With strong support of the International Cooperation Office, the Teaching Affairs Department and the relevant schools of NPU, and thoughtful arrangement by QMES and QMUL, the young teachers of NPU participated in training and exchange meetings in QMUL and achieved great success, which aimed to comprehensively study and implement the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress, give priority to the educational development, practice the talent-driven strategy, improve the level of cooperation in running the school and promote teaching effectiveness.
From January 30th, 2023, the team of 9 members conducted by Professor Dai Fuping, Secretary of the QMES Party Committee, overcoming the challenges imposed by COVID-19, went to QMUL to attend the training course of “Teacher Certification” of British Higher Education and the seminar of International Center for Teaching and Learning, and visited the University of Manchester, the University of Oxford, and Imperial College London. The rest of the members respectively are Ma Yue, Deputy Director of the Engineering Training Center; Li Pei, Deputy Director of the Admission Office of the Teaching Affairs Department; Liu Zhe and Zheng Zebang, professors of the School of Materials Science and Engineering; Zhuang Qiang, associate professor of the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering; Feng Dingyi, associate professor of the School of Physical Science and Technology; associate professor and counselor Liu Jia and teaching secretary Fan Lanyu of QMES.
The training was designed by Queen Mary Academy of QMUL. The teachers from NPU took part in a series of courses of Academic Development Winter School delivered by leading experts of QMUL. Through experts teaching, group discussion, field visits, course practice and other methods, the international advanced teaching concepts were presented to the teachers. Starting from how to effectively obtain teaching feedback and stimulate students’ learning enthusiasm, the student-centred teaching philosophy, the blended teaching mode, the task-based teaching mode and the problem-based learning mode were introduced. The teachers were inspired to explore and innovate the taught-in-English curriculum, teaching methods and assessment modes against the international backdrop. Focusing on the topics of teaching methods, teaching design, academic evaluation and educational technology, the participants shared their teaching experience and discussed how to improve classroom teaching.
The team also visited the educational facilities, cultural construction and teaching resources of QMUL, and went to The Royal London Dental Hospital of QMUL. The teachers conducted in-depth discussions on teaching techniques, teaching methods and cultural diversity with the faculty of QMUL. Gabriel Cavalli, Executive Vice Dean of QMES and Director in charge of cooperative education of QMUL, led teachers from both sides to exchange ideas on how to conduct transnational education. Faith Nightingale, Director of Education of QMES, showed the teachers how to use QMPlus to facilitate teaching and learning. All participants learned to use Clicker for classroom interaction, and shared their learning experience over the past two weeks and their views and suggestions for future exchanges between QMES and QMUL.
During the trip, the team also attended the departure ceremony for Andrew Bushby, the first Executive Vice Dean of QMES. Dai Fuping delivered a speech on behalf of the school, appreciating Professor Andrew Bushby for his contribution to the establishment of QMES, introducing the development of the school and expressing his gratitude to QMUL for its continuous support. Professor Wen Wang, Academician of the Royal Academy of Engineering and Vice Principal of QMUL, extended his welcome to the NPU delegation. Wen Wang had a detailed understanding of the development of the school and achievements of talent training, and looked forward to more systematic and in-depth cooperation between the two sides in teaching and international exchanges. On the afternoon of February 8th, the studying team completed all courses and received the training certificates issued by QMUL.
During this trip, the delegation visited the School of Materials, School of Earth Resources and Environmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences and School of Business, etc. of the University of Manchester, learned about its history and current situation, its characteristics of education and scientific research, and its advantages, which laid a good foundation for promoting cooperation and exchanges between the two sides. The delegation also visited the University of Oxford and Imperial College London to learn about the history, campus culture and discipline strength of the two world-renowned universities. Besides, they also met some alumni of QMES in London, and had ardent communication on their study in the UK and their suggestions for the follow-up development of the school.
This activity was the first overseas exchange of QMES since the breakout of COVID-19, which focused on learning advanced educational concepts, theories and methods. The participants deeply discussed how to improve education through teaching feedback and inspired teaching innovation. In the future, QMES will continue to carry out training on teaching methods, constantly upgrade education and teaching, and cultivate top-notch international innovative talents.
Text: Fan Lanyu
Photo: Fan Lanyu
Translator: Liu Yang
Review: Fan Xiaoli
