The aim of this paper is to analyze and consider the current situation and popularization of applied education in Chinese independent colleges from three perspectives: government (macro-level), institutions (meso-level), and students (micro-level). To this end, I focus on case analysis and student evaluation to analyze whether there is a gap between expectations and reality, and seek to answer two research questions: "Do independent colleges’ efforts in applied education meet the requirements and guidance of policy?" and "Do students truly experience independent colleges’ efforts in applied education?" At the same time, a comparative approach is adopted. I consider research universities and higher vocational colleges as a point of comparison to explore whether independent colleges have an advantage in applied education. The research results of this article can be summarized as follows.
First of all, regarding responses to policy guidance, based on the comparative results of case studies (Meso level), it is determined that independent colleges are indeed different from research universities and higher vocational colleges, in terms of the expected human resources’ competence requirements. It can be said that policy guidance aimed at cultivating applied human resources has penetrated the decision-making of independent colleges. However, based on the evaluation results from students at the micro-level, some problems have been found, such as the lack of off-campus learning places for practical training and internships, the lack of practical teachers, the setting of subjects with low applicability, and lack of direct links to the labor market. Moreover, these problems are not only presented in educational activities at the mesolevel, but also reflected in the evaluation of student education adequacy at the micro-level. Based on these results, it appears that independent colleges have not yet formed outstanding strengths in these core elements related to the cultivation of applied human resources.
In short, based on the findings of this paper, there is a gap between policy guidance and institutional action, and between institutional action and student experience in the intention and the reality of applied education. Our research results provide meaningful evidence that can be used for reflection and improvement of problems for independent colleges.