Frontiers in Educational Research, 2025, 8(4); doi: 10.25236/FER.2025.080431.
Zihan Yang1, Wei Chen2
1College of Agriculture, Xiangyang Polytechnic, Xiangyang, China
2College of Resource Environment and Tourism, Hubei University of Arts and Science, Xiangyang, China
General Biology, as a foundational course in the Food Inspection and Testing curriculum, plays a critical role in laying the groundwork for subsequent specialized courses and supporting students' development of professional skills. However, in vocational colleges, its teaching practice is often characterized by monotonous theoretical instruction, insufficient practical application, and a disconnection from industry-relevant competencies. This study adopts a competency-based approach aligned with the occupational demands of food inspection and testing, and proposes a tripartite instructional model integrating "fundamental theory, job-specific skills, and project-based practice." Through course content restructuring, pedagogical innovation, and the reinforcement of practical modules, the study aims to achieve an organic integration of knowledge transmission and vocational ability cultivation. The findings demonstrate that this reform significantly enhances students’ engagement and professional identity, while also improving their analytical and problem-solving capacities. This study provides valuable insights for curriculum reform in vocational education.
General Biology; competency-based approach; vocational education; curriculum reform; food inspection and testing
Zihan Yang, Wei Chen. Teaching Reform of General Biology Based on Vocational Competency Development in Food Inspection and Testing Programs. Frontiers in Educational Research (2025), Vol. 8, Issue 4: 213-220. https://doi.org/10.25236/FER.2025.080431.
[1] Xiong, G. H. (2024). Reform and practice of the research-oriented teaching model in the General Biology course. Journal of Jilin Agricultural Science and Technology Institute, 33(06), 64-67.
[2] Xu, T. F., Zhao, X. H., & Shu, Y. H. (2024). Discussion on the ideological education teaching model based on the "activation" concept in higher education courses: A case study of the General Biology course. Higher Education Exploration, (04), 112-116.
[3] Xie, J. (2024). Research on the development of vocational education in the new era: From the perspective of the National Vocational Education Reform Implementation Plan. Huazhang, (12), 27-29.
[4] Guo, Q. (2023). Research on key points of food quality safety monitoring and supervision. Modern Food, 29(03), 154-156.
[5] Zhang, L. (2025). Application of microbial testing technology in food inspection. Food Safety Guide, (06), 122-124.
[6] Rong, X., Shi, Y. Q., Li, Y. L., et al. (2024). Practice of teaching reform in the "General Biology Experiment" course under the background of engineering education accreditation. Journal of Jining University, 45(03), 91-100.
[7] Yin, Y. X., Zhuang, G. Z., Zhou, J., et al. (2021). Online teaching practice of biological virtual simulation experiments: A case study of the virtual simulation experiment on the appearance observation and internal dissection of crayfish. Research on Biological Teaching in Colleges and Universities (Electronic Version), 11(06), 52-57.
[8] Han, Q., & Zhang, D. W. (2024). Virtual simulation experiment on subcellular localization observation of plant proteins. Experimental Science and Technology, 22(04), 84-89.
[9] Song, X. H., Zhang, X. F., Chen, Y. Z., et al. (2018). Information-based reform and practice of the General Biology course. Education Modernization, 5(04), 65-66.
[10] Zhang, W. W., Song, P., Li, W. Z., et al. (2021). Teaching reform of the General Biology course for biological engineering majors. Modern Vocational Education, (24), 110-111.