背景知识
美国社区学院又称社区大学,是美国独创的一种高等教育体制,其英文名称各异,包括community college、junior college、city college等。美国社区学院的历史已经超过百年,全美国现有超过一千所社区学院,90%为公立学校,注册学生占美国在校本科生45%。社区学院具有广泛的开放性,学生不分年龄、家庭出身、种族或民族均可入读。社区学院的学制通常是两年,但也非常灵活。在所有公立的高等院校中,它的学费是最低的。学生可以在完成两年学业后获得副学士学位(associate’s degree,也称准学士学位),也可以转学到四年制学校,后一种做法常常也是家庭经济条件较差的学生所采用的“迂回战术”。
社区学院里开设大量大学的基础课程,大部分基础学科的课程完全可以在社区学院里完成。许多社区学院与当地大学签有协议,学生的学分可顺利转入大学,两年学业结束后,就可以选择直接升入四年制大学的三年级继续攻读本科学位。此外,社区学院还开设了传统的院校所没有的项目,层次广泛。不少社区学院开设的职业培训和技工课程安排有实习机会,让学生体验实际的工作环境。社区学院中的社区教育包含了很宽泛的多种活动,包括成人教育、继续教育、合同培训以及社区服务。这些课程可以是学分的或者是非学分的,既可学习工作技能,也可为培养个人的兴趣;既有一个小时的讲座,也有一个学期的课程;既可以在社区学院内上课,也可以在社区学院之外上课。
美式发音 适合泛听
In the world of higher education, two-year colleges often don’t get the same respect as four-year institutions here in the United States. But overseas, many educators say they are in awe of our community college system. They want to copy it.
在美国高等教育的圈子里,两年制大学的地位常常不如四年制大学,但在海外,许多教育工作者对我们的社区学院深怀敬意,他们想效仿这种做法。
In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, young men gather in a1)drab office building, practicing their knowledge on some biomedical engineering equipment. Instructor Ahmad Alhamawi is putting them through their paces to see if they understand how to fix what’s broken.
在沙特阿拉伯利雅得一座色彩灰暗的办公楼里,年轻人正在一些生物医学工程的仪器上进行学习实践。老师艾哈迈德·阿哈马维正在测试学生的技能,看他们是不是已经学会如何把出了毛病的设备修好。
Alhamawi: And the job—or the mission of the student is to find this fault and to solve this fault. And this, we call in English, troubleshooting.
阿哈马维:学生的任务就是找出设备的故障,然后排除故障。这个环节叫故障检修。
This is Riyadh Community College, a bit of a novelty in Saudi Arabia and in this region. Unlike the technical institutes found in many countries, this school awards an associate’s degree that can get students a job or send them on to a four-year school. Since the launch here in 2003, the community college system in the kingdom has grown to 50 schools.
这里是利雅得社区学院,这所学校对沙特阿拉伯和中东地区来说,是一个新生事物。与许多国家的技术学校不同的是,这所学院授予学生的副学士学位能让他们找到工作,或者让他们到四年制学校继续深造。在沙特阿拉伯王国,社区学院教育系统从2003年开始至今,已经建立了五十所社区学院。
Professor Saad Alshehri, the dean of the college, says, like his counterparts in the States, he develops the curriculum with the help of industry advisers.
学校的院长萨德·阿萨舍里教授说,他与美国的同行一样,在产业顾问的指导下设置课程。
Prof. Alshehri: And they tell us, what is the skills needs for our graduate student[s], what do they need?
阿萨舍里教授:他们会告诉我们,我们的毕业生需要学会什么样的技能,他们需要什么。
Alshehri teaches chemistry at King Saud University. Unlike typical U.S. schools, Riyadh Community College is part of the larger university, and lives under its shadow. But Alshehri wants RCC to be a contender. He shows off the labs for training health-care workers, who are in big demand here. Like a proud papa, Alshehri can’t stop boasting about the quality of these facilities, telling me no one in the region has a lab as good as this one.
阿萨舍里在沙特国王大学里教授化学课。与美国典型的社区学院不同,利雅得社区学院是一所更大的学校里的一部分,在它的影子下生存。但阿萨舍里希望社区学院能成为大学的竞争者。他向我们炫耀培训卫生保健工作者的实验室,在这个地方,卫生保健工作者奇缺。阿萨舍里就像是一个骄傲的父亲一样,一个劲儿地夸耀这些设施的质量,并对我说在中东地区,没有其他实验室比这更好的了。
Students come here for training in computer science, or to learn patient care for hospital jobs. The school is seeking international 2)accreditation to improve graduates’ chances as they enter the workforce.
学生在这里进行电脑培训,或者学习如何照顾病人,以便在医院找到一份工作。这所学校正寻求国际认证,好提高学生找到工作的机会。
Male students play pool in the recreation area. They are all dressed in 3)thobes, the long, white 4)tunic most Saudi men wear. There are no women. They attend a separate campus, as they do in nearly all Saudi schools. And you won’t see the adult students who take courses at community colleges in the States. Saad Alshehri says students in the kingdom must attend college within five years of graduating from high school.
男学生正在娱乐区打桌球,他们都身穿阿拉伯大袍,也就是大多数沙特男人穿的白色长外衣。这里没有女学生,就像在所有的沙特学校里一样,她们在另外一个校园上学。在美国,你会看到成年人在社区学院上课,这里不会有这种现象。萨德·阿萨舍里说,因为沙特的学生在高中毕业后的五年内一定要上大学。
Riyadh Community College has been learning a lot from Houston Community College, which is helping the school become fully accredited. Saad Alshehri has visited Houston many times. One idea he picked up is the need to have multiple campuses, something he hopes will attract students across this sprawling metropolis.
利雅得社区学院从美国的休斯顿社区学院学会了许多,这所学校帮助利雅得社区学院的学历得到全面承认。萨德·阿萨舍里曾多次造访休斯顿。他从那里学到的一点是有必要建立多个分校,他希望这样可以吸引这个大都市里的各类学生。
Other countries in the region are also looking to this American creation to help train their workforce. The Persian Gulf nation of Qatar is said to open its first community college this fall. Professor Ibrahim Al-Naimi is heading up the effort. He says Qatar Community College will be one of the few co-educational schools in the country.
中东地区的其他国家也希望通过美国人的这种体制寻求帮助,培训自己的劳动力大军。据说,位于波斯湾的卡塔尔将会在今年(2010年)秋天开办它的第一所社区学院。易卜拉欣·阿尔-纳伊米教授负责此事。他说卡塔尔社区学院会成为该国少数男女同校的学校之一。
Prof. Al-Naimi: These graduates will, after two years, they will be in the workplace. And the workplace is already co-ed. And so we have to train the kids to be prepared for their future.
阿尔-纳伊米教授:两年之后,这些毕业生会加入劳动大军。工作场所早就已经是男女混在一起了,所以我们也要让这些孩子为他们的未来作准备。
And in South America, community colleges are having a grand opening of sorts. With some advice from U.S. schools, Santiago, Chile, just opened what’s being advertised as the first true community college in that country. The Agency for International Development has recognized the power of this educational model, and is helping to 5)fledge new schools through grants and exchange programs.
在南美洲,社区学院正上演着近似隆重开张的一幕。智利的圣地亚哥在美国学校的帮助下,刚刚开办了据称是该国的第一所真正的社区学院。美国国际开发署认识到了这种教育模式的威力,正在通过资金和交换计划等手段建立更多的新学校。
