A Study on Curriculum Governance in Chinese Private Art Institutions under the Outcomes-Based Education Paradigm: The Case of D Art College

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

In response to the dual imperatives of connotative development in higher education and quality enhancement in art education, outcome-based education (OBE)–an advanced pedagogical paradigm–has become a crucial guide for curriculum governance reform in universities. Art institutions, given the creative and interdisciplinary nature of their disciplines, face unique challenges and opportunities in implementing OBE. This study examines D Art College as a case study, focusing on OBE-driven curriculum governance. Through integrated research methods including case analysis, textual research, and semi-structured interviews, we systematically explore the practical implementation of OBE in art institutions, covering curriculum goal formulation, content restructuring, implementation pathways, and evaluation systems. The research provides a comprehensive analysis of its effectiveness, challenges, and underlying causes, while proposing targeted optimization strategies to offer theoretical and practical support for curriculum reform in similar institutions.
Based on Taylor's Objectives-Based Education (OBE) theory and related frameworks, this study conducts field research and data collection at Dalian University of the Arts to comprehensively examine its OBE curriculum governance practices. In curriculum goal development, the institution has established a dual-driven model combining national standards as "minimum requirements" with institutional characteristics as "value-added enhancement." However, it faces challenges including the inherent ambiguity in art education versus OBE's measurable demands, as well as gaps between curriculum objectives, graduation requirements, and market needs. During curriculum restructuring, the university has implemented a "triple-pronged" reform focusing on project-based learning, interdisciplinary integration, and dynamic content updates. Nevertheless, significant shortcomings persist in real-world project integration, deep integration of art with technology and commerce, and the establishment of demand-driven update mechanisms. In curriculum implementation, the institution has transitioned from "lecture-based" to "diversified" teaching methods while exploring "collaborative multi-stakeholder" approaches. However, challenges remain in transforming teaching entities into collaborative educators, compounded by inadequate hardware infrastructure and software resource deficiencies. Regarding evaluation systems, the university has developed a "trinity" comprehensive assessment framework with breakthroughs in diversified evaluation methods. However, prominent issues persist including imbalance between quantitative and qualitative analysis, lack of external feedback, and fragmented application of evaluation results.
Research indicates that D Art College's OBE (Outcomes-Based Education) curriculum governance has achieved a preliminary transition from conceptual introduction to practical implementation, establishing a three-dimensional educational orientation of "artistic literacy+ practical skills + regional service." The college's practical explorations, including its dual-driven curriculum goal system and diversified collaborative implementation pathways, demonstrate exemplary value. However, in-depth analysis reveals that the school's curriculum governance still faces a "triple dilemma" at the conceptual, institutional, and practical levels: Conceptually, there exists stratified deviations in understanding the essence of OBE, constrained by traditional educational cultural inertia; Institutionally, issues such as fragmentation, lag, and insufficient incentives exist, lacking long-term safeguard mechanisms; Practically, resource shortages and deficiencies in faculty and management capabilities hinder the reform's implementation.
To address these challenges, this study proposes a "trinity" systematic optimization framework. At the conceptual level, it establishes a progressive system of "tiered cognition, action transformation, and cultural cultivation" to deepen understanding of the essence of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) and foster student-centered educational values. Regarding institutional improvement, it develops a cluster of mechanisms encompassing "collaborative governance, diversified incentives, and sustainable partnerships" to resolve institutional support deficiencies. For resource integration, it creates a resource ecosystem featuring "diversified supply, shared allocation, and precision services" to alleviate resource constraints. Additionally, drawing on Dalian University of the Arts' practical experience, the study advocates building a "university-local symbiosis" curriculum governance ecosystem. Through differentiated positioning, enhanced collaborative talent cultivation, and co-constructed innovation platforms, this approach achieves precise alignment between institutional development and regional cultural industry demands.
This study makes three major theoretical contributions: First, it enriches the contextualization research of OBE theory and expands its application boundaries in art education. Second, it broadens the application scenarios of curriculum governance theory by developing a tailored analytical model for art institutions. Third, it deepens the practical interpretation of educational resource allocation theory, revealing the correlation mechanism between resource distribution and talent cultivation quality in art colleges. In terms of practical value, the study provides customized curriculum governance optimization solutions for D Art College, offers replicable reform models for similar applied art institutions, and supports decision-making for regional cultural industry development and art education reform.
This study has certain limitations. The nature of case studies restricts the external validity of conclusions, while insufficient quantitative analysis and longitudinal tracking in methodology, along with underexplored dimensions in research content, pose methodological constraints. Future research will conduct multi-case comparative studies, advance quantitative and longitudinal tracking approaches, and focus on governance dynamics and technological empowerment. These efforts will deepen and broaden the research scope, ultimately establishing an OBE course governance maturity model to provide self-diagnosis tools for educational institutions.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• CHAPTER1. Introduction 1
• 1.1 The necessity and purpose of the study 1
• 1.1.1 The necessity of the research 1
• 1.1.2 Purpose of the study 8
• 1.1.3 research question 9
• CHAPTER2. Theoretical Background 11
• 2.1 concept definition 11
• 2.1.1 Outcome-based education 11
• 2.1.2 Course governance and optimization 21
• 2.1.3 Industry-University-Research-Application collaboration 32
• 2.2 literature review 37
• 2.2.1 Research on Curriculum Governance underOutcome-oriented Education 37
• 2.2.2 Research on Curriculum Governance under the Governance Strategy 60
• 2.2.1 Research on Curriculum Governance under the Cooperation of Industry,University,Academia and Application 74
• 2.3 theoretical principle 86
• 2.3.1 Taylor's Goal Education Theory 86
• 2.3.2 The Relationship between Taylor's Objective-Based Education Model and the OBE Concept in This Study 90
• CHAPTER3. Research design 95
• 3.1 Research technique 95
• 3.1.1 Case study method 95
• 3.1.2 Textual analysis 97
• 3.1.3 Semi-structured interview method 99
• 3.1.4 Integrated Application of Research Methods 105
• 3.2 Research subjects and data 108
• 3.2.1 The criteria for selecting case study institutions 108
• 3.2.2 Researcher position 110
• 3.2.3 The composition of the interviewees 110
• 3.2.4 Data Collection Content and Methods 114
• 3.2.5 Research on the assurance of validity and reliability 139
• CHAPTER4. Finding 141
• 4.1 The Market Adaptability of the Course Objectives 141
• 4.1.1 Market-oriented orientation of training objectives 141
• 4.1.2 The Fit Analysis of Training Objective and Market Demand 142
• 4.1.3 The logic of the support of graduation requirements to the market demand 143
• 4.1.4 Target Coordinated Market Response Mechanism 145
• 4.1.5 The Double Drive of Target Construction and the Dilemma of Market Connection 146
• 4.1.6 Technical Difficulties and Market Adaptation Obstacles of Goal Decomposition 147
• 4.1.7 The Gap between Target Alignment and Market Demand 150
• 4.2 The path of professional reconstruction of course content 153
• 4.2.1 Construction of Professional Characteristics and Vocational Adaptability of Course Content 153
• 4.2.2 The Construction of Professional System of Practical Teaching Course 154
• 4.2.3 Practice of Professionalization Transformation of Project-based Teaching 156
• 4.2.4 Interdisciplinary Integration and Professional Development Path 159
• 4.2.5 A dynamic update mechanism for the professionalization of course content 163
• 4.3 The Dilemma of Industry-Education Integration in the Implementation of Curriculum 166
• 4.3.1 The Insufficiency of the Adaptation between the Reform of Teaching Method and the Integration of Industry and Education 166
• 4.3.2 The Unsmooth Synergy of Teaching Subject Collaboration and Industry-Education Integration 171
• 4.3.3 Insufficient support for teaching resources and industry-education integration 175
• 4.3.4 The connection between practical teaching and industry-education integration is not smooth 179
• 4.3.5 The faculty team is not matched with the ability of industry-education integration 181
• 4.4 Optimization and Reconstruction of Course Evaluation System 183
• 4.4.1 The Present Situation and Optimization Space of Course Evaluation System 183
• 4.4.2 The Present Situation and Improvement Direction of Teaching Quality Monitoring System 197
• 4.4.3 The Reconstruction Path of the Governance System of the Course 203
• CHAPTER5. Discussion and Conclusion 212
• 5.1 Research Discussion 212
• 5.1.1 The Effectiveness and Characteristics of OBE Curriculum Governance in D Art College 212
• 5.1.2 The Deep Problems and Causes of OBE Curriculum Governance in D Art College 222
• 5.1.3 Optimization Path and Enlightenment of OBE Curriculum Governance in Art Colleges 227
• 5.2 Research conclusion 232
• 5.2.1 Summary of research conclusions 232
• 5.2.2 The Practical Effect and Characteristic Orientation of OBE Curriculum Governance 235
• 5.2.3 The "Triple Dilemma" of OBE Curriculum Governance: Deep-seated Obstacles in Concept, System and Practice 246
• 5.2.4 The Systematic Optimization Path of "Trinity": Synergistic Breakthrough of Concept, System and Resources 249
• 5.2.5 Building a "School and Local Symbiosis" Course Governance Ecology: Differentiated Positioning and Synergistic Development 253
• 5.2.6 Theoretical Contribution and Practical Value of the Research 255
• 5.2.7 Limitations of the study 257
• 5.2.8 Future research prospects 258
• Epilogue 259
• References 266
• Appendix 303