A Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University student’s research could improve technology used in the film and television industry, among other applications.

Mingjie Sun, a PhD student in XJTLU’s School of Advanced Technology, has designed a method to “train” a computer program to quickly and accurately track an object in a video and separate it from the background.

You may have watched a video where viewers’ real-time comments fly across the screen like bullets. The comments are supposed to appear behind any people or objects in the video. However, sometimes the comments accidentally appear over those images. Sun’s research attempts to this type of solve problem.

Comments appear to fly across the screen behind the actors

Sun, pictured below, and other researchers created an algorithm to train a computer program to quickly and accurately track an object in a video – video objects tracking (VOT) – and separate it from the background – video objects segmentation (VOS).

To improve the running speed and accuracy of VOT and VOS, Sun’s team is focussing on how “target templates” can be used in a new way to teach a computer program to identify an object.

“When a computer is tasked with recognising and tracking a target object of each frame in the video, it needs a reference object to compare to what it is trying to track. This reference object is called the target template,” Sun said.

“For example, it can be a photo of the target object taken at other places.”

Because the object may change location or appearance as the frames of a video progress, the target template must also be updated for the computer to continue to accurately recognise the object, Sun explained.

"Traditionally, the target template is updated in a rough way, without taking the correctness or quality of the predicted result into consideration,” Sun said.

“Therefore, the target template can be replaced by an incorrect result, causing the tracker to drift to the wrong target.

“After training, the computer program can learn and upgrade actively. Just like a ‘smart switch’, it can independently decide whether to update the target template based on whether the newly predicted result is of sufficiently high quality.”

The method Sun uses to train the computer program whether to update the target template is a technique called “reinforcement learning,” a type of artificial intelligence that learns based on its experience of trials and errors, successes and failures.

Test results of Sun’s team’s method show that their approach improves both running speed and accuracy. The efficiency of tracking and segmenting video objects is better than that of other research groups’.

Dr Jimin Xiao, Sun’s advisor, noted that reinforcement learning is a cutting-edge technology in AI: AlphaGo, the AI robot that has defeated the world champion Go player, is a well-known application.

Sun’s research paper was recently selected for publication at IEEE International Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR).

Professor Eng Gee Lim, dean of the School of Advanced Technology and director of the AI Research Centre at XJTLU, commended Sun’s achievements under Dr Xiao.

“Publishing in a top-level computer vision conference as a first-year PhD student demonstrates the high quality of research conducted in the University,” he said.

By Huatian Jin, edited by Tamara Kaup

According to a masters student at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, the XTJLU Library’s modern technology smoothed the way for students from around the globe to successfully meet their educational goals this semester in the pandemic-imposed all-online learning environment.

Shuaibu Musa Adam, who is studying sustainable energy technology in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, said: “It’s crystal clear that the XJTLU Library differs from those of traditional universities, by using the technological advances of the 21st Century to continue to deliver smooth services to staff and students amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Adam, pictured above, said that these technology initiatives strengthened his spirit during this uncertain period. Among them are the automatic extension of borrowed materials, development of a textbook posting system, virtual Library Seminar Series, and the large number of online sources added to the e-library.

The automatic due date extension early in the semester helped him both financially and emotionally, he said, especially since he had six library books checked out when campus closed.

“The extension has not only saved my money but also prevented the unnecessary stress and cost of mailing items back to the library. As such, it marked the first point in restoring my hope as I faced the challenge of studying for my degree online for the first time,” Adam said.

Another XJTLU Library service provided was a new system to post textbooks to students. The system enabled students to log in, choose textbooks from a list, and place their requests to be posted out within 24 hours.

“The textbook postings were not limited to students in China, but were also sent to students residing in any country around the world,” Adam said.

The XJTLU Library also made arrangements for students currently in China to pick up textbooks from campus using the same textbook management system, once they had received permission to visit the campus for that purpose.

“The arrangement made by the Library was very impressive, as the on-site collection services came with their own challenges, including daily disinfection of the space and the textbooks, body temperature checks at the entrance, ensuring proper social distancing and other necessary precautionary measures,” Adam said.

Adam also took advantage of the Library Seminar Series aimed at guiding staff members' and students’ research needs that were delivered online this semester.

“The lecture delivery skills of the tutors are excellent. The virtual seminar saved me lots of stress and time on how to write a good research report while managing the bulk of reading books/articles,” Adam said.

To help students during the all-online instruction period, the XJTLU Library enriched available e-resources, he noted.

“I can recall when I tried to purchase one online reference book from Amazon; the cost of the book is $254; fortunately, upon checking with the Library’s portal, it was found at no extra cost,” he said.

“As an online learner, access to the relevant needed materials determine how successful one could be.”

The XJTLU Library’s staff not only made good use of advanced technology but, also provided extra services to ensure students’ study was not interrupted, Adam said.

“Everyone knows that these are difficult times and people cannot be as productive as before. However, this seems to be totally opposite in the case of XJTLU staff,” he said.

Adam noted that the XJTLU Library staff's efforts are not only restricted to textbook collections/distributions, but also include organizing series of competitions in order to help relieve the stress felt by some students during the online learning period.

The XJTLU Library’s competitions helped students to connect and productively have fun.

“The ‘Defeat the Epidemic Events’ competition was my favorite among all. It helped in engaging me into some activities on social media to refresh my memory while interacting with other students,” he said.

“This has gone a long way in making my remote life enjoyable.

“During the first few weeks of the epidemic, I felt worried, scared, and confused to the point I started losing hope in the journey towards my second degree.

“However, XJTLU has been doing everything humanly possible to ensure minimal or no disruption in the students’ learning.”

Excerpted from an article by Shuaibu Musa Adam
Edited by Vionna Fiducia

Below: Hear Shuaibu Musa Adam describe his experience learning online at XJTLU this past semester

China’s Ministry of Education recently recognised two undergraduate programmes of Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University’s International Business School Suzhou as National Top-Ranking University Programmes.

“This national-level recognition indicates that our efforts to provide innovative, forward-looking programmes are on target,” said Dr Ellen Touchstone, programme director of one of the programmes: BA International Business with a Language.

“I’m particularly proud of how both of these programmes are interdisciplinary – no silos here.”

Dr. Szu-way Shu, programme director of BSc Information Management and Information Systems, the other programme recognised, also emphasised how the cross-disciplinary benefits of the programmes are exceptional.

“Traditional management information systems (MIS) programmes in business schools focus mostly on the management aspects, while computer sciences programmes in engineering schools focus on programming and algorithms,” he said.

“There are very few examples of integrating MIS and computer sciences into one programme.”

Students who enrol in the BA International Business with a Language programme study modules from different departments in IBSS, which provides a broad international business background, Dr Touchstone said.

“Experiencing different business disciplines helps students decide in which field they would like to work or study in the future. They can then engage with the IBSS Employability Team to arrange work placements and internships in those more specific fields,” she said.

In addition, this programme enables students to gain business contacts important to their future careers, Dr Touchstone said.

“As one of the most popular programmes with our international students, this programme and its community provides students with their first business network,” she said.

“I explain to our students that they need to be developing these relationships now as they don’t know who from among their classmates will be an important business contact in the future.”

A third advantage of the BA International Business with a Language programme is that it teaches students one or more languages outside of their native languages, Dr Touchstone said.

“The language portion of this programme is provided by the Modern Language Centre in XJTLU’s School of Languages,” she noted.

“This programme develops Chinese students’ proficiency in a third language – Spanish or Japanese – in addition to their Academic English courses. These language and cultural skills open up additional job markets and employment possibilities with Chinese companies operating in Spain, the U.S., Central and South America and Japan.

“We’ve even had a few students continue their postgraduate studies at prestigious business schools in Spain, such as ESADE.

“International students in the programme move beyond the beginning Chinese classes required of all foreign students studying in China to develop a more sophisticated ability to communicate in a Chinese business environment.”

Professor Chris Harris, dean of the School of Languages also noted the advantages of the programme for its graduates.

“XJTLU’s BA International Business with a Language graduates are already ideal multilingual and intercultural ambassadors for any company or organisation they join at the start of their chosen careers,” he said.

“This is in part because they can speak their mother tongue plus at least two other languages fluently. Many have a different first language too, and so their multilingualism as an attribute is highlighted even more.

“These same graduates also understand multiple cultural differences and values when travelling and working globally.

“Their impressive linguistic and intercultural skills are additional to their business knowledge and acumen. So we can see easily see that such graduate employees are perfectly positioned to become tomorrow's influential leaders in a rapidly-changing business world at the time of the fourth industrial revolution.

“XJTLU’s graduates from this programme are amongst today’s top new talents.”

In the BSc Information Management and Information Systems programme, students learn the core concepts of information technology, financial management and economics and understand the interconnectedness of these disciplines, said Dr Shu.

Enroling in this programme helps students both gain employment and earn advancement once employed, he said.

“According to my years of experience in helping students find job placements, MIS is one of the most promising field in business schools,” Dr Shu said.

“Not only does an MIS focus help students get the jobs they want and successfully enter top companies, but also it increases their ability to obtain future promotions compared to other fields.”

Professor Eng Gee Lim, dean of the School of Advanced Technology which provides the computer sciences part of the programme, agrees.

“This integration is a trend and a new mode of training future talents,” he said. “Students will have more options when job-hunting.”

The successful integration of MIS and computer sciences in the BSc Information Management and Information Systems programme could be extended, said Dr Shu.

“This successful experience can be extended to allow University-wide integration,” he said.

“For me, a resilient MIS program should not only be the integration of management and computer sciences, but also emphasise innovation, economics, and even history.”

According to Dr Shu, for students studying in China, XJTLU’s IBSS programmes offer distinct advantages.

“IBSS is one of the few English-language business schools,” he said. “This gives students more opportunities to explore international markets.”

China’s Double Ten Thousand Plan under which the XJTLU programmes were recognised seeks to promote the quality of undergraduate education in China.

It aims to list 10,000 leading undergraduate degree programmes at the national level and 10,000 leading undergraduate degree programmes at provincial level from 2019 to 2021. So far, 4,054 programmes nationwide have been included.

By Wei Zhang, edited by Tamara Kaup

From smoke alarm devices in public places and formaldehyde gas detectors in residential property, to the warning systems used in detecting dangerous industrial exhaust gas, all these products to protect environment and ensure our safety require a gas sensor.

Recently, Xi'an Jiaotong Liverpool-University and Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech and Nano-Bionics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences jointly developed novel technology that will improve the design and performance of gas sensors.

The improvements are related to address the challenges with inconsistent production of gas sensors in a larger scale at lower cost, said Dr Sujie Qin of XJTLU’s Department of Health and Environmental Sciences.

"Inconsistent production of gas sensors leads to the inaccurate sensing performance, and we hope to provide a novel solution for solving this bottleneck problem. " said Dr Sujie Qin of the Department of Health and Environmental Sciences of XJTLU (pictured below, centre).

Dr Qin has long been engaged in research on the detection of organic pollutants and polluted gases. Her research project on semiconductor gas sensors was carried out in cooperation with Ting Zhang, a researcher at Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech and Nano-Bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The team members include Dr Lin Liu (above, right), a PhD graduate (2019) of XJTLU and Yingyi Wang (above left), a bachelor's degree graduate of XJTLU (2018).

The phased research results of the project were recently published in Microsystems & Nanoengineering, a subsidiary journal of Nature. Dr Liu, the first author of the paper, said that these gas sensors use nano-sized metal oxides as the gas sensing material for detecting gas.

"The current mainstream technology is to mix the gas sensing material with organic binder and coat it on the sensing chip,” Dr Liu said.

However, she said, this technology results in problems with poor material uniformity, since sensing materials tend to aggregate in the coating process, and cause weak bonding between the material and the microchip.

“After the material is coated on the sensor microchip, it may fall off,” Dr Liu explained.

To solve these problems, the project innovatively combines two technologies: micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) fabrication technology and material in-situ growth technology.

"MEMS technology creates micro-gas sensor chips on a silicon wafer substrate from 'top-down,'” Dr Liu said.

“In-situ growth technology uses chemical methods to grow the sensing material in the central area of the sensor into a three-dimensional nano-array from ‘bottom-up’.

"Compared with the traditional coating method, since the material is grown in situ, the binding force and adhesion force are greatly improved and the stability of the device is also improved.

"In addition, the in-situ growth method can adjust and control the morphology and size of the material, avoiding aggregation, which is conducive to the preparation of gas sensors with uniform gas sensing performance.

"The scheme is simple, low-cost and has the potential for large-scale production."

Another article related to the work was published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

According to Dr Qin, the project is expected to promote high-throughput, mass production of semiconductor gas sensors at lower cost.

The team has applied for a patent for the preparation scheme and will later verify its feasibility more widely by working with industry partners.

"In the real world, gas sensors need to be able to work in complex environments. In the next phase of research, we will study and eliminate or avoid the influence of various environmental factors on the performance of the devices, such as environmental humidity." Dr Qin said.

"How various environmental factors affect the work of sensors is often unpredictable. We need to find out the key influencing factors, discover the solution, and integrate it into the preparation scheme of the device. To achieve a leap from the laboratory to real-life application is the direction of our next stage of exploration."

By Luyun Shi, edited by Will Venn
Photos by Yao Chu and Weiqian Zhang

The graduating class of 2020 can be proud not only of what they learned through studying but also through facing the global pandemic, said Professor Youmin Xi, executive president of Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University.

This week, 2,899 undergraduates, 519 postgraduates and 34 PhD students are receiving their University of Liverpool and XJTLU degree certificates, with 1,111 students (38 percent) achieving first-class honours.

“After having experienced the hardships related to COVID-19, you can be confident now that you can quickly adapt to this fast-changing world,” said Professor Xi at the 2020 XJTLU Graduation Ceremony being held 27-30 July both on campus and over livestream broadcast.

"You can find opportunities in crisis," he continued.

“Even though you are entering a fragile world with unprecedented complexity, you should not be frustrated by the ongoing struggle against the virus.

“You have received a solid education from XJTLU that gives you the skills needed for success.”

Professor Dame Janet Beer, vice-chancellor of the University of Liverpool, said this year’s graduating students deserve recognition for their perseverance in a time of great challenge.

“The global pandemic has had a profound effect on everyone’s lives and I know our hearts go out to all those who have lost loved ones,” she said.

“I mention this not to detract from what is, quite rightly, a day of celebration but rather to reflect that each of you will have faced an additional immense period of personal challenge during an already demanding final year of studies.

“It is only right that we take a moment to acknowledge this and to commend you on pursuing your studies diligently and to their successful conclusion.

“An achievement of this magnitude is never easily attained – even in normal times.”

Mutia Hanifah, graduating with an Applied Chemistry degree and one of the graduate representatives speaking this week, says the ceremony marks a successful result despite the added challenges this semester.

“We still managed to meet all the deadlines, finished our exams, discuss everything remotely, leading to the successful completion of our last semester.

“And now, here we are, in different parts of the world, celebrating our achievements through the four years of our undergraduate study.”

Professor Wenquan Tao, president of XJTLU, delivered the closing address after taking part in conferring the degrees.

“I want to say well done for having the determination to reach this point,” he said.

“Today marks the first day of a new journey in your lives, be it continuing your studies or starting your career.”

Professor Xi emphasised that any 2020 graduate who could not attend this year’s ceremony due to the pandemic is welcome to attend any future graduation ceremony.

“Put on your robe and relive your college glory days,” he said.

“We hope that you always consider XJTLU to be your home.”

The arrangements of the ceremony strictly comply with the pandemic control and prevention requirements of the local government and other authorities, to ensure the health of all graduating class and staff members.

To watch the graduation ceremony live broadcast, please click here.

By Tamara Kaup, Luyun Shi and Will Venn

A new experimental treatment designed to tackle the pain and damage caused by osteoarthritis has been discovered by scientists at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University.

The Sacitharan Lab at XJTLU, alongside other laboratories across China, has discovered that an immune messenger, called IL-22, increases osteoarthritis. The researchers have discovered that blocking the action of IL-22 can decrease the disease in experimental settings.

IL-22 is produced by several populations of immune cells at a site of inflammation and participates in regulating the immune response. IL-22 can be both protective and pathogenic and is involved in pathogenesis of several autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid arthritis.

Dr Pradeep Kumar Sacitharan, of XJTLU's Department of Biological Sciences, explained more about this research.

“To date, blocking the action of the immune system in osteoarthritis has not worked. It’s because we were looking at the wrong targets. We’ve now found the right targets and have observed the immune system plays a much larger role in osteoarthritis than previously thought,” Dr Sacitharan said.

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and is characterised by the breakdown of the cartilage that overlies the ends of bones in joints. This results in the bones rubbing together, causing pain, swelling and loss of motion.

It is the most prevalent disorder of articulating joints in humans and is a condition that is endured by half of the world’s population aged 65 years or older.

While there is no outright cure for osteoarthritis, treatments including painkillers and anti-inflammatories can help people control and reduce the effects of the disease. Invasive treatments including joint replacement can improve mobility, but these can be risky for older individuals and are less possible in low income countries.

IL-22 may prove to be a new therapeutic target for osteoarthritis and its related pain said Dr Sacitharan, adding that further human trials would be required to bring possible new drugs to market.

“The exciting point is that we managed to block both pain and cartilage damage. This data raises hope for scientists and patients that a new drug or class of drugs for the disease might be potentially available in the future after clinical trials.”

This research, "Targeting IL-22 and IL-22R protects against experimental osteoarthritis," has been published in Cellular & Molecular Immunology (CMI), a Nature research journal.

By Will Venn

Earlier this month marked the first time non-PhD students were back on the Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University campus for academic purposes. These students were attending the opening ceremony for the first-ever Professional Development Programme for XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang). The PDP is part of the College’s annual 200 hours of hands-on experience to complement the first year of degree programmes.

The PDP summer school sessions began online at the beginning of the month, but 10 August was the beginning of the three-week intensive programme that includes guest lectures, practical workshops, industry site visits and business English classes. At the end of these three weeks, students will have an additional week to review what they’ve learned and complete their assignments.

The opening ceremony, which was conducted in line with strict social distancing regulations, was attended by industry partners, XJTLU programme developers and teaching assistants. For many students, this was their first time seeing these people in person.

The ceremony kicked off with a speech from Professor Youmin Xi, executive president of XJTLU, where he explained to students the advantages of the XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang) degree programmes.

“After your four years with us, you should be a strong leader who can adapt to any turbulent environment,” said Professor Xi. “After the learning and training with the 1+3+2+X scheme, besides the disciplinary and industrial knowledge, you’ll have specific industry training and experience, management and leadership as well as entrepreneurship practice, and may even be recognized for your skills by our industry partners. That’s the difference with our programme. Taicang students could go into the market three or four years earlier than their peers.”

After the ceremony, students attended their respective classes for their first day of workshops. Lectures are being conducted at XJTLU’s International Business School Suzhou, with some guest lectures from industry partners. In fact, in two cases, AI and Advanced Computing, as well as Internet of Things, the summer PDP is being delivered purely by industry partners.

Professor Stuart Perrin, Associate Principal of XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang), says: “In the summer school, students have a different type of experience, with more hands-on, focused lessons. The summer programme is interesting for our staff as well – they've had to rethink how they would deliver more practical lessons.”

This summer school period represents many firsts for XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang). The first cohort of students admitted to the programme – who were recruited from existing XJTLU students with interests and goals in line with the College’s schools of learning – have finished their first year and begun their first PDP. In September, the second cohort of students will arrive – the first batch recruited into the University specifically to join the entrepreneurial programme. The summer school programme will become more hands-on and practical with each advancing year, Professor Perrin said. Next summer, the Year Two students can look forward to more problem-solving-based workshops, and the year after that, Year Three students will attend a traditional in-company internship.

Professor Perrin, reflecting on the past year, said he is very happy with the results. “I’ve been pleased with the way the students have engaged, and the way the programme directors and staff have engaged as well. We've tried to get feedback all the way through, so we can make changes. I want students to feel that they are a key part of the programme.”

Xiaoqing Zhu, a BEng Intelligent Robotics Engineering student, described the summer programme as “full of opportunities”: “I’ve had opportunities to ask questions that have been on my mind for a long time, as well as get close to knowledgeable people, and company leaders,” she says.

Zimu Wang, a BEng Data Science and Big Data Technology student, says a highlight for him was the company visit to DeepBlue Technology in Shanghai: “Going to the company, I gained a deeper understanding of artificial intelligence.”

Professor Perrin adds that it’s been refreshing to have a few students back after such a long period, and to hear campus noise again. “It’s also been great to engage with students face-to-face as opposed to virtually.”

Wang concurs: “I had a good online learning experience last semester, but I still prefer having face-to-face lectures with my classmates.”

“Being on campus, it's easier to discuss problems and ideas with classmates and teachers,” says Zhu. “We can push each other to improve further.”

By Patricia Pieterse

Many of us might not think much about insects, except, perhaps, how to remove them from our living areas. However, in the big picture, insects represent an important part of our ecosystem and food supply.

Take honeybees, for an example. They are key pollinators, playing an important role in crop production. Recently, pollinators like honeybees have been on the decline, in part because of emerging diseases. Scientists are researching potential ways to help pollinators and boost knowledge about insects in general.

“Honeybees are relatively well studied because of their agricultural importance, but other insects have environmental roles that are just as important,” said Lea Fischbach (pictured above), a 2020 graduate of XJTLU’s Biological Sciences programme. “A lot of research has been done recently, but the immune system of insects is still not fully understood,” she said.

Fischbach hopes to contribute to research that could help insects fight disease. She plans to pursue a masters degree at the University of Helsinki, studying the evolution and development of immune systems in insects.

Fischbach has had a long-standing interest in bees and other insects.

She had a bit of experience with beekeeping during her high school period in Korea. Then, last summer she helped to install a new urban apiary (also known as a bee yard) on the roof a city office in Seoul, South Korea, as part of an internship work placement.

She had learned about the internship through a news article about Urban Bees Seoul, a non-profit company dedicated to the education and conservation of honeybees. “I thought their goals aligned closely with the work I hope to do in the future,” Fischbach said.

Her work also included: assisting the beekeepers in their practical tasks, educating children about the role of honeybees, while also researching and translating documents. “Having learned biology definitely helped,” Lea said.

“Searching and summarising bee-related scientific information into reports was very similar to XJTLU university assignments in both form and content.

“I found the practical beekeeping to be the most exciting,” she said, “and it was very fulfilling to see the new apiary established.

“I was encouraged to ask questions and was able to become more confident over the course of the work placement. It was a very memorable and valuable experience.”

During her final year at XJTLU, Fischbach worked with fruit flies.

“I wanted the experience of working with fruit flies because they are a common model organism in genetics, so they are also frequently used when studying other species,” she said.

Fischbach noted that the skills and knowledge she learned both in her internship and at XJTLU have prepared her for graduate studies.

“For future research, I will very likely use the practical beekeeping skills I learned and the experience of working in tandem with several groups of people.”

“I would like to thank all my professors, who have all been a great help during my studies at XJTLU.

“Despite the disruption caused by COVID-19, overall I feel like I was well prepared for further studies.”

By Vionna Fiducia
Edited by Tamara Kaup

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University has signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with the district government of Jiangdu, Yangzhou and film production company Enlight Media, to develop a cutting-edge film school within the Yangzhou region.

Mr Yang Chen, chairman of the CPPCC Yangzhou Municipal Committee, Professor Youmin Xi, executive president of XJTLU, and Mr Changtian Wang, president of Enlight Media, attended the signing ceremony and delivered speeches.

“The film school will be creatively built in a cinema city to integrate production, life and ecology. The cooperation among the three parties aims to further enrich film education in the Yangtze River Delta and even all around China, enhance and industrialise the domestic film industry and set new standards for the integration of the higher education and film industry,” said Enlight’s Wang.

In addition to the establishment of the XJTLU-Enlight Film School, the three parties committed to research and support the film industry to keep up with changing technologies. That includes training skillful personnel within the field, establishing film technologies labs, developing ideas and start-ups in the film industry, and providing short-term training camps and tours.The three parties will further explore Syntegrative Education and seek to develop innovative and interdisciplinary talents to become leaders in film and television arts with a focus on modern technologies.

In his speech, Professor Xi introduced the philosophy of Syntegrative Education and envisioned the blueprint of XJTLU’s education base in Yangzhou.

“Dedicated to exploring future education, promoting China’s education reform and influencing the development of global education, XJTLU wants to provide theoretical and practical guidance for and research into the new model of how new cities emerge side by side with boosting industries.

“After establishment of the XJTLU-Enlight Film School, the group of elites in the film and creative industry will be expanded.

“On the basis of XJTLU’s educational model, which fosters the development of elites with both professional and industrial backgrounds, the cooperation with Enlight Media will probe into producing film professionals in an era of digital intelligence. Hopefully this will guide and support the educational reform and development in Yangzhou.”

Speaking of the strategic significance, Professor Xi said: “As XJTLU-Enlight Film School develops, a new interactive framework will form among XJTLU’s film education base in Yangzhou, School of Film and TV Arts and the School of Cultural Technology, contributing to the University’s cultural creativity education.

"Moreover, the cooperation with Enlight Media, a leading enterprise, in establishing XJTLU’s film education base in Yangzhou, is also a real-case scenario for the development of Syntegrative Education in scope and in depth.”

Wang said that as a leading enterprise in the field, Enlight Media is familiar with trends in the film industry and its demand for talent. The cooperation is not only innovative but also embodies the shared philosophy between the company and the University. Enlight Media will work with XJTLU and the district government in Jiangdu, Yangzhou to build the XJTLU-Enlight Film School into a leading and influential example in China and around the world.

According to Mr Hong Yuan, general manager of Quanxianshijing Yangzhou Entertainment Company, the XJTLU-Enlight Film School will be located in Enlight Media’s All Studios project. Its construction is expected to be launched in 2021 and the overall engineering completed in 2023. As the film industry develops, a discipline cluster in the film industry will take form, comprising directing, acting, photography, fine arts, design, music, dancing, animation, and management. Such a cluster will break down barriers between teaching and practice in the film industry by offering a wide range of platforms to the teachers and students.

“At XJTLU’s film education base in Yangzhou, a new educational ecology will emerge in a cooperation mode where XJTLU, the government and enterprises interact with one another. It will be an educational ecology born out of value and development advantages where society, university and industries are merged, and industry elements are shared and interdependent,” Professor Xi said.

Yangzhou’s Chen said the tri-party cooperation would be a new exploration into the mode to develop innovative film talents. He added that Yangzhou’s municipal Party Committee and government will support it with favorable policies and best services.

In addition to the signing ceremony, the group from XJTLU also visited the construction site of the Enlight Media All Studios project and held discussions with Enlight Media over the film education base in Yangzhou.

The event was also attended by Tianbo Yang, secretary-general of the CPPCC Yangzhou Municipal Committee; Tong Zhang, secretary of the CPC Jiangdu District Committee; Hongtian Wang, president, and Hong Yuan, general manager of Quanxianshijing Yangzhou Entertainment Company; Professor Qiuling Chao, Professor David Goodman and Dr Yimin Ding, vice presidents of XJTLU; Professor Chris Harris, vice president-elect of XJTLU; and Professor Stuart Perrin, associate principal of XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang).

By Wei Zhang

Translated by Boqiang Xiao

Edited by Patricia Pieterse and Tamara Kaup

A new journal article, co-authored by Professor Christopher Gwenin of the Department of Chemistry, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, has explored a new method of sepsis detection, which could result in faster, more accurate and more accessible testing devices in the near future.

Sepsis, informally known as blood poisoning or blood infection, is a condition whereby an untreated infection spreads throughout the body and leads to a heightened response from the immune system, which then attacks healthy cells. According to the paper, it affects 20 million people worldwide per year, and kills around 11 million.

People with lower immune systems are more at risk of sepsis, and the long-term effects of COVID-19, such as weakened heart function, increase the susceptibility of the condition.

“Viral infections, like COVID-19, are becoming more commonly related to sepsis cases,” says Professor Gwenin, “as a higher number of people in hospital are experiencing a secondary infection contracted from an increased stay.”

Swift detection saves lives

For sepsis survival, speed is key, says Professor Gwenin: “Results from a retrospective study have shown an average increase in mortality by 7.6% for every one-hour delay in the administration of antibiotics in patients with septic shock.”

Current sepsis testing takes anywhere from five hours to a few days, depending on the testing method, and some faster tests only detect a small number of pathogens. Additionally, sepsis symptoms, such as shortness of breath, coughing and fever, often mimic other illnesses, making reliable testing so much more important.

The paper sought to illuminate a more reliable and faster system of sepsis detection by using a method known as Solid-Phase RPA, and incorporating it into a lateral flow device.

A lateral flow device is one whereby a sample passes over a specially treated strip, and gives a result in a short amount of time. One example of a commonly used lateral flow device is a home pregnancy test.

These tests deliver rapid results, can be operated easily and use only a small sample from the patient, making them better for neonatal care, the paper explains.

The future of sepsis tests

Solid-Phase RPA allows the test to be operated at room temperature. “A method like this reduces run time as well as the cost of the device,” says Professor Gwenin.

According to the paper, while more research is needed, Solid-Phase RPA shows promise towards a fully integrated sepsis test with the potential to incorporate it into a lateral flow device. This would help identify a wide range of pathogens in under an hour without the need for expensive equipment.

This research: 'Development of Solid-Phase RPA on a lateral flow device for the detection of pathogens related to sepsis' has been published in the journal Sensors and can be read in full here.

About the researcher

Professor Christopher Gwenin is a Professor of Research at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. Before joining XJTLU in 2020, he was a Senior Lecturer in Physical Chemistry at Bangor University. He has published numerous papers, and focuses mainly on high-value research at the interface of biology and chemistry.

By Patricia Pieterse and Stella Rüggeberg

After an emergency switch to all-online teaching last semester, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University is preparing for yet another revolution in instruction. Newly installed technology will ensure top-quality instruction, whether students are physically in the classroom, part onsite and part online, or all online.

The technology investment – approximately half a million RMB – was necessary because of the ongoing impact of COVID-19 worldwide and to progress towards future plans, said XJTLU leaders.

While more than 90 percent of the University’s students can return to campus for the new semester starting 7 September, the remainder – as of now – cannot.

“The University is committed to ensuring the highest quality of teaching for every student, whether they can return to campus or not,” said Professor Chee Seong (CS) Chin, XJTLU’s dean of learning and teaching.

To keep that commitment, data was collected and analysed and planning conducted over many weeks. This resulted in an equipment upgrade that tailored classrooms for flexibility, said Professor Chin.

According to Professor David Goodman, vice president for academic affairs, about 50 percent of the autumn semester’s 500+ modules will be primarily face-to-face (with online delivery for students outside China), 30 percent completely online, and 20 percent a combination of online and onsite.

“We have allowed schools and departments to determine their own way of doing things, not only for modules, but also across the entire curriculum,” Professor Goodman said.

“Some departments have told me they learned from our experience last semester teaching online and want to continue using the aspects they found beneficial.”

Online, onsite teaching enabled

The new equipment, which centres on high-definition web cameras with top-quality microphones, along with XJTLU’s existing BigBlueButton web conferencing software platform, enables instructors to simultaneously teach students both physically present and online, a model called HyFlex.

“Whether it’s a lecture, a student group activity, or a tutorial, the technologies chosen make the online learning and teaching experience as close as possible to the onsite experience,” said Roland Sherwood, educational technology manager of XJTLU’s Educational Development Unit (EDU).

“Students both in the classroom and online can ask questions, receive answers and feedback in real time, and interact with one another no matter where they are located.”

The webcams each have two microphones facing opposite directions to facilitate a wide range of sound pickup around the classroom and are sensitive to light changes – critical features allowing students online to hear and see clearly.

“The webcam’s camera automatically and quickly adjusts to lighting changes or if an instructor points it to different parts of the room,” said Trent Montgomery of XJTLU’s Management Information Technology and System (MITS) office.

Instructors can also use a webcam tripod to easily point the camera toward where they are moving so students online can see what’s happening.

“Without the tripod, the webcam is aimed only behind the computer, but from a pedagogical point of view, the teacher remaining seated behind the desk is not ideal. Use of the tripod promotes teacher-student interactions both within the classroom space and online,” said Sherwood of EDU.

“It helps better capture in-classroom activities and whiteboard content for students online,” he said.

The new classroom setup also enables instructors to quickly and easily record a lecture after turning on the computer and opening the software, Sherwood noted.

Another new hardware option is a high-definition document camera that allows instructors to clearly project handwriting or 3D objects to students both onsite and online.

Training to use the new classroom setup, both from a technical and pedagogical point of view, started this summer and will continue into the semester.

Students will be surveyed weekly to monitor how they feel about the quality of education delivered and whether they need additional study support – a successful practice used last semester, Professor Chin said. Further, also as last semester, academic units will regularly report to the University’s Learning and Teaching Committee so that best practices can be shared, he noted.

Forward to the future

The new technology is important not only now, but also for initiatives planned years previous to combine online and onsite education, such as the newly launched XJTLU Learning Mall.

“Every year since its establishment, the University has made a large investment in technologies, which will continue as the importance of technology will only increase,” said Dr Xin Bi, director of XJTLU’s Centre for Knowledge and Information that includes MITS.

Sherwood of EDU noted that when XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang) with the XJTLU Learning Mall at its heart is completed in 2022, the University envisions students from the main Suzhou campus and Taicang base attending XJTLU Learning Mall online-onsite courses simultaneously.

“We are laying the foundations and the groundwork for something quite big and quite bold.”

By Tamara Kaup

Student ambassador Mutia Hanifah was honoured to give a graduation speech to all her classmates at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University – even if she was more than 4,000km away in her hometown of Bogor, Indonesia.

Thanks to the magic of the internet, Hanifah’s peers could still see her face as she delivered to them a message of hope in these difficult times: “To all the countless struggles that we have been through, I am very proud of you for making every single effort, waking up each day with new inspiration and hope. Know that this too shall pass.”

This is a message that’s personal to Hanifah – she’s overcome many obstacles on her journey to XJTLU, and the pandemic that raged worldwide in her final semester was another that she faced with her usual optimism and determination.

A dream deferred

Hanifah had dreamt of coming to China for her studies since a two-month internship in high school took her to Changde in Hunan. That period of meeting people of different cultures, and sharing her own experiences, sparked a desire in Hanifah to broaden her world.

“I was determined to study in China, and I wanted to study chemistry, but I knew that learning a technical subject like that would be very difficult in Chinese. That’s why I was so glad to find XJTLU – they offered chemistry, and entirely in English.”

But before she could start the next phase of her life, Hanifah had to set about getting a scholarship. After some disappointments and difficulties, she finally applied for one offered in conjunction with the Jiangsu government and the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation.

But it wasn’t smooth sailing yet – because she was coming to China around the G20 summit, visa approvals were fraught with difficulty and uncertainty. She was declined for a visa, but her parents were approved, meaning they had to come to China and prepare what they could on her behalf.

“The XJTLU Global team was so helpful – they sent me textbooks and helped me with my visa application.

“I finally arrived, a month late. And that meant that I had to do everything by myself. The first month was so difficult for me,” she says.

Looking up

But after that first month, things started to get easier, Hanifah says.

“I started to make more friends, and become more involved. When things got difficult for me towards the end of my second year, with a lot of my friends going back to their home countries, I poured myself into my activities.

“I was an XJTLU international student ambassador and I joined a Rotary-affiliated organisation called Rotaract. I was attending lots of activities, even when I wasn’t in the mood.

“I also did an internship through International Business School Suzhou. I was earning money and I was part of a team. Sure, it was hard work, but it was still lots of fun.”

Fun, Hanifah says, is also one of the things that made her love the Department of Chemistry so much.

“The academic staff were all incredibly approachable, and they didn’t think twice about explaining things to students from the ground up. I felt like I could go to them several times a day if I needed to. It was a very nurturing environment,” she says.

“They treated each student as a unique individual with their own advantages and disadvantages. And in the face of disadvantages, they helped students overcome and compensate.”

With her eyes further afield, Hanifah plans to do her masters degree in Europe, and wants to explore the pharmaceutical and healthcare side of chemistry.

“There have been many moments in my life that contributed to healthcare being on my mind. For one, my mom got sick when I was very young.

“I also had four cats growing up, so we would often take them to the vet and the people there were so helpful, explaining their illnesses and treatments.

“Then, in school, a friend of mine got sick. I wanted to help, to give him a pill or medicine that could cure him.

“And, of course, the importance of healthcare was really underscored recently, in my last semester at university. The pandemic made me realise that this isn’t just an issue for my family, or my friends, but the world. The whole world is sick.”

Know thyself

One of the most enduring things Hanifah learned at XJTLU, she says, was about herself.

“I realised more about who I am and what I want. I love being in an international environment.

“Some of my happiest memories from XJTLU are becoming friends with my international classmates, and trips we took together.”

By Patricia Pieterse

With the arrival of Teachers’ Day, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University welcomes the latest additions to its growing number of academic staff.

These instructors are scholars and researchers from around the world who bring new perspectives, experiences, and subject matter expertise, injecting new vitality into the diverse international community of XJTLU.

Here are just a few examples of the outstanding new educators at XJTLU:

Professor Evelyn Mai (pictured below) joined XJTLU this month as the new Dean of the School of Film and TV Arts and Deputy Dean of XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang), School of Cultural Technology.

“Theory and real-world applications are equally important in teaching, and a closer integration between the academic and industry communities is the way forward for the future media sector,” Professor Mai said.

"Exploring ways to bring practical elements of the media industry into my teaching has always been at the forefront of my mind, and everyone is chasing his or her big dreams. When I learned about the integrative approach at XJTLU, I asked myself, isn’t this what I am doing and pursuing?”

Professor Mai received her PhD in media management at the University of Westminster. Prior to joining XJTLU, she served as Associate Dean and Doctoral Advisor of the Division of Humanities and Social Sciences at Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College, Dean of the Zhuhai Innovative Cultural and Creative Industry Research Institute, a member of the Experimental Teaching Committee at the Chinese College Film and Television Society, and a member of the International Media Management Academic Association.

Professor Mai said she is excited about her future at XJTLU: “I see a new educational philosophy that is being adopted here, where education is transforming and growing, which ultimately led to my decision to join XJTLU.”

Professor Rui Wang (pictured below), a Suzhou Industrial Park International Academic Leading Talent who recently joined the Department of Urban Planning and Design, shares similar sentiments.

“The school has a tremendous amount of potential and is well-positioned to play a critically important role in the evolution of higher education in the 21st century,” Professor Wang said, adding that the school “is one-of-a-kind in China.”

Professor Wang has collaborated extensively with environmental and health care scientists, engineers and designers in a collective effort to address real-world policy issues on cities, the environment and infrastructure.

He completed his undergraduate and postgraduate studies at Peking University. Since obtaining his PhD from Harvard University, he served as an associate professor at the University of California, Los Angeles and Johns Hopkins University before joining XJTLU.

His expertise includes planning, public policy, economics and analytic methods. Professor Wang has consulted for the World Bank, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the City of Beijing, as well as served as an expert for the World Bank’s International Initiative for Impact Evaluation. He also received the Vasa Cube award in undergraduate teaching at UCLA. His critically acclaimed case-based courses were popular with students at Johns Hopkins University.

Dr Marco Pellitteri (pictured below), originally from Italy, recently joined XJTLU's Department of Media and Communication. In his native country, he obtained a masters in sociology from the historic "La Sapienza" University in Rome and a doctorate in sociology from the University of Trento, which hosts the strongest School of Sociology in Italy and is one of the highest ranked in Europe.

His research focuses on the transnational production, distribution and consumption of the media industry franchises between Asian and European contexts.

He also has professional experience as a graphic designer and in advertising.

Dr Pellitteri has authored books and articles in Italian and French. He also wrote a monograph in English, The Dragon and the Dazzle (2010), a sociological work on the history, theory, and features of Japanese comics and animation’s influence on European markets and culture, and on youths’ habits, taste, and modes of consumption.

After living and working in Germany, in 2012 Dr Pellitteri received research fellowships and grants to become a researcher in Japan, fulfilling a dream of his youth.

After five years in Japan, he came to China where he has been gathering knowledge, information and experience about a country he said he finds fascinating.

His childhood enjoyment of comics, illustration, publishing, cinema of animation, cinema at large, video games and visual storytelling in general prompted him to become a media sociologist.

"I wanted to know not only the languages and aesthetics of these forms but also the way they function in the larger media systems and how people interact with them," he said.

Vicente Esteban (pictured below) recently joined the Department of Architecture and Design. While still new to campus, he said he has noticed a high level of professionalism and strong sense of pride among his colleagues.

In recent years, he has primarily focused on gamification for pedagogical purposes, using games and gaming techniques to create public awareness and understanding on specific social issues, especially those involving refugees and the homeless population.

His project, 'Refugeoly,' is the product of three years of intense research and practice. The project has been presented to audiences in several countries and has received funding and academic support from universities and committees in the United Kingdom. His research also covers other areas such as alternative dwellings, ephemeral architecture and abandoned urban space.

Dr Simon Schweighofer (pictured below), a native of Germany, recently joined the Department of Media and Communication.

Dr Schweighofer received dual bachelors and dual masters degrees in psychology and sociology from the University of Salzburg. While studying for his degrees, he developed his interest in data analytics as well as social networks.

This shifted his academic focus from humanities and social sciences to a cross-disciplinary field that combines science and humanities. This new-found passion prompted him to pursue a doctorate degree in computational social science at ETH Zurich, regularly ranked as one of the best universities in the world.

He currently focuses on the field of social data science, exploring complex social systems by combining backgrounds in social science and psychology with computer science methodology (especially natural language processing, machine learning, network analysis, and subject-based simulation).

Dr Schweighofer said he hopes to establish a bridge between quantitative research and existing qualitative research in the department, and to explore with colleagues the possibility of new approaches to developing creative ideas.

In addition to Aven Zhou’s role as lecturer in the Department of Architecture and Design, he is also an artist, a scholar and an expert in the field of creative artificial intelligence.

His works and interests span interactive media arts, generative design, and machine vision for creative interaction.

Zhou (pictured above) is also the founder of artMachines, an AI-augmented creative studio.

Before joining XJTLU, he held teaching positions at the New York University Shanghai and Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Zhou’s first solo exhibition 'The Love of Shanshui' was held in the Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art, with several solo and group exhibitions in Turkey, Canada and Korea.

As a scholar, his research aims to address questions like whether artificial intelligence is capable of being creative, and whether humans and artificial intelligence can collaborate to create content.

Although the time Zhou has been at XJTLU is short, he said he has noticed an atmosphere of open-mindedness and mutual support.

“There are plenty of opportunities to explore for both students and faculty," he said.

"I personally enjoy exploring new things, so I am very excited about what lies ahead."

Dr Lefeng Lin, who joined XJTLU’s Department of China Studies this April, received his PhD from the world's top sociology department, the Department of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

He said he believes that XJTLU’s Department of China Studies, which uses Western social science research theories and methods to study China while being located in China itself, has a unique advantage in the world for China research.

Dr Lin’s research focuses on globalisation and development; labour, work, and employment; and social movements and contentious politics. In the future, he plans to study manufacturing development and labour migration along China's southwestern border and in Southeast Asia's neighbors.

He said he hopes to use promote social reform through learning; he noted his education and fieldwork influenced him to become a teacher.

“I have come to the realisation that to effect change to an existing system, the efforts of an individual aren’t going to move the needle. Higher education can provide students the determination and motivation to participate in social reform."

He also said he hopes that XJTLU students will develop into individuals with a global mindset who are capable of independent and critical thinking and are positioned to be at the forefront of China's reform and leaders in all walks of life.

Dr Suneel Kommuri, who joined the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering in the School of Advanced Technology earlier this year from the renowned Korea University, is no stranger to teaching and working in an international academic setting.

The addition of new faculty members is of great importance to the School of Advanced Technology, which is experiencing rapid growth. Professor Eng Gee Lim, Dean of the School of Advanced Technology, explained:

“Some of our new colleagues are young instructors, whose main competitive advantage is that they truly understand the needs of their students, Professor Lim said.

"Others may be experts in their subject matters with a wealth of practical experience and contribute to the school not only in the form of a more diverse set of scientific research topics, but also with their unique insights in the domains of artificial intelligence, wireless power transfer, human and computer interaction, and robotics.”

Honouring teachers

On this day of honouring their teachers, XJTLU students have shown their affection and respect for their instructors on social media.

In an article celebrating Teachers’ Day published on XJTLU’s official WeChat account, students detailed their positive experiences with academic staff.

In his Teachers’ Day letter to University staff, XJTLU's Executive President Professor Youmin Xi conveyed his gratitude to his colleagues who have dutifully remained in their posts, despite all the difficulties that have taken place in the midst of a global pandemic:

“On behalf of Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, I would like to extend my best wishes to all XJTLU faculty and staff members. Take good care of yourself. I wish you all good health! I would also like to thank my colleagues for your arduous and creative work during the outbreak. Your hard work has aided the University in completing a successful semester and starting a new one during the pandemic.”

Return to campus

As of the end of August, over 80 percent of XJTLU's faculty and staff have returned to campus to resume their day-to-day activities. For those who are still overseas due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the University is working diligently to smooth their return to school as soon as possible.

By Bo Kou, Yi Qian, Wenzhen Li, Ying Jiang, Huatian Jin
Edited by Tamara Kaup

Teachers’ Nirvana in the Post-COVID-19 Era

A letter to all XJTLU faculty and staff on the 36th Teachers’ Day

- Professor Youmin Xi

Welcome to the 36th Teachers’ Day! We’ve made it, despite COVID-19 still raging on around the world. On behalf of Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, I would like to extend my best wishes to all XJTLU faculty and staff members. Take good care of yourself. I wish you all good health! I would also like to thank my colleagues for your arduous and creative work during the outbreak. Your hard work has aided the University in completing a successful semester and starting a new one during the pandemic.

2020 has been a very unusual year. The sudden pandemic has swept the world and disrupted economic and social development and the way of life that we had been used to. It has brought big crises and challenges. It has forced industries and sectors to upgrade and reshape. Education is, of course, one of them.

When it was time for all courses to be moved online, students, teachers, schools and parents were at a loss at first. Then we all took on the challenge unprepared and went through these changes together. Online education has brought us all new experience. After gradually adapting to online education, many people found it hard to go back to the old model, which then triggered a heated discussion about education in the post-COVID-19 era.

In fact, the rise of the internet and digital technology has already called for education reform. However, due to social inertia, many people stayed in their comfort zones and refused to act. Then the pandemic came. It almost brought the world to a halt, which pulled everyone out of their comfort zones. It forced us to reflect on how education and teaching can be reshaped. We even had to redefine the purpose of a university. As the backbone of education, how do teachers recognise future social trends and their needs for talent? How should teachers adjust their own roles and behaviours? And how should we guide the transformation and upgrading of education?

On this year’s Teachers’ Day, while giving you my greetings and best wishes, I also want to share my thoughts on these questions. I hope we can all contribute to educational reform. I want to help promote social development and human civilisation with our wisdom and action, and using XJTLU innovative practices.

1. Moving from observer to learner then innovator

An ecology of learning is emerging, where people can access personalised lifelong learning at a low cost, anytime and anywhere. The behaviour of digital natives is changing rapidly, and new technologies are constantly emerging. The traditional education model is fading away. We have seen many universities, even some century-old ones, going out of business. Many teachers are losing their jobs. The need to reshape education is no longer “crying wolf”, but a life-or-death opportunity that we must grasp.

Without a clear vision for the future, education may lose its meaning. Without enough attention to and proper application of technology, education will be misguided. Teaching methods will become less attractive if we ignore the changes in how students learn today. Educators must wake up and take action during this pandemic. We must reshape the future of education with innovation. We must act before it’s too late.

At the second Chinese-Foreign University Presidents Forum in 2008, MIT’s 16th President Dr Susan Hockfield gave a speech entitled ‘The Progress of MOOCs at MIT’. When answering questions from Chinese university leaders on how to promote online courses, she said one word: leadership. Although her response might seem a bit condescending, it reinforces our belief that we should reshape the era. We must lead the trend of the world’s higher education.

We are positioned as a future-oriented university. XJTLU strives to become a promoter of education reform and innovation. I sincerely call on all XJTLU faculty and staff to take action. We must upgrade our educational philosophy. How do we do this? By reforming the traditional teaching model. By creating a new education culture through the use of new technologies.

2. Moving from teacher to educator

Traditional education focuses on imparting knowledge and answering questions. The schools and teachers play a dominant role. Under this education system, teachers develop corresponding teaching habits. However, in today’s digital age, merely imparting knowledge is losing value. It does not have the power or impact that it did in the past, due to numerous alternatives. Teachers in the classroom feel this pressure from both students and new technologies. Excellent teachers who are good at sharing knowledge and giving lectures in the exam-oriented education environment will slowly fall out of favour. Some believe teachers will become jobless in the future. The root cause is that knowledge acquisition in the new environment is no longer the main function of education. Rather, the focus is on helping students deal with a large amount of intricate information. Students must survive—and thrive—in a world that is increasingly full of uncertainty, ambiguity, complexity and changeability (UACC). They must navigate with ease in a globally connected world with unprecedented changes. These are now the foundational goals of education. That is to say, education should focus on truly transforming and improving people. Teaching methods and the role of teachers must adapt accordingly.

Educators must understand society’s need for talent. We must develop the right kind of education to help students grow. We must promote the cause of education and social development through hands-on educational practice.

Given the explosion of information and easy access to knowledge, interest-driven, active and personalised lifelong learning has become a basic trend of education. Teachers should not only impart knowledge, but also guide and support students. We can enable this through promoting research-led learning and creating an ideal learning environment for students. The role of teachers in education should shift from someone who merely imparts knowledge to an educator who helps students grow. We must serve our students as mentor or coach. We will do this by focusing on helping students understand themselves. We will show them how to set goals, learn how to tap into their individual potentials and constantly improve.

3. The evolution from sharing knowledge to research-led teaching

We are all familiar with traditional teaching. The school formulates education outlines and curriculum. Then teachers help students master this knowledge through classroom teaching and related activities. However, in an era with easy access to knowledge, education should focus on more. We must help students truly know themselves and dare to dream. We must improve their ability to pursue interest-driven lifelong learning. We must help students adapt to future society. We must help them utilise AI, robotic and other technologies to better shape the future.

The shift from simply imparting knowledge to research-led teaching means we must create an environment that combines online and onsite learning. Teachers should guide students in shifting their focus from merely acquiring knowledge to exploring new phenomena or answers to the questions they are facing. Students should learn to solve problems and complete tasks using their own ideas. During this process, teachers should help them understand problems. As students develop their ability to seek information, integrate knowledge and solve problems, they will be better prepared for the future with improved communication, cooperation, innovation, and execution capabilities.

In addition, teachers need to adjust their teaching methods. For example, in order for students to master the concepts and knowledge in the curriculum, you can help them do this by focusing on the practical significance and value of the information or knowledge being shared. Teachers can also help by using relevant projects applicable to a student’s real life and guide them in exploring and solving these tasks with interest-driven manner. By doing so, students will not only acquire knowledge systematically, but also improve their curiosity and critical thinking. In addition, you will help them to cultivate lifelong learning through developing their creativity and nurturing their mindset.

I once advocated that teachers could enable students to understand at five levels from learning one module. First is the status of the module and its value for learners, that is, what kind of problems the knowledge of the module helps to recognise or solve, and what students could get for their life and career development. Second, the knowledge system and architecture of the module. Third, the core technology or tools of the module. Fourth, the methodology of the module. Fifth, the philosophy behind the knowledge of the module. Most teachers are good at the second and third levels, but they often overlook or ignore the first, fourth, and fifth levels.

Teachers usually encounter three types of pressures in the process of the above-mentioned transition: The first is the pressure from internet generation. Teachers need to have a deep understanding of their psychological and behavioural characteristics. The second is the pressure from online education. Teachers should explore a new form of education to combine online with classroom teaching. The third pressure is the constant challenge to balance teaching with research.

However, in the modern technological environment, if research-led education can be truly carried out, the above three types of pressure will be transformed into driving forces for promoting teaching reform. For example, the problems and tasks that teachers conduct research on may serve as an important starting point for teaching. These can be used as ways to arouse the curiosity and motivation of students. Students’ familiarity with the internet is not only conducive to their learning, but can also help teachers with their research. By helping with teachers’ research, students themselves will improve learning and research capabilities. XJTLU students, including undergraduates, have published many papers in world-class magazines and journals, which is proof to this point. When a teacher becomes an educator, education and research will be unified from a logical perspective.

4. From index driven to passion driven

Recently, the excessive focus on the Science Citation Index (SCI) has led to a disruption of teachers’ research, and even, occasionally, academic dishonesty. Authorities have issued policies to curb this undesirable phenomenon. In fact, this is not news to teachers at home or abroad. This problem is universal, varying in format and degree from country to country. Here, I do not intend to discuss the impact of SCI or other similar index on modern education. Instead, I just want to discuss how teachers can move past this “index worship” and be guided by his or her passion for education and research.

Of course, we hope reforms in the education system and resource allocation mechanism will be made as soon as possible. These changes will hopefully rid universities and colleges of the soil that breeds index worship among teachers and students. I hope that the right education philosophy and university positioning will help teachers innovate. As an educational explorer, XJTLU expects our teachers to be future-oriented and passion-driven and to carry out cross-disciplinary cooperation. XJTLU doesn’t link a teacher’s salary to the mere quantity of articles published and projects conducted. Instead, it pays more attention to international peer review. It tries to shield teachers from all kinds of external interference to protect the peaceful education and research environment for all teachers and students here.

I sincerely hope that all XJTLU teachers can truly listen to their inner selves. I hope that they can follow their own curiosity and interest; embrace the challenges facing humanity; move forward and conduct responsible and valuable research. If research-led education and interest-oriented research can be highly integrated, our passion for education and research will produce unimaginable results.

5. From fighting alone to fusing into the ecology

In my professional life, I have seen many teachers devote themselves to doing research and writing papers day and night. These individuals are not even taking breaks on weekends or holidays. In the eyes of others, it’s a life of hardship, but they enjoy themselves. Why? Because they are doing what it takes to pursue their life goals. They are not only teachers, but also fighters. But there is something about these fighters that concerns me. Most of the time, they fight alone. They may not know what the colleague in next door is working on. They do not have a well-established network except for a few partners. As we know, major innovations and scientific discoveries in contemporary times often require cross-disciplinary cooperation on a global scale.

Fortunately, we have entered the digital era where traditional boundaries of space and time have largely diminished. We can learn about the latest progress of global research without leaving our homes. We have the ability to cooperate with partners from all over the world. The lives of teachers can be enriched through technology. In this context, it is critical for teachers to stop fighting alone. We should embrace these changes and possibilities using modern technologies. From my own experience, I think it’s possible to do this as follows:

First, while we enjoy the convenience of technology, make sure to not be distracted by it. Do not lose your peace of mind and concentration. A wise man always finds a higher level of focus and inner peace.

Secondly, the interconnection of today’s world has led to more symbiosis, collaboration, integration and innovation than ever before. Because of this, many things just emerge rather than happen based on a design. Platforms and ecology have become important organisational drivers for development. Therefore, you should build your own life platform or create your own career ecology. It will greatly help with your career and development.

Thirdly, teachers and intellectuals are generally kind of lofty in character. They tend to be unwilling to compromise. However, they are also good at debating and arguing for the purpose of seeking the truth. These traits are conducive to scientific enquiry. However, in today’s world, things like virtual collaboration, platforms and ecology are all based on coexistence and cooperation. Therefore, teachers must learn to be tolerant and be good at coexistence. We must be willing and able to cooperate with people of different personalities and interact and work together in harmony with people of different races, nationalities and cultures. XJTLU advocates an organisational culture of “diversity, regulations, innovation, freedom, and trust". Diversity requires us to be tolerant and inclusive. Regulations are the basis for diverse and orderly coexistence. Innovation is the pursuit of the University and also the results from the diverse and harmonious coexistence. Freedom, especially academic freedom, is a necessary condition to ensure innovation. And trust is a foundation for cooperation and creative breakthroughs.

Lastly, there is no such a thing as a regional market when it comes to knowledge and ideas. Academic study and research must be done in cooperation and competition with international counterparts. Therefore, to carry out valuable research, you must merge into the global academic circle. Find ways to utilise international resources. Learn to weave an international cooperation network. Build your own international academic research ecology.

6. From following the crowd to being who you really are

In a world full of desires for fame and wealth, we are facing all kinds of temptation. In this environment, it is difficult to hold on to our original aspirations and stay true to ourselves. Many people fall into the tide and drift along with it. But teachers should remain vigilant. The most basic characteristics of a teacher are the pursuit of truth, a spirit of inquiry, a clear-cut stance, and having one's own opinions. Because of these traits, teachers may seem out of step with the world.

As I see it, teachers must have not only the enthusiasm for educating people, but also a clear mind and a cool head. They must value the independence of personality and have a clear vision. They must value independent thinking, and know each individual has a free will. All true creation is a departure from the original model. Creation is a breakthrough in social adaptation, and a challenge to the people’s habits. Secondly, teachers must have a strong sense of self-confidence. By that I don’t mean blind confidence, but confidence based on knowledge, research, strength, and a deep understanding of the world. Thirdly, teachers must have the wisdom and courage to face challenges in a calm manner. Last but not least, teachers must have a strong sense of responsibility and be willing to make unremitting efforts to realise their own mission. Teachers must not only dare to speak frankly but also have the courage to bear the consequences of his or her words and actions.

People and society place many expectations on teachers. XJTLU’s mission is to explore and influence the future of education. Our mission depends on the contributions of teachers. We must live up to the title and our own aspirations. My colleagues, let’s adapt to the new changes in the post-COVID-19 world. Let’s avoid getting lost under the UACC environment and keep surpassing ourselves. Let us continue to strive for transformation and reaching our nirvana as teachers.

Professor Youmin Xi
Executive President of XJTLU
Pro-Vice-Chancellor of University of Liverpool

On Neeha Moturu’s first day as a student at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, she faced a crowd of 300, plus thousands more online viewers. That’s because Moturu, an MRes Computer Science student, was selected to give a speech for this year's opening ceremony.

“I was nervous, but also really excited for the experience,” says Moturu, a former software tester from the south coast of India.

Coming from such a diverse country, Moturu is no stranger to new experiences: “In India, you come across people from very many different cultural groups. I think I’ve adapted to China pretty well because I love exploring and trying new things.”

Moturu originally came to Suzhou in 2017 because her husband, a mechanical engineer, got a job opportunity in China. She soon realised that occasional adventures weren’t enough – she wanted to pursue her postgraduate education.

“Many people think China is just a pretty place to visit, but it’s also a wonderful place to improve yourself and grow your knowledge. It’s a place to learn.”

She chose to learn at XJTLU after speaking to an enthusiastic alumna who was interning at her husband’s company.

“She told me about the events and activities, and said it’s a very welcoming environment for international students,” Moturu says. “I had so many questions for her, because it’s a big decision, but she put my mind at ease.”

Cross-cultural connections

In addition to learning more about computer science, Moturu is excited about connecting with a variety of classmates. “I can’t wait to start meeting new people from different backgrounds. Making connections is often the first step to getting into an industry.”

And her chosen industry is only growing in importance, explains Moturu.

“I’m most interested in machine learning and AI at the moment,” she says. “I’m fascinated by how advancements in computer programming have changed people’s day-to-day lives.”

Moturu is well versed in the changing nature of programming. She began coding at the age of 10 using a very basic programming language called Logo. She moved up to more advanced languages as her skills improved, and continued to learn new concepts even after she graduated with a degree in computer science from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University in 2015.

The language of friendship

Before she embarked on her postgraduate computer science learning, Moturu first completed a two-week Chinese Language Summer School at XJTLU’s Language Centre to learn a bit of Chinese.

“The teacher gave us lots of activities and opportunities to interact. It was my first real opportunity to meet such a diverse range of classmates from all over the world – the UK, Mongolia, Nigeria, Malaysia, etc.

“As part of our lessons, we shared a lot about ourselves and we all grew quite close in such a short time. The last day was very emotional.”

With three years in China under her belt, and on the cusp of taking the next step into her future, what advice does Moturu have for other students considering China for their advanced studies?

“If you get the opportunity to further your knowledge – take it. Don’t waste the time that you could be spending improving your skills.

“And don’t be afraid to embrace new cultures, and interact with a wide variety of people. You may or may not change as a person, but you’ll get a better understanding of others – and yourself.”

By Patricia Pieterse

On the evening of 15 September, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University held its 2020 Opening Ceremony both offline and online through livestreaming. Attendees included 4,408 undergraduates, 1,083 postgraduate students, and their parents, together with representatives of XJTLU staff.

The theme of the opening ceremony this year was ‘From kids to young adults to global citizens’.

At the ceremony, Executive President Professor Youmin Xi extended a warm welcome to all the 2020 freshmen and their parents, and delivered a speech called ‘Times of Challenge Make Us Stronger’.

In his speech, Professor Xi noted that the difficult college entrance exam process exacerbated by the protracted epidemic battle of earlier this year reminded him of his own struggles to study for and write the exam.

“Despite different circumstances, we all have experienced the long and arduous period running up to that important exam. And now we have one thing in common: instead of being bitter or angry about these challenges, we are guided by our aspirations and have never given up hope.”

After Professor Xi’s speech, audience members heard from others across the spectrum of XJTLU.

First up was Wanyu Zhang from Henan Province, this year’s freshman representative.

She expressed her excitement for the years ahead, adding that XJTLU’s “international teaching resources and environment will give us global thinking and perception, and the research-oriented learning will enable us to effectively expand our knowledge.”

She closed her speech with some kind, hopeful words: “From today on, each of us is a member of the XJTLU family. The harmony here will be created by us, and the future will be woven by us. The more tolerance and understanding there is, the more harmony and warmth there will be.”

Zhang’s speech was followed by words from the postgraduate representative, Neeha Moturu, an MRes Computer Science student from India.

She urged students not to slip into the familiar and comforting, but instead to challenge their perceptions by engaging with many different people.

“It would be a lost opportunity to stick with your own all the time – embrace different... You may or may not change as a person by doing so, but you will get a better understanding both of yourself and others,” she said.

The staff and faculty were represented by Professor Graham Dawson, of the Department of Chemistry, who reflected on his own university experience: “When I look back on my time as a student, I see that I met my lifelong friends through a mixture of study and sports.”

He urged students not to be one-dimensional, but to cultivate all aspects of their personalities. In addition, he said new students may find things overwhelming, like an “avalanche of information. But don’t worry,” he says, “you will figure it all out.”

After Professor Dawson’s speech, audience members were given the alumni perspective from Xiaotian Wang, a 2010 graduate of the Financial Mathematics programme who went on to study at Cambridge. He explained that his time at XJTLU helped him become an independent learner and problem solver, who no longer relied on passive education.

The speeches were capped off by a word from Professor Wenquan Tao, President of XJTLU.

“I would like to express my sincere thanks to all the parents of our students for your trust in this unique institution. I also would like to assure you all that you have made a wise choice.”

What followed was a unique Q&A session for the Opening Ceremony. Both online and offline students and their parents raised questions to President Xi and the University leadership team on issues they cared about. The Q&A session lasted around one hour.

Yinlin Wu, a Year One student from Guizhou province, said that he was impressed by the open environment of XJTLU.

"The Opening Ceremony had an exciting, optimistic atmosphere. The liberal environment of XJTLU left a deep impression on me.”

Wu’s father said he, too, felt the positive atmosphere at the Opening Ceremony, and believes Wu will move forward courageously in his new life at XJTLU, like all those before him.

By Yuxin Dong
Edited by Luyun Shi and Patricia Pieterse
Translated by Yuxin Dong and Xuechen Lu

An effective and proactive blending of onsite and online elements can, when executed well, benefit students by giving them the best of both worlds, says Dr Eddy Fang, Deputy Dean of International Business School Suzhou at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University.

“Blended learning is the way of the future,” explains Dr Fang. “The virus certainly accelerated our online learning plans, but even if Covid-19 had never happened, we still would have been moving in that direction.”

To ensure skilled and effective execution of blended learning, IBSS will be implementing more frequent student feedback via the Learning Mall Online system.

“Before the pandemic, we would ask students for their feedback once the module was finished, so they could comment after they had experienced everything. Unfortunately, this primarily benefited the next cohort of students,” says Dr Fang.

“However, since last semester, we have been implementing a three-layer feedback system: voluntary weekly feedback from students on LMO, monthly meetings between student representatives and the head of department, and two school-level surveys per semester. This allows us to address concerns early on.”

On your own terms

New technologies represent a wealth of potential innovation in education, Dr Fang says. “A lot of innovative learning methods, such as flipped classrooms (whereby students learn new content online on their own, and go class to explore the content in depth) can really thrive as part of the high-tech learning environment.”

The possibilities of using online elements to complement and enhance onsite teaching environments are vast, explains Dr Fang, as they give instructors more tools at their disposal to keep students engaged, and also empower students to learn at their own pace.

“Some students really liked certain aspects of the online lectures last semester, because they could view them as many times as they wanted. Most of our students are non-native English speakers, and they appreciated having access to recorded lectures to review.

“Another benefit comes from the opportunity to introduce multimedia elements like videos in lectures – a great way to demonstrate a concept,” Dr Fang says. “With online lectures, instructors can add a link, which gives students control over how they consume the media.

“Combining online tools with onsite lectures or tutorials can give students a well-rounded learning experience.”

One-on-one

Online learning also has the added benefit of helping replicate the onsite experience for students who aren’t able to physically be on campus.

“Unfortunately, various time zones make it difficult for some students to tune in to the lecture and participate in real time,” Dr Fang says, “but they’ll have access to the recorded lectures, and they’ll be able to have virtual live tutorials with their instructors and classmates to address any questions that arise, and enable smoother collaboration.”

Interaction is still an important part of the educational experience, he says: “Because we would like students who are in Suzhou to interact with instructors and each other in-person if possible, we are trying our best to include a part that’s onsite even in fully online modules. Instructors in those modules will ensure students outside of Suzhou are included by having online office hours and tutorials to complement their lessons.”

The teacher is in

Online lectures give students more freedom, but this is a double-edged sword – some may find it hard to find the motivation and discipline to make the most of their virtual lessons.

“That’s why we’ve increased the number of office hours offered by our staff, both online and in person. Usually, students would try to get a lecturer’s attention after class to ask them some questions.

“Academic staff are expecting to deal with a lot more one-on-one queries, and we urge students to take advantage of this. If the higher number of office hours still aren’t enough, we’ll increase them further.”

By Patricia Pieterse

The city of Suzhou’s history is not only long, at more than 2,500 years, but also culturally significant, famous for silk production, Kunqu Opera, Su embroidery, and its world-famous classical gardens.

It’s a fitting location for studying the protection and urban renewal of historical and cultural cities.

Approximately 150 students and instructors from Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University are among 300 participants doing just that in a teaching camp launched earlier this month in the ancient city of Suzhou.

The 2020 Suzhou ancient city university joint design teaching camp, called Suzhou Courtyard 2035, was initiated by Suzhou National Historical and Cultural City Protection Zone, the Gusu Branch of Suzhou Natural Resources and Planning Bureau, and jointly sponsored by XJTLU, Soochow University and Suzhou University of Science and Technology.

Drawing on ancient design principles while also keeping in mind modern needs, the teaching camp aims to inspire a new generation of architecture students who love Suzhou and want to design for Suzhou.

Ancient city protection and renewal have always posed a challenge for government departments, prompting a large amount of research into how to best preserve cultural history while also modernising, noted the camp’s organisers.

That’s why the design project for this camp involves the integration of Suzhou traditional residences with modern design techniques, aiming to respect the texture and scale of the ancient city block while guaranteeing comfort and meeting the needs of modern life.

At the opening ceremony, hosted by Dr Yiping Dong of XJTLU’s Department of Architecture and Design and live streamed via Zoom and Tencent Meeting, teachers and students from the participating universities interacted with experts and leaders in relevant fields.

The teaching base for this camp is a traditional residence in Suzhou’s ancient area.

Combined with the XJTLU’s Year Three architectural design module, the group is composed of 14 tutors from different countries, who will lead 14 teams to explore the design of Fulangzhong Lane and the Suzhou ancient city area from different angles.

The final designs created from this teaching camp will be edited and published with the support of the Gusu Branch of Suzhou Natural Resources and Planning Bureau as well as Suzhou City Protection and Renewal Company.

At the ceremony, Dong Chen (pictured below), a part-time tutor of the design course speaking as the representative of the XJTLU design teaching team, explained what the final project will involve.

John Latto, one of the tutors of the XJTLU team, said: “It’s an exciting opportunity for students to participate in an event such as this, and the designs from different universities could bring new life to the ancient city of Suzhou.”

He said that for the protection and renovation of ancient cities, we should be aware that people's lifestyles are constantly changing, while also respecting culture and history.

Students noted the opportunities to for universities to collaborate.

Yuchen Chen from XJTLU said: "This project unites the teachers and students from various architecture departments from different universities and gives us an opportunity to learn from and communicate with each other. I believe I will gain a lot in this teaching camp.”

By Yi Qian, translated by Yi Zhang, edited by Patricia Pieterse

A new semester has begun at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, and most students are back on campus. For Design School, however, there are still a few international staff and students who have not yet been able to return. To optimise the learning experience for all students, some modules will be delivered online, and some will be taught both online and onsite, in the new blended teaching model.

Both challenges and opportunities await the staff and students with blended learning. For teachers, the main challenge is the organisation of classes and group work, as well as ensuring that the students are engaged with the content, especially in the online context.

However, the blended method allows academic staff to rethink the design of their modules, says Dr Papadikis: “There are opportunities for assessment review, curriculum review, and new programme development – and not only for students and new learners, but also for lifelong learning, in terms of continuous professional development courses in online distant learning.

“Now we’re able to use the tools and applications to further develop and evolve our teaching methodology and our assessment design. I think this is the biggest opportunity right now.”

Challenges are opportunities

Not only are teachers having to update their teaching methods, but students are also facing changes in the new learning environment. From Dr Papadikis’ perspective, the biggest difficulty for students is time management.

“Many students are not able to effectively manage their time when it comes to online learning. It is very common for students to say ‘if it's online then I can review it at any time, but this never happens. They reach the end of the semester and realise they have to listen to 24 two-hour presentations. This can lead to some unpleasant results,” he says.

“But I think the biggest challenge is also the biggest opportunity – learning effective time management skills now is something that will benefit them for the rest of their lives,” says Dr Papadikis.

Despite the challenges of using unfamiliar technology, the School and the University are doing all they can to ensure the quality of learning for students.

Firstly, academic staff are being given comprehensive training to be able to utilise the available resources to the fullest extent.

Secondly, the School is engaging with students to make sure they understand how they can take full advantage of the resources provided to them for their own benefit.

Teaching tech

“There are different ways to use technology to enhance ‘learning by doing’ or active learning, such as the organisation of flipped classes, additional teaching, and so on,” says Dr Papadikis.

Currently for Design School, two new technologies will be applied in the new semester: the HyFlex class system and an assessment tool called Gradescope.

“The HyFlex system allows online and onsite modes of teaching to take place at the same time using a combination of technologies like webcams, document cameras, and conferencing software. It very nicely addresses the issue of how to use different tools within the blended class, like the whiteboard, PowerPoint presentation, or any kind of electronic document that needs to be displayed,” says Dr Papadikis.

While the HyFlex system deals with class teaching, Gradescope is an assessment-focused software that integrates AI technology in the classification of submitted coursework. This function is especially important for cross-disciplinary teaching, which is something extremely crucial for Design School.

“To give you an example, our new taster module DES001 involves six different academics delivering six different topics to introduce their discipline to the students. There's only one assessment to cover all of these areas. We are talking about a class of thousands of students: how do we mark this? With the help of Gradescope, we can actually do it within the time given to us. The students will have continuous feedback provided to them online, and they will be able to revisit the feedback because it will always be available to them in the system,” says Dr Papadikis.

Still, while the Design School has acted quickly in the rapid transition from onsite to online mode in the last semester, Dr Papadikis believes there is space for improvement: “We need to explore more ways to increase the interaction with students through various platforms like BigBlueButton for further Q&A sessions and one-on-ones.

But Dr Papadikis is optimistic about this semester: “I think now everyone is prepared for what is actually coming. I can see many people have started really enjoying the new system because it provides opportunities to rethink a lot of issues like assessment design, student engagement, and so on.”

By Yi Qian, edited by Patricia Pieterse

Photo by Yanyin Ni

Since the pandemic began, universities worldwide have implemented new teaching and learning methods to accommodate some or all students who can’t be onsite.

New to Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University this semester is a blended learning and teaching method being used in some modules called Hybrid Flexible, or HyFlex. In HyFlex teaching, an instructor simultaneously teaches some students onsite and others online (hybrid online-onsite) and also records lectures. Students then have the choice to watch these recorded lectures outside of class time (flexible).

But as Charlie Reis, Educational Developer for Learning and Teaching at XJTLU explains, HyFlex didn’t come about just as a response to a crisis.

Instead, he says, it was developed 15 years ago to provide students more choice in how they learn and to benefit from aspects of online teaching – such as students’ ability to re-watch a recorded lecture.

“HyFlex maximises flexibility while capturing benefits of asynchronous teaching, when part of learning occurs outside class,” Reis says.

“When discussions and lectures are recorded, they become reusable. Students can then use them in learning as they see fit – watching them multiple times whenever they want, slowing or speeding up the playback, annotating or adding subtitles,” he says.

“This was overwhelmingly what students identified as a positive of online learning last semester.”

Other learning outside class may occur when instructors ask students to study material in advance.

“This provides more time for in-depth discussion and analysis when the class meets,” Reis says.

Equal access and educational quality

Whether students are online or onsite, they all hear the lecture, see the whiteboard and participate in discussions – the learning outcomes are the same for all.

“An important HyFlex principle is that groups of students in different places – in the classroom and online – receive equal access and educational quality,” Reis says.

“One of the things that is so valuable about our University is that we offer modules and degrees moderated by the University of Liverpool. The pandemic has not changed that – we are responsible for quality assurance in the same ways we always were.”

Equal access and educational quality are achieved through a combination of technology and teaching methods, he notes.

In HyFlex teaching, when online and onsite students attend class at the same time, technology links them to each other and the teacher. Instructors can use a tripod to point the webcam to different areas of the classroom or the white board.

Students can communicate with the instructor and the full class via an onscreen class chat or with microphones that are in the classroom or on their devices.

Getting students involved in learning

Teaching methods that engage the student promote equality and quality in a HyFlex environment, Reis says; the instructor does not simply lecture while the student passively absorbs information.

“Instead, the learning content is broken into manageable bits. Each of these chunks is followed by activities that allow students to recall and do something with the knowledge.”

The activities might take the form of polls, group work or discussions, debates, peer reviews, student presentations, role playing or brainstorming.

“Studies show that in order to learn best, students should express ideas, listen to others, interact, and do student-to-student activities related to what they are learning,” Reis says.

XJTLU’s research-led focus is another important way students will be engaged in a HyFlex class, he notes: “Students might cite sources when they talk about ideas, study research findings on a topic, learn how to do research, or conduct their own research as part of learning.”

Leading to the future

Aspects of XJTLU’s new teaching and learning methodologies will remain even when all students can return to campus.

“HyFlex is a great approach to instructional method and practice and to real-time, flexible learning,” says Dr Bill Boland, Director of the XJTLU Learning Mall.

“Offering multiple windows of engagement, it appeals to students with diverse learning needs.”

When the XJTLU Learning Mall launches its expanded website with global partner content in 2021 and its onsite facility in 2022, it will continue to offer learners flexibility.

“A critical XJTLU Learning Mall strategy will be to focus on the intentional instructional design of its content across different learning mediums,” Dr Boland says.

“With an audience of not only XJTLU students but also the Chinese lifelong learning audience of all ages, flexibility is key.”

For example, he explains, a single program may be delivered in multiple formats: online, onsite face-to-face, and a blend of both. While the learning content will be the same, how it is designed and delivered will fundamentally differ, he says.

“Each learning medium attracts a different learner type and accounts for the audience – in our case that includes a large audience geographically dispersed across China,” Dr Boland says.

“It also accounts for time – many lifelong learners are professionals working full-time jobs who need to learn on-the-go.

Dr Boland highlights: “The future of lifelong learning focuses on engagement flexibility tailored to the individual needs of learners and their learning experience.”

By Tamara Kaup