logistics is characterized by the combination of labor-intensive and technology intensive. The demand for logistics training in different industries is often very different. The theoretical teaching knowledge system of logistics management specialty includes: economic and management theory foundation, mathematics foundation, computer and information application technology, English foundation and logistics specialty content system. The knowledge content is interspersed in different course modules. Economic and management theory foundation, mathematics foundation, computer foundation and English foundation are mainly concentrated in the public basic courses and professional basic courses in the first and second years. The content system of logistics major is mainly concentrated in the major courses in the third and fourth years, subdivided professional direction courses and characteristic courses. The curriculum system is designed as a “platform + module” model. The curriculum system of “platform + module” is to set up a number of basic platforms for major courses that students must master, and subdivide specialized courses into several directional modules. “Platform” includes public basic courses, professional basic theory courses and professional backbone courses (Tan & Jiang, 2021; Wang, Wei, & T, 2021).
3. Practice Teaching Innovation Based on SPT Concept
Practical teaching is the main link in the training of logistics management professionals, and colleges at different levels should be different. The characteristic practical teaching is not only a supplement to the theoretical teaching, but also the key to train students to quickly start their work in the future. The practice teaching based on SPT concept should highlight the essence of practice “T”.
3.1. Optimize Talent Training Program and Scientifically Set Up Practice Curriculum System
The differences of logistics talents can be analyzed by convening professional steering committee, graduates’ information feedback, enterprise visits and teacher seminars to investigate regional economy and industry characteristics, professional talents demand, etc. We will conduct a detailed investigation on the posts set up by the logistics enterprises, the employment standards of each post, and the current situation of employees, further clarify the training objectives of the logistics management major in colleges and universities, and clarify the employment and development positions of students. Then we will carry out job analysis to analyze the main work tasks completed by these posts, as well as the required ability, applied knowledge, and quality structure. According to the ability, professional quality and knowledge required by the logistics management professional post group, integrate the logistics professional qualification standards, meet the special requirements of enterprises for talents, desalt the original theoretical teaching system, highlight the practical teaching system for the training of professional ability and professional quality, and build a new curriculum system that reflects the ability based, work process oriented, and significant combination of work and learning characteristics.
3.2. Establish a Relatively Independent Practical Teaching System
A relatively independent practical teaching system has been established. The training content of major majors is fully integrated with the national vocational skill appraisal. The skill appraisal standard is integrated into the teaching plan. Each major has formulated corresponding practical teaching syllabus according to the practical training items in the teaching plan. The teaching syllabus has made detailed provisions on the training content, assessment requirements, assessment methods, etc., and has established a vocational skill test question bank, So that students can understand the skills requirements of the future workplace during school. The construction of practical teaching content system of logistics management specialty should start from the characteristics of talent training objectives and training models, and focus on comprehensive professional ability to determine the way of practical teaching content system.
3.3. Professional Quality Education Runs through the Practice Education System
In the past, education believed that schools could only teach students knowledge and skills. Professional qualities such as love, dedication, cooperation, communication and so on are things in the work after graduation. This concept also makes our practical training teaching in school often lack these qualities. In the face of college students’ employment and examiners, the main reason for failure in the workplace stress test is often. Therefore, after getting rid of the traditional teaching mode of desk lectern, vocational quality education runs through the teaching plan of logistics management specialty. We should not only set up special courses, but also emphasize the education of professional quality in the content of some courses. First of all, in the whole curriculum system, we should arrange courses such as employment guidance, cross culture and career, modern etiquette, ideological and moral cultivation, etc; Secondly, in terms of course content, great attention should also be paid to the cultivation of students’ professional quality, such as offering research courses. The learning of these courses is carried out in the form of teams or groups, so that on the one hand, we should cultivate students’ abilities of independent learning, research and innovation, on the other hand, we should cultivate students’ abilities of communication and cooperation with others, and enhance team awareness; Third, during the training, some pressure and frustration training were carried out. Through the education of the above vocational quality education system, improve the comprehensive quality and professional quality of students majoring in logistics management.
3.4. Open up the Practical Training Mode inside and outside the School
On the one hand, campus training can purchase a set of practice simulation software to carry out the training of various related courses. If possible, some simple hardware supporting facilities can be purchased to enhance the visualization and vividness. You can also invite senior and experienced enterprise employees outside the school to conduct relevant courses and skills training guidance and training, as well as professional quality training. For off campus training, we can cooperate with enterprises to establish off campus training bases. By leading students to visit logistics companies, ports, stations, warehouses, distribution centers, production enterprises, and commercial enterprises, students can have a perceptual understanding of logistics, understand the specific work of the logistics industry, what knowledge they need, and how to learn in the next professional study. Conduct on-site teaching. Or invite enterprise personnel to give lectures to achieve the goal of combining theory with practice. You can also intern in enterprises. For students who are about to graduate, when the course is about to be completed, the school can sign an internship agreement with the cooperative enterprise to arrange students to go to a post where they will be engaged for internship. It can not only enable students to integrate into the society and professional atmosphere as soon as possible, but also give priority to recruiting satisfied employees for enterprises.
3.5. Strengthen the Management and Quality Evaluation of Practical Teaching
1) Strengthen the Management of Practice and Training
We should attach great importance to practical teaching, innovate the management system of practical teaching, highlight practical teaching, and improve efficiency. In addition, various management rules and regulations for practical teaching shall be formulated, such as the job responsibilities of training teachers, teaching practice, production practice and graduation practice management methods, experiment (training) teaching management methods, teaching equipment and instruments management methods, laboratory rules and a series of rules and regulations. Each experiment and training room shall be managed by a specially assigned person to ensure that all experiments and practices are carried out as planned. At the same time, the corresponding teaching management system should also be established for the off campus training base to avoid oversight, student herding, teaching quality out of control and other situations.
2) Perfect the Evaluation System of Practical Teaching
The quality and effect of practical teaching need to be evaluated, and a good evaluation system will promote and promote the effect of practical teaching. Generally speaking, the evaluation of practical teaching should be considered from three aspects. First, teachers’ comprehensive evaluation of the process and effect of practical teaching. The second is the evaluation of students’ practical learning gains. Finally, it is the satisfaction evaluation of the practice unit for the students. For off campus practice activities such as professional practice and graduation practice, it is often easy to ignore the feedback and opinions of practice units on the overall practice of students in the process of organization and implementation. This feedback just reflects the degree of recognition of the society on the quality of professional talent training, which must be given full attention. It includes the satisfaction of the unit with students’ professional knowledge, professional practical ability and professional quality, so as to comprehensively evaluate the quality and effect of practical teaching activities, and take it as an important reference to determine the curriculum, professional plan and talent training specifications (Li, 2019).
4. Conclusion
SPT concept teaching has played a very good teaching effect in higher vocational colleges. For Yuexiu College, a newly promoted undergraduate college, it is not allowed to put old medicine in new bottles, let alone copy all without modification. We should make full use of the results of our experience in running schools, fully consider the flexible use of the characteristics of undergraduate teaching, and innovate and develop in the process of inheritance. Of course, due to the limited space and the limitations of the author’s knowledge and vision, the article also talks about how to apply this advanced teaching concept in a broad and not detailed way. All these need to be improved in the future practice.