Advancing the Construction of the “Great Ideological and Political Course” to Enhance the Leading Power of Ideological and Political Education in Higher Education Institutions

The foundation of education lies in forging the soul. In recent years, Changshu Institute of Technology has focused on the fundamental task of fostering virtue and nurturing talent [1]1 “Fostering virtue and nurturing talent” (立德树人) is a fundamental task of education emphasized by the CPC, meaning to cultivate moral character and develop talent.. By consolidating the “main channel” of classroom teaching, integrating resources from the “great classroom” of society, and expanding the “new platform” of the internet in multiple dimensions, the institute has synergized efforts to comprehensively advance the construction of the “great ideological and political course” [2]2 “Great ideological and political course” (大思政课) refers to a comprehensive approach to ideological and political education that extends beyond the traditional classroom to include social practice, online platforms, and other settings., continuously enhancing the leading power of ideological and political education in higher education institutions. It strives to build a “refueling station” for students to strengthen their convictions and their sense of family and country, enabling students to possess both solid professional abilities and a profound sense of family and country, actively guiding young people to solidify their ideal foundations and enhance their sense of responsibility.

育人之本，在于铸魂。近年来，常熟理工学院围绕立德树人根本任务，从夯实课堂教学“主渠道”、融汇社会“大课堂”资源、纵深拓展网络“新平台”等方面，多维度协同发力，全面推进“大思政课”建设，不断增强高校思政引领力，着力打造学生坚定信仰与家国情怀的“加油站”，让学生既具备扎实的专业能力，又涵养深厚的家国情怀，积极引导青年厚植理想根基、增强责任担当。

Strengthen Organizational Leadership, Do a Good Job of Propaganda Work, and Consolidate the “Main Channel”

加强组织领导 做好宣传工作 夯实“主渠道”

Consolidate the “main channel” and fortify the “main battlefield” of the ideological and political classroom. The institute’s Party committee adheres to the guidance of the Party’s innovative theory in the New Era [3]3 “New Era” (新时代) refers to the period following the 19th National Congress of the CPC in 2017, characterized by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era., advances the implementation of the project to foster virtue and nurture talent, and promotes in-depth learning at multiple levels through “three types of learning,” forming a positive atmosphere of “leading cadres guiding learning, outstanding students taking the lead in learning, and all teachers and students engaging in independent learning.” It carries out activities such as institute leaders teaching the first lesson of the semester, department-level cadres telling stories of struggle, ideological and political teachers telling stories of faith, counselors telling stories of growth, outstanding students telling stories of role models, and community workers telling stories from around them. It establishes a “Great Lecture Hall on the Great Founding Spirit of the Party” [4]4 “Great founding spirit of the Party” (伟大建党精神) refers to the spirit of the CPC’s founding, officially defined as “upholding truth,坚守理想,践行初心,担当使命,不怕牺牲,英勇斗争,对党忠诚,不负人民.”, inviting typical figures to tell red stories. Members of the leadership team go deep into classrooms, participate in collective lesson preparation, discuss the way of educating with teachers, and comprehensively promote the integration of the Party’s innovative theory in the New Era into textbooks, into classrooms, and into the minds of teachers and students.

夯实“主渠道”，筑牢思政课堂“主阵地”。学校党委坚持以新时代党的创新理论为指导，推进实施立德树人工程，以“三个学”推动学习层层深入，形成“领导干部引领学、优秀学生带头学和全体师生自主学”的良好氛围。开展学校领导讲好开学第一课、处级干部讲好奋斗故事、思政教师讲好信仰故事、辅导员讲好成长故事、优秀学生讲好榜样故事、社区工作者讲好身边故事。开设“伟大建党精神大讲堂”，邀请典型人物讲好红色故事。领导班子成员深入课堂，参与集体备课，与教师共话育人之道，全面推动新时代党的创新理论进教材、进课堂、进师生头脑。

Amplify the “main theme” and sing the “strongest voice” of the public opinion battlefield. The institute emphasizes the dual combination of propaganda and ideological work with ideological and political education, fortifies the public opinion battlefield, and leverages the functions of the propaganda department. By establishing a network ideological and political center, it enhances the appeal and dissemination power of new media platforms, creates a highly cohesive ideological battlefield, and implements “three projects,” namely the project to inherit red genes, the project to demonstrate and lead by role models, and the project to enhance network ideological and political education, forming an all-round educational synergy. Utilizing platforms such as “Xuexi Qiangguo” [5]5 “Xuexi Qiangguo” (学习强国) is a mobile app and online platform launched by the CPC Central Committee for propaganda and theoretical learning., school and external ideological and political public accounts, and self-media matrices, and by building column brands such as “Ligong Xingkong” [6]6 “Ligong Xingkong” (理工星空) is a column brand at Changshu Institute of Technology, likely meaning “Polytechnic Starry Sky.”, it actively showcases educational achievements, tells stories of development, shares the demeanor of teachers and friends, continuously launches special reports, and leads teachers and students to promote a scientific research spirit of forging ahead with determination and unremitting self-improvement.

放大“主旋律”，唱响舆论阵地“最强音”。学校注重宣传思想和思政教育双结合，筑牢舆论阵地，发挥宣传部门职能。通过组建网络思政中心，提升新媒体平台吸引力和传播力，打造高黏性的思想阵地，实施“三个工程”，即红色基因传承工程、榜样示范引领工程、网络思政提升工程，形成全方位育人合力。利用“学习强国”等平台、校内外思政类公众号及自媒体矩阵，通过建设“理工星空”等专栏品牌，积极展示办学成果、讲好发展故事、分享师友风采，不断推出专题报道，引领师生弘扬锐意进取、自强不息的科研精神。

Fortify the Educational Battlefield, Build the “Four Teams,” and Strengthen the “Great Teaching Staff”

筑牢育人阵地 打造“四支队伍” 强化“大师资”

Cultivate teacher ethics and craftsmanship, and build a high-quality professional teaching team. Relying on the School of Marxism, the institute actively builds a high-quality ideological and political teaching team characterized by “strong politics, deep feelings, innovative thinking, broad vision, strict self-discipline, and upright personality.” In recent years, one teacher won the first prize in the ideological and political course group of the 5th Jiangsu Province University Young Teacher Teaching Competition, one teaching case won the first prize in the construction of high-quality ideological and political teaching resources in Jiangsu Province universities, one micro-course work received an excellent recommendation in the 7th National University Network Education Excellent Works Selection and Display Activity, and one work entered the national finals of the National University Teacher Teaching Metaverse Digital Technology Innovation Competition.

涵养师德匠心，建设高素质专业教师队伍。学校依托马克思主义学院，积极打造一支“政治强、情怀深、思维新、视野广、自律严、人格正”的高质量思政课教师队伍。近年来，1名教师获第5届江苏省高校青年教师教学竞赛思想政治课专项组一等奖，1个教学案例获江苏省高校优质思政课教学资源建设一等奖，1个微课作品在第7届全国高校网络教育优秀作品推选展示活动中获优秀推荐，1个作品进入全国高校教师教学元宇宙数字化技术创新大赛全国总决赛。

Strengthen capacity improvement, and build a professional and specialized counselor team. The institute incorporates the construction of the ideological and political work team into the overall plan for educational undertakings and the construction of the cadre and talent team, giving priority to guarantees in teacher construction, capital investment, and resource allocation. The institute annually selects “Top Ten Counselors” and “Top Ten Class Advisors,” encourages counselors and ideological and political teachers to jointly participate in practical teaching, student activities, and theoretical club guidance, and provides corresponding support.

强化能力提升，建设专业化职业化辅导员队伍。学校将思政工作队伍建设纳入教育事业和干部人才队伍建设总体规划，在师资建设、资金投入和资源配置上优先保障。学校每年评选“十佳辅导员”“十佳班主任”，鼓励辅导员与思政课教师共同参与实践教学、学生活动和理论社团指导，并提供相应支持。

Build a growth platform, and construct a teaching team combining full-time and part-time members. The institute incorporates the construction of the ideological and political work team into the annual work priorities, advancing and managing it in a unified manner. Full-time ideological and political staff and Party affairs workers across the institute account for 1.06% of the total number of teachers and students, with each college equipped with one full-time organizer. Through special funding support, the institute assists ideological and political teachers in carrying out 18 scientific research projects on Party building and ideological and political research in 2024, and successfully established 26 Jiangsu Province university philosophy and social science research projects, including one major project and 10 ideological and political special projects. At the same time, the institute selected 6 achievements to submit to the Ministry of Education’s 2025 high-quality ideological and political work construction projects in universities, further promoting the synchronized development of the full-time and part-time teaching team.

搭建成长平台，建设专兼结合的教师队伍。学校将思政工作队伍建设纳入年度工作要点，统筹推进并统一管理。全校专职思政工作人员和党务工作者占师生总数的1.06%，每个学院均配备1名专职组织员。通过专项经费支持，学校助力思政课教师开展18项2024年度党建与思政研究课题科研工作，并成功立项26项江苏高校哲学社会科学研究项目，其中包括1项重大项目和10项思政专项。同时，学校遴选6项成果报送教育部2025年度高校思想政治工作精品建设项目，进一步推动专兼职教师队伍同步发展。

Emphasize psychological education, and strengthen the construction of the mental health teacher team. The institute strictly equips mental health education teachers, introduces high-quality courses such as “Music, Film and Animation, and Psychological Growth” from platforms like Chaoxing Erya [7]7 “Chaoxing Erya” (超星尔雅) is a Chinese online education platform providing general education courses., and carries out competitions in mental health courses, situational dramas, and micro-course production. Among these, the series of activities “Exploring the Inner Self, Radiating Light” won the third prize in the 2024 Southern Jiangsu University “Five Educations Nourish the Heart, Walk Together in the Light” college student mental health characteristic activities. The institute actively creates “Mental Health Education Studios,” summarizes and promotes typical cases, and achieves full coverage of secondary college-level psychological workstations.

重视心理育人，加强心理健康教师队伍建设。学校严格配备心理健康教育教师，引进“音乐、影视动画与心理成长”等超星尔雅精品课程，开展心理健康课程、情景剧和微课制作比赛，其中《探索内心，绽放光芒》系列活动荣获2024年苏南地区高校“五育润心 沐光同行”大学生心理健康特色活动三等奖。学校积极创建“心理健康教育工作室”，总结推广典型案例，实现学院二级心理工作站全覆盖。

Construct an Educational Matrix, Focus on Growth Companionship, and Integrate the “Great Classroom”

构建育人矩阵 注重成长陪伴 融汇“大课堂”

Innovate the education model, and establish a dual-track parallel “one-stop” student community. The institute establishes a “college-community” dual-track parallel “one-stop” student community, adopting a collaborative education model of “college during class, community after class.” Through an environmental optimization project, it creates a comprehensive service center integrating learning, guidance, activities, and daily life, deepening the “three-all-round education” pattern [8]8 “Three-all-round education” (三全育人) refers to the educational principle of all-staff, whole-process, and all-round education.. It improves the school-college coordination mechanism, gathers the strength of institute leaders, ideological and political masters, and internal and external experts, promotes red culture deep into the community, integrates ideological and political work into students’ daily lives, and ensures that “wherever students are, ideological and political work extends to that place.”

创新育人模式，建立双轨并行的“一站式”学生社区。学校建立“学院—社区”双轨并行的“一站式”学生社区，采用“课上学院、课下社区”协同育人模式，通过环境优化工程，打造集学习、指导、活动、生活于一体的综合服务中心，深化“三全育人”格局。完善校院协同机制，会聚校领导、思政名师及校内外专家力量，推动红色文化深入社区，将思政工作融入学生日常生活，确保“学生在哪里，思想政治工作就延伸到哪里”。

Strengthen Party building leadership, and construct a “1+12+N” student community Party building work operation model. One comprehensive service station coordinates 12 secondary colleges and multiple functional departments, forming a functional Party branch system. Relying on Party member workstations, the institute forms “four teams” of political ethics mentors, academic mentors, life mentors, and peer mentors to be stationed in dormitories, integrating cultural immersion, civilization cultivation, and safety education into community life. Through the practice of “Party building entering the community,” it constructs a linkage system between ideological and political work and student growth services, promoting the deep integration of Party building work and community construction.

强化党建领航，构建“1+12+N”学生社区党建工作运行模式。由1个综合服务站统筹12个二级学院和多个职能部门，形成功能型党支部体系。学校依托党员工作站，组建德政导师、学业导师、生活导师、朋辈导师“四支队伍”进驻宿舍，将文化浸润、文明养成、安全教育融入社区生活。通过“党建进社区”实践，构建思想政治工作与学生成长服务联动体系，推动党建工作与社区建设深度融合。

Deeply tap red resources, and achieve full coverage of Party and Youth League organizations to open up the “last kilometer” of education. The institute has 18 functional Party branches under it, integrates resources such as the on-campus Red Classic Education Hall and the Xu Pu Spirit Memorial Hall [9]9 Xu Pu (许璞) was a notable figure associated with Changshu Institute of Technology, likely a former leader or scholar honored for his contributions., deeply explores the “Shajiabang” red culture [10]10 “Shajiabang” (沙家浜) is a famous revolutionary base area in Jiangsu Province, known for its role in the Chinese Civil War and celebrated in a classic Peking opera., and builds a community cultural battlefield. Relying on the “one-stop” student community, it constructs red-themed communities, organizes activities such as lakeside music festivals, drama performance months, and the Red May teacher-student chorus, promotes the branding and project-based construction of red culture, strengthens students’ ideological guidance and cultural edification, and achieves all-round cultural education through the deepening and multi-dimensional dissemination of red culture.

深挖红色资源，党团组织全覆盖打通育人“最后一公里”。学校下设18个功能型党支部，整合校内红色经典教育馆、许璞精神纪念馆等资源，深入挖掘“沙家浜”红色文化，打造环社区文化阵地。依托“一站式”学生社区，建设红色主题社区，组织湖畔音乐节、话剧展演月、红五月师生大合唱等活动，推动红色文化品牌化、项目化建设，加强学生的思想引领和文化熏陶，通过红色文化的内涵深化与多维传播，实现全方位文化育人。

Coordinate Multi-Dimensional Resources, Emphasize Practical Education, and Expand the “New Platform”

协调多维资源 强调实践育人 拓展“新平台”

“Integrate the small self into the big self,” and forge the “great furnace” of the practice classroom. The institute implements the “Integrate the Small Self into the Big Self” social practice education action, explores the combination of classroom teaching and practical teaching, and promotes “opening the door to teach the ‘great’ course.” By jointly building “great ideological and political course” practice teaching bases with local governments, enterprises, red-themed venues, and other institutions, it actively carries out “walking ideological and political course” practice teaching, “three trips to the countryside” social practice [11]11 “Three trips to the countryside” (三下乡) is a Chinese social practice activity where urban youth, especially college students, go to rural areas to provide cultural, technological, and health services., labor practice, and community theoretical propaganda, constructing a practical education community linking government, enterprises, and schools. This action deepens the expansion of classroom teaching content and method innovation, helps students comprehend theory, temper character, and enhance ability in real scenarios, and injects practical strength into ideological and political education.

“小我融入大我”，铸造实践课堂“大熔炉”。学校实施“小我融入大我”社会实践育人行动，探索课堂教学与实践教学相结合，推动“开门上‘大’课”。通过与地方政府、企业、红色主题场馆等机构共建“大思政课”实践教学基地，积极开展“行走的思政课”实践教学、“三下乡”社会实践、劳动实践和社区理论宣讲，构建政企校联动的实践育人共同体。这一行动深化了课堂教学内容的拓展与方法创新，帮助学生在真实场景中感悟理论、锤炼品格、提升能力，为思想政治教育注入实践力量。

Integrate local resources, and create a localized “second classroom.” The institute fully integrates local red resources, embedding the theme of “Shajiabang Red Culture” into practical teaching, forming a localized, life-oriented, and characteristic “second classroom.” It forms teacher-student propaganda teams, relying on the Red Classic Education Hall, to propagate heroic deeds and learn from the spirit of role models. The social practice course “Shajiabang Red Culture Social Practice” was recognized as a provincial first-class undergraduate course. Relying on provincial-level bases such as the Shajiabang Revolutionary Memorial Hall, it organizes more than 30 on-site teaching activities, compiles educational achievements such as “The Walking Ideological and Political Course,” builds a complete practical teaching network, and becomes a benchmark for regional “great ideological and political course” construction.

整合在地资源，打造本土化“第二课堂”。学校充分整合在地红色资源，将“沙家浜红色文化”主题嵌入实践教学，形成本土化、生活化、特色化的“第二课堂”。组建师生宣讲团，依托红色经典教育馆，宣讲英雄事迹，学习榜样精神。社会实践课程“沙家浜红色文化社会实践”获省级一流本科课程。依托沙家浜革命纪念馆等省级基地，组织30余次现场教学活动，编撰《行走的思政课》等教育成果，建成完整的实践教学网络，成为区域“大思政课”建设标杆。

Creating a new ecology, expanding the “cloud space” of online classrooms. The university innovates the teaching model of “cloud-based great ideological and political courses.” Through the “High-Quality Online Open Courses for Universities in Jiangsu” project, it has developed and launched four high-quality online ideological and political courses, published five supporting textbooks, and recorded 124 teaching micro-videos, forming a high-quality curriculum system. The immersive ideological and political course “Revisiting the Beacon Fire of the Reed Marshes,” co-built with the Shajiabang Revolutionary History Memorial Hall, has been selected as a high-quality resource construction promotion boutique project. [12]12 Shajiabang is a famous revolutionary base area in Jiangsu Province, China, associated with the New Fourth Army’s anti-Japanese guerrilla warfare during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945). The “Revisiting the Beacon Fire of the Reed Marshes” course uses this historical setting for immersive education. Through immersive scenario teaching, it allows students to traverse history and converse with predecessors, strengthening the appeal and effectiveness of ideological and political education, truly achieving the educational goal of entering the ears, entering the mind, entering the heart, and entering practice.

打造新兴生态，拓展网络课堂“云空间”。学校创新“云上大思政课”教学模式，通过“在苏本科高校精品在线开放课程”项目，开发并上线4门优质在线思政课程，出版配套教材5本，录制教学微视频124个，形成高质量课程体系。与沙家浜革命历史纪念馆共建的“重温芦荡烽火”沉浸式思政课程入选优质资源建设推介精品项目，以沉浸式场景教学让学生穿越历史、对话先辈，强化思政教育的吸引力和实效性，真正实现入耳、入脑、入心、入行的育人目标。

“Youth are the soul of the nation.” [13]13 This is a classical Chinese allusion from the *Huainanzi* (2nd century BCE), a Daoist philosophical text, emphasizing the vital role of youth in the nation’s future. Facing new situations and new opportunities, Changshu Institute of Technology will continue to take the construction of “great ideological and political courses” as a starting point, deepen the integration of classroom, community, and practical teaching, build a high-quality ideological and political education system, and cultivate more socialist builders and successors capable of shouldering the heavy responsibilities of the era.

“青年者，国之魂也。”面对新形势新机遇，常熟理工学院将继续以“大思政课”建设为抓手，深化课堂、社区和实践教学融合，构建高质量的思想政治教育体系，培养更多堪当时代重任的社会主义建设者和接班人。

Online editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧