From gaps to modules: design thinking for meta-skills in Chinese private universities

Abstract

This study addresses persistent misalignment between academic management and meta-skills development in Chinese private higher education institutions (HEIs). It aimed to design, validate, and disseminate an academic management innovation that embeds four meta-skills domains adaptive expertise, relational dynamics, creative agility, and strategic synthesis into curriculum, teaching, and assessment in Sichuan private HEIs. A multi-phase mixed-methods design aligned with design thinking (empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test) was employed. Data were collected from 400 undergraduates (meta-skills questionnaire), 805 academic and administrative staff (PNImodified needs survey), and 20 experts (interviews, focus groups, and rubric-based evaluations). Quantitative analyses used descriptive statistics, analysis of variance (ANOVA), reliability indices, and PNImodified prioritization, while qualitative data underwent thematic content analysis and integrative synthesis. Results indicated moderate overall meta-skills, with strategic synthesis and relational dynamics weakest, and significant disciplinary variation for strategic synthesis. The highest reform priority was curriculum design, followed by assessment and teaching-learning practices. Across two validation rounds, experts reported improved feasibility and consistently high relevance and innovation. The resulting next-gen academic management framework offers an empirically grounded, adoption-ready pathway for modular academic management innovation.