Has the smart classroom revolutionized general education in Chinese universities? A comparative analysis of its influence path with that of traditional multimedia classrooms

Although general education in China undertakes an important mission to balance the overspecialization of higher education and cultivate wise citizens, its realization is facing challenges. The emergence of the smart classroom (SC) has introduced new concepts to transform general education. However, the impact of SCs on student approaches to learning (SAL) and learning outcomes and the differences from the traditional multimedia classroom (TMC) have not yet been explored. Therefore, this study proposes a 3P learning system model to examine the relationships between physical instructional environments, teacher instruction, SAL, and the development of generic skills. A study survey was completed by 596 students from three Chinese universities, and the results indicated that the cultivation of generic skills was better in SCs than in TMCs. This primarily stemmed from the enhanced student engagement resulting from the multifaceted teaching functions present in SCs. In addition, several pieces of evidence suggested that the impact of general education teacher instruction was not as significant as anticipated in SCs. These findings provide valuable direction for reforming general education and improving teacher instruction.