This paper explores the fundamental mechanism for the formation oflow - quality courses ( namely,ShuiKe) in colleges and universities. The interview data of 11 teachers is analyzed by the grounded theory. The result shows that low - quality courses ares the products of the joint role of external social environment,the internal institutional environment and teachers. The specific influencing factors include social environment,teaching evaluation system,scientific research evaluation system,curriculum management system, teacher management system,and teachers’values and teaching ability. The overall social environment provides a suitable circum- stances for the formation of low - quality courses and it has an impact on the institutional environment; the internal institutional environ- ment is the main reason of thelow quality course,and the evaluation system plays a leading role on the curriculum management system and the teacher management system; the teachers’own values and teaching ability are the external manifestations of such courses, which are influenced directly or indirectlyby the internal institutional environment. The formation of low - quality courses includes a main path and four sub - paths within the institutional environment of colleges and universities.