A new book, written by a member of staff at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, explores how an agile problem-based learning ecology for learning can help higher education institutions respond to challenges of the 21st century.

The book ‘Problem-based Learning into the Future’, co-written by Dr Henk Huijser, from XJTLU’s Academic Enhancement Centre, explores how agile problem-based learning provides an alternative approach to traditional learning in the face of increasing student numbers, rapid changes in technology and the evolving demands of employers in the global jobs market, amongst other challenges.

Dr Huijser explained: “The idea of educating students for a profession in a traditional sense is fast becoming outdated, as the job market is changing at an increasingly rapid pace. This means that some of the jobs we are educating students for may not even exist by the time they graduate.”

He said that students need to be able to adapt to ever-changing contexts and may need to create their own jobs or careers.

“Students nowadays need to be critical and entrepreneurial. Problem-based learning has the potential to provide students with the confidence and skills to function well in an age of ‘supercomplexity’, where we also face increasingly complex social, political and environmental problems,” he said.

Agile problem-based learning deliberately blurs the boundaries between disciplines, between students and teachers, students and employers, employers and teachers, academics and professional staff, formal and informal learning, and teaching and research.

It is based on the idea that all of these elements are interconnected and constantly evolving, rather than being discrete and static.

A problem-based learning ecology takes into account the idea that students do not just learn in formal settings, but instead learn ‘ubiquitously’. The problems around which a problem-based learning curriculum is designed ideally allow students to draw on their existing knowledge and on the knowledge they have acquired in other contexts in their lives.

“This is the key thing that makes problem-based learning relevant to students,” said Dr Huijser. “It increases their ability to deal with complex problems in authentic settings.”

He added that the book, which is aimed at anyone interested in the future of higher education, challenges readers to move out of their comfort zones in the face of an ever-evolving, and increasingly complex, learning and teaching environment.

Dr Huijser added: “Throughout the book, our central argument is that there is no single person who is responsible for educating students. Rather, it is everyone’s responsibility – teachers, students, employers, administrators, and wider social networks, inside and outside of the University. Agile problem-based learning is about making connections, rather than erecting barriers.”

Dr Huijser holds a PhD in screen and media studies and has been an academic developer involved in learning and teaching in higher education since 2005.

He is currently an educational developer in XJTLU’s Academic Enhancement Centre, working to support academic staff in becoming more effective teachers and in increasing the learning outcomes of their students.

The AEC supports academic staff through its Certificate in Professional Studies in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (CPS), Postgraduate Research Development Programme, its Educational Technologies team, and a range of other learning and teaching-related initiatives.

‘Problem-based Learning into the Future’, written by Dr Megan Kek and Dr Henk Huijser, is published by Springer Singapore.

A meeting of members of the advisory board of International Business School Suzhou (IBSS) at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University aimed to contribute to the healthy development of the business school.

At the meeting, members of the IBSS International Advisory Board put forward suggestions for the school’s development in the areas of talent training, programme design, internship opportunities, employment and research.

The IBSS IAB is made of up members from Europe, America, Asia and Oceania who hold a variety of senior roles in industry and education. Between them, they represent multinational and national companies as well as enterprises local to Suzhou.

“The IAB is very important for the development of IBSS and most of the members are from business circles worldwide,” said Professor Jean Chen, dean of IBSS. “They give us feedback about talent development from the perspective of enterprise and the global market and bring experience of the development of business schools overseas.”

Professor Chen added that the meeting encouraged increased business engagement between IBSS and its partners in industry.

A successful 2016

At the meeting, Professor Chen provided a summary of the school’s achievements over the past year, noting that IBSS has experienced stable improvement in its enrolment figures, teaching quality, social influence and research impact.

When reviewing the key focus of the school’s work over the past year, Professor Chen summarised it as: “Identifying and promoting the school’s uniqueness, building on our strengths and establishing brand awareness in the market.”

She added that after a year of development, IBSS had gradually established and formed close cooperation with many local and international companies to collaborate on a variety of initiatives from talent training, student internships to scientific research.

This year, IBSS signed several student internship agreements that provide approximately 100 more internship opportunities for students than previously. The new agreements have been signed with China Construction Bank Suzhou Branch; Beijing Foreign Enterprise Human Resources Service Co., Ltd. Adecco Suzhou; Credit Ease (Beijing) Co., Ltd. Suzhou Branch; and Soehner Technology Suzhou, and add to the 19 other agreements the School already has in place.

In addition IBSS developed and delivered a unique customised executive education programme for large state-owned enterprises such as China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) and companies in Suzhou. It also launched an external industry mentor programme for IBSS postgraduate students as an extension of XJTLU’s mentor programme.

Professor Chen emphasised: “The business school’s education is very pragmatic and the criteria we use for evaluating our talent training and research influence depend on their impact on the business community and society.”

Many members of the advisory board praised the achievements IBSS had made in the last 12 months, along with its focus on cooperating with business.

Professor Xiaobo Wu, board member and dean of the School of Management at Zhejiang University, said: “The rapid globalisation of Chinese enterprises offers IBSS great opportunities in international business. It also generates a unique impact in the development of international talent for Chinese businesses. IBSS has made significant progress in 2016 and we look forward to seeing more exiting breakthrough in the years to come.”

Access to talented students

During the meeting, many board members repeatedly mentioned that making full use of internship opportunities for talent training was not only essential for the development of the business school, it was also required to ensure companies’ profits.

Some highlighted that student internships were key to bridging the real recruitment demands that companies have with the development of the education delivered at business schools.

Aleem Sheikh, chairman and a founding member of the IAB as well as group chief of staff at ACWA Power International, said: “IBSS gives us tremendous access to interns and to students for our businesses. As employers, we benefit from being so close to the action and to the students.”

An event to pair external mentors with Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University students was held on Sunday, attracting hundreds of mentors and current Year Three and postgraduate students.

The event welcomed the approximately 90 new mentors who have joined the initiative since May this year and introduced the newly elected chairman of the external mentor committee. It also marked the first time the XJTLU external mentor programme has been made available to postgraduate students.

Professor Youmin Xi, executive president of XJTLU, welcomed attendees, saying: “This is a very good opportunity for students to discuss with successful professionals how to develop your career and improve your study.

“External mentors have rich life and work experience. They have also encountered many frustrations in their life and these frustrations can be valuable life experiences for you.”

Professor Xi added that it was a chance for external mentors to feel that their experiences contribute to the development of the younger generation and said that he hoped students could grow through this kind of interaction.

New chairman

The event was an opportunity to introduce Haibing Bao, the newly elected second chairman of the XJTLU external mentor committee.

Haibing (pictured below), who is also director general manager of Industrial Logistics Co., Ltd. at Ping’an Realestate, gave a speech in which he praised the programme: “The mentors have diversified backgrounds - they are from government, enterprise, educational institutions and even the art world. They all have rich social experiences and good careers and they can help the university and its students to carry out activities that integrate production, study and research. They are all eager to share their perspectives with students.”

He pointed out that the programme had grown rapidly, from around 10 mentors in 2009 to 500 people today.

“The title of external mentor is not just an honour, it’s about responsibility,” he said. “As an external mentor, we should guide students and help them grow. I hope the mentors can be a bridge between the University, students and society and help improving students’ learning and career development.”

Haibing joined the XJTLU external mentor programme in 2010 because he wanted to contribute to XJTLU and students. He was impressed by the initiative. As its new chairman, he said he and his team wanted to perfect and explore the development of the external mentor model, based on XJTLU’s planning and philosophy.

“I think strengthening the cooperation between the University and business can help students develop skills that meet practical demands and enable them have a better understanding of the working environment to help them to plan their careers,” he added.

Regarding how the University can provide better career services for students, Haibing said that it was important to understand the demands of businesses when designing curriculums, in order to make students more competitive when finding job.

“I learned lots of things from my mentor”

Since its establishment in 2009, the external mentor programme has provided a large number of XJTLU students with valuable information and career guidance. And this year was no exception.

Qian Peng, a postgraduate student studying MSc Business Analytics, said: “I learned how to write a good resume from my external mentor and I hope to learn how to adapt to and integrate into society after starting work, because being a student is very different from being a young professional.”

Year Three student Dingyi Chen, who studies BSc Economics and Finance, said that he wanted to work in venture capital or security-related role and that he hoped to learn how best to communicate with human resources professionals to show them he’s a good fit for a job.

Amina Daniel Mlungu, a postgraduate student from Tanzania who is studying MSc Finance, said that she planned to work as a chief financial officer in a multinational corporation in China after graduation: “China gives me a good foundation to work with these international companies and there are more international companies here than in my country.”

She said the external mentor programme was “very good” and added: “I learned lots of things I didn’t know from my mentor and she also helped me on how to apply jobs. She makes me feel that it would not to be too hard for me to work in a Chinese or international company.”

Mentors give advice

Xia Zhou, who had recently joined the programme as a mentor and who is human resource manager at Oriza Holdings, said that the programme was a good platform for students work with experienced career professionals, but that the benefits were not one-sided: “The programme also gives me an opportunity to learn what the younger generation’s focuses are and this will help me to better manage them after they enter career market,” she said.

Another new mentor, Ping Lu from Standard Chartered Bank Suzhou Branch, suggested that when students first enter the jobs market, they should be down-to-earth rather than over-ambitious.

Zhigang Lu, human resource manager at Arts Group Co., Ltd., who joined the programme in 2015, added that a common problem in students’ career development was that they tended to look at jobs that closely match the programmes they are studying. He suggested students also to think about their interests properly for planning their career.

“Interest is an essential element in making people work in a determined way. If you are interested in your work, you may contribute to society and also realise your dream,” he said.

Chen Xu from Bosch China joined in the programme in 2009 and had had an extremely positive experience: “I have also benefited from this programme. Through communicating with students, I have learned how to better communicate with my child and my family members.

“I have also talked with other mentors and we all agreed that the external mentor programme is full of positive energy. We are proud of this programme and hope it can maintain its essence.”

Local government in Suzhou have approved the construction of a new ‘key laboratory’ at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University.

The Suzhou Municipal Key Laboratory of Cognitive Computation and Applied Technology (C-CAT) will be led by Dr Kaizhu Huang from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at XJTLU.

It was approved for construction by the Suzhou Science and Technology Bureau. Key laboratories are cooperative projects part funded by the University and the local government to foster and enhance the research and development of next-generation technologies that can benefit the economy of Suzhou city.

This year, only three key laboratories were approved across the whole city, while C-CAT is XJTLU’s third Suzhou key laboratory since 2008 and the second to be developed by XJTLU’s Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

Dr Huang said: “The establishment of the lab will benefit cross-disciplinary research and talent training at XJTLU. Masters and PhD students in the discipline will have more opportunities to participate in cutting-edge technology and application research and get more practical and internship opportunities.”

The laboratory’s work will centre on cognitive-inspired computing in particular next-generation machine learning, which involves trying to understand data by simulating human learning and thinking abilities to make the right decision. It has application potential in the areas of information analysis, natural language processing and machine learning. It is also inseparable from frontier science and technology, including cloud computing, big data technology and artificial intelligence.

“We produce a remarkable amount of data every day not only through computer processes, but also photos, notes, recordings, videos, social media posts, even patients’ X-ray plates or court judgement documents are data. This ‘unstructured’ data accounts for 80 percent the world’s data,” said Dr Huang.

“However, current IT systems cannot understand nor deal with this data. Cognitive computing technology is trying to bridge the gap between data and insight, and discover the value of the resources to be used.”

Dr Huang said that the laboratory will focus on key technologies, such as intelligent computing, bio-inspired machine learning and in particular deep learning, massive multimedia information processing and healthcare. It is also aiming to lead research in field in Jiangsu province and even across China, creating technical support for the industrial transformation and upgrade of Suzhou.

Researchers from XJTLU’s Departments of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Computer Science and Software Engineering and Mathematical Sciences will conduct joint projects. Well-known scholars and experts from both China and overseas, including from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the University of Stirling, Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Asian Pacific Neural Network Assembly, will form an academic committee to facilitate international collaboration.

In addition, in order to strengthen applied research, a technical committee will be set up with the Fujitsu R&D centre, Microsoft, Ctrip and senior management teams from Suzhou’s high-tech companies. The committee will provide consultation, develop potential cooperation projects and promote the industrial transformation of technology.

“There is an urgent need to develop technology using intelligent computing and machine learning to improve people’s lives and increase security through the intelligent, fast and efficient processing of information

The current social service areas have urgent demands for how to provide people’s life with convenience and security by using intelligent computing and machine learning technology for intelligent, high-speed and high-efficient massive information processing,” said Dr Huang.

He added that complex video text recognition had huge application potential. The technique uses cognitive computing technology to allow computers and smart phones to recognise, in the way humans do, images and text in multimedia data, such as video.

He gave the example of developing technology to help non-Chinese speakers travel in China by allowing them to take photos of street signs that can then be translated through text recognition.

“This technology will greatly help its users and has great potential for digital mobile services, network content monitoring, social public security and information retrieval,” he said. “It is a focus of academic and industrial development in China and overseas.”

Dr Huang has published approximately 40 research papers in international academic journals, as well as an book in English, written independently, and five books written in collaboration with other academics, all published by Springer, one of the world’s foremost scientific, technical and medical publishers.

He owns eight national patents and serves as vice chair or associate editor for international academic journals, including ‘Springer Cognitive Computation’, ‘Springer Nature Big Data Analytics’ and ‘Neurocomputing’.

Making ‘research-led’ a part of XJTLU's DNA

Executive president's Christmas, New Year and Spring Festival message to staff and students

Dear teachers, administrative staff members, students, and friends:

It's the end of the year once again and we'll soon be welcoming in a new year. Though the media has called this winter "the coldest of the last decade", the plummeting temperatures have done nothing to dampen people's enthusiasm for Christmas and the New Year.

This year, XJTLU celebrated its 10th anniversary and we took a close look at our growth over the last 10 years, which also made us look to the future. During this special year, at a time that Chinese people often use to ring out the old and ring in the new, it's appropriate that we say goodbye to the "old" and say hello to a "new" future.

Over 10 years, XJTLU has grown from a newly born, small college into an international university that is favoured by students, beloved by parents, respected by peers, and closely followed by society. Its rapid, healthy development has been astonishing and many peers and academics have been lining up to discover our secret! At this moment, I would like to once more express my heartfelt gratitude to all people at XJTLU - to the teachers, administrative members of staff, students, alumni, and external mentors - for their hard work and contribution, and to the friends of XJTLU - parents, partners, and people throughout society - who have cared about and supported the development of XJTLU. I would also like to thank the government and officials at various levels, as well as the University’s board members, for their guidance and tremendous support. In my Teachers’ Day message, I talked about "starting from zero" to re-establish XJTLU. During the first year of XJTLU's next decade of growth, or even beyond, all of us need to be looking forward!

It's not hard to predict that XJTLU's reputation and scale will grow steadily, as a greater number of highly qualified Chinese and international academics and students join us, and as our educational model evolves, improves, and becomes more expansive, more high-level research will be conducted. The influence of our departments, institutes and research centres on the international stage will intensify, while international collaboration and interaction with society will further deepen. We will also proudly present our modern and unique campus following the completion of the South Campus' schools of business and film and television and sports centre.

Seeing how XJTLU people have used their wisdom and hard work to fashion a new model for education, a new university operating system, a new type of university and a new relationship with society - all of which was achieved in a short period of time and is a perfect match for future development trends - and seeing how, through this, they have contributed to educational reform in China as well as the development of the global education industry, we realise that XJTLU has employed its unique exploration to stand at the forefront of new trends.

If we take a deeper look at society's development and its future need for talent, it is not hard to realise that society will be faced with a number of new trends and that it will need more high-quality creative talent able to perform across multiple professions. The current philosophy and system of educators, however, is not up to the task of educating such versatility, nor has it given students enough options when it comes to determining their studies according to their own plans for the future. As a response to these demands, in the next several years XJTLU will embark upon a new exploration, strengthening cross-disciplinary or industry training and extending it to company and industry collaboration in order to increase future career related internship and launch in-work entrepreneurial and management training. In another word, besides the continuously improving of our current education model, XJTLU will develop a new, integrated and high-quality model for developing high profile applied talent. This will bring more choice and opportunities to our students!

To continually deepen these models and allow them to complement each other, we shall not only retain the concept of research-led as a core factor in our vision, but also take research-led teaching, learning and working as XJTLU's prioritised strategic choice. In the New Year, we will encourage academic staff and students to conduct in-depth research on how to more deeply embed a research-led approach into XJTLU's practice so that it becomes a part of XJTLU's DNA.

It is not an exaggeration to say that the current education is facing the most serious challenge in its history. Following the growth of the internet, and with the “Net Generation” entering college, knowledge is now so easy to obtain, which poses great challenges to the function of traditional university classrooms in imparting knowledge. Today it's hard to be ignorant but our problem is that there is too much knowledge and information. The most important task in learning in this era is choosing what we believe to be right amid this complex sea of knowledge, and applying it to solving problems, completing tasks or addressing challenges. And so, if schools are merely information providers that help people "know" things, then there will undoubtedly be many substitutes that challenge the value of universities.

With such a challenge, learning models, teaching methods and working styles of universities must fundamentally adjust. XJTLU's positioning as a "research-led" university is intended not only to attract academics and students from across the globe to conduct research to contribute to the progress and civilisation of mankind, but also to reshape education by advocating research-led learning for students, research-led teaching for tutors and research-led work among academics, professional supporters and administrative members so as to enhance the value of universities and XJTLU’s competitiveness.

XJTLU's positioning as a unique international university that is research-led shows that we encourage and support research and exploration among students and tutors, whose inventions and creations will promote human civilisation. We are trying to transform top-down learning into research-led learning, where students, starting from practical issues and phenomena, will actively explore and search for related information under the guidance of tutors and through teamwork and knowledge integration interpret the phenomena or provide solutions to the problem. During this process, students' curiosity and their spirit of exploration is enhanced - they don't just acquire knowledge but also learn how to collect materials, integrate knowledge and analyse and solve problems, learning how to learn. Their ability to apply knowledge to solving actual problems, their teamwork skills, their powers of expression, and their ability to appraise the knowledge they already possess will all be exercised. Only then will they be competitive in the society of the future and so, too, will the value of university learning be greatly enhanced.

To support research-led learning among students, teaching must also be research-led. But what is research-led teaching? During a visit to one of the world's most renowned universities, which was also advocating research-led teaching, I asked the leading professor the same question. His answer covered three areas:

1. Tutors share their research results when they teach
2. Research skills should be introduced to students
3. Research opportunities would be created for students.

At the time, I said that, according to my understanding, this kind of research-led teaching would merely entail adding a research element to the traditional education and no difference to knowledge imparting philosophy would be made. In our research-led teaching, on the other hand, teachers must first select appropriate phenomena or issues purposely according to the knowledge of the module before guiding students in searching for information or knowledge on their own in order to interpret or give solutions. The tutor is no longer the head of the classroom, but a leader and supporter of students' learning. Teachers should choose the phenomenon or issue before class, set up the learning scenario and create an environment for students in which to guide them in conducting the research. In the classroom, they will no longer teach knowledge, but discuss and explore with students how to address the difficulties and problems in their research. In the meantime, as the students search for materials and solve problems, teachers will offer necessary guidance, support and assistance.

Naturally, to transform the way students learn and the way teachers teach, universities also need to change their learning and teaching support systems, as well as develop an atmosphere on campus that requires research-led work from all university staff members. They should be encouraged to explore how to perform their respective roles better and more creatively, based on the university’s vision and its demands in teaching and research. They need to work as a team to create a friendly and highly-efficient service and support system. This requires that all staff be open, proactive, cooperative, innovative, focused on needs and objectives, and continually innovating and changing.

The research-led approach advocated by XJTLU is our core strategic initiative for the challenges faced by universities in this new age. In the New Year, XJTLU will, through multiple channels and methods, encourage tutors, students and staff to carry out in-depth exploration of the definition, methodology, required skills and means of implementation for research-led learning, teaching and working, as well as compile guidance and manuals on their practice in different fields. This will genuinely integrate the concept of “research-led” into XJTLU's daily operations.

We hope that tutors, students and staff members at XJTLU will actively participate in this process of discussion, exploration and practice, so as to help XJTLU take the lead in this era of change.

The opportunity to reform education comes once in a lifetime and with regards the new trend of transnational education (TNE), the 10-year-old XJTLU is ready for the future. As many conventional colleges and universities are still bound by unsolved challenges, it is my sincere hope that our innovative XJTLU can be the sunshine during this coldest winter and push for a full bloom of the Chinese higher education reform as well as the development of the world's higher education!

Finally, I'd like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Students from the departments of Urban Planning and Design and Environmental Science at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University are aiming to enhance the University’s green credentials by saving energy and reducing emissions.

They have kick-started a campaign to ‘green’ the XJTLU campus by coming up with a number of exciting environmental initiatives.

Their activity is part of a Year Three module on environmental sustainability and they have shared information about their initiatives in the University’s computer rooms, canteens, library, teaching buildings and convenience stores, and on dustbins.

Energy saving can be ‘fun’

Environmental science student Yuxiang Ren wanted to make energy saving interesting so he designed a simple game that encourages people to take the stairs instead of the lift by challenging them to climb 20,000 floors in total together.

Participants press a numbered button on a counter that corresponds to the floor they are going to via the stairs. They can submit pictures of themselves after having climbed to their chosen floor to win prizes, while the number of floors they have climbed is added to an accumulated total of everyone’s effort

“The game encourages lots of people to join together to accomplish a task,” he said. “People participating in the activity want to see the feedback and creating a sense of group participation helps mobilise others to be involved.”

The game aims to encourage more people to use the stairs and is accompanied by a poster explaining the amount of energy one elevator uses within an hour to further encourage people to take the stairs. The energy used by an elevator in an hour could power a MacBook Pro for 372 days or a television for 158 days.

The game was initially set up in the University’s Foundation Building, where it took just one week to reach its 20,000-floor target thanks to its high footfall and enthusiastic students. It has now moved to the University Library where it continues to encourage people to take the stairs.

“Obviously there are some people who just press the button for fun without taking the stairs,” said Yuxiang. “However, it shows the game is fun and can attract people’s attention.”

Energy saving can be ‘easy’

After observing that nearly 40 percent of people left the University’s computer rooms without shutting machines down, urban planning student Yu Tian decided to come up with a campaign to address the issue.

Her project aimed to encourage students to develop the habit of putting computers into sleep mode once they had finished in order to reduce energy consumption.

“The Dell 380 computer that we usually use at the University uses 50 watts of energy an hour when switched on, in comparison to 1.27 watts per hour in sleep mode,” she said.

In order to better encourage people to form the habit she drew on examples of similar campaigns as well as behavioral psychology research. She also offered a prize incentive to encourage students to participate.

“Through the simple act of putting the computers in one computer room into sleep mode, you can save enough energy for 77 families for a year,” she said in a message to students.

Energy saving can be ‘inspiring’

The Engineering Building at XJTLU has been filled with the sound of staff and students playing music as they climbed the stairs.

The fun project is the work of urban planning student Zhou Hang who installed 13 ‘music steps’ in the building to encourage people to use the stairs.

He was inspired by a similar energy-saving project by car manufacturer Volkswagen and decided to create a version on campus.

After learning that a system similar to the one used by Volkswagen would cost RMB 100,000 to make, he and his classmates decided they could make it for cheaper.

He worked out plans for the material, circuits and programming, as well as for the system’s construction, operation and maintenance. He even factored in fire prevention into his budget.

He installed the system with friends over three nights in November, process which was more difficult than they had anticipated but became a reality once the first step was installed.

“The moment that the first level of signal lights turned on was the most exciting,” he said.

Zhou is pleased with his system – which cost RMB 720 in total – and its ability to inspire people to take the stairs and make beautiful music.

“The concept of energy reduction is not abstract,” he said. “Let’s together make the vision a reality!”

Energy saving can even benefit stray cats

Linxuan Shi decided to combine her love of cats with her desire to encourage increased waste classification and recycling on campus.

She had noticed that there were a lot of stray cats living around the University’s Engineering Building and that many animal lovers were feeding them with their own food.

She decided to start with cat lovers to encourage garbage classification in exchange for cat food.

“Once you’ve sorted your garbage into recyclable and non-recyclable items, you can take a small amount of cat food that is safer and healthier for the cats than human food,” she explained of her system.

And at the same time animal lovers are encouraged to sort their garbage so that they can better help their furry friends.

Linxuan’s own cat has become the mascot for her project, encouraging more participants become interested in her project. Her cat has even become a mini celebrity!

Funding for the students' projects came from XJTLU's Teaching Development Fund.

More than 300 pieces of ceramic art created by staff and students at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University are on display at an exhibition in the University’s Central Building.

The works of art have been created as part of a six-week pottery course offered by XJTLU’s Art Education Centre, which offered guidance on technique and theory as well as traditional Chinese pottery culture.

Industrial design student Zhiyuan Yu was inspired by the classic Chinese novel ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’. One of his pieces (pictured below) depicts the novel’s chief protagonist Jia Baoyu with his cousin Lin Diayu, with whom he has a special bond in the novel’s complex story.

"Shaping the clay by hand and painting the blue and white of the porclain is a nice way to relax and take your mind off your busy academic life,” he said.

Xian Xu, vice dean of Suzhou Soochow Painting Institute (pictured below), was invited to participate in the opening ceremony of the exhibition – the first of its kind to be held at the University.

He said he liked the creativity and aesthetics of the work on display. Speaking about one particular piece (pictured below), he said: "The composition is good, there is a large area of white while the shape of the fish is quite delicate.”

An English and Communication Studies student who attended the exhibition said: "Everyone’s work is really good. Personally, I liked the piece with the lotus flowers as it has a 3D effect.”

"The exhibition was held to show students' progress and achievements and to demonstrate the beauty of Chinese ceramic culture to the rest of the University,” said Yu Gong, a teacher in the Art Education Centre.

The exhibition will be held in the corridor outside of rooms G13 and G23 in the Central Building until the end of December.

Table lamps, created by industrial design students at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, have been on display at Suzhou Dushu Lake Library.

The 19 prototype lamps, which were created as part of a module on table lamp design, featured elaborate designs in the shape of a merry-go-round and a Rubik's cube, among others.

The lamps, which had previously been on display at the University's library, attracted visitors who were keen to learn more about their creation.

More than 100 Year Four electrical and electronic engineering students presented their final year projects at a poster session at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University.

The research projects, which formed part of the final year project module in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, were presented by all students from the department.

Dr Yujia Zhai, final year project coordinator, said: “We want not only to teach students knowledge related to their programmes, but we also want to teach them how to learn by themselves.

“Some of the projects were done through teamwork, helping students improve their communication and teamwork skills, which are important for their future study and careers.”

For the first time, this year’s poster event was co-organised and partially sponsored by the Institute of Engineering and Technology in the United Kingdom.

Dr Kaizhu Huang, head of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, said that this was in recognition of EEE students’ impressive work: “Having their achievements recognised by a premier international professional body will certainly benefit them in their future career development,” he said.

Xiaoyang Chen (pictured below), who studies BEng Electrical Engineering, was awarded the IET Best Poster Prize, which was voted for by staff from the department.

His project, ‘Forecasting based power ramp-rate control for photovoltaic systems without energy storage’, proposed a power ramp-rate control method to solve the problem of unstable output power caused by the intermittency of solar photovoltaic power generation.

Xiaoyang said: “Renewable energy power generation is advocated internationally because the use of traditional fossil fuels has caused too much environmental pollution. However, the challenge with renewable energy power generation is its unstable output, which means the generated electricity cannot reliably be used as a power source.”

He explained that there were currently two ways to achieve power ramp-rate control, either through using an energy storage system, which can be prohibitively expensive, or through conventional active power curtailment, but which cannot deal with the issue of power drops.

“The solar photovoltaic output power will drop suddenly when the solar panels are sheltered by a passing cloud and this will cause the output power to be unstable,” he said. “In my research project, we adopted a forecasting system to ensure the output power drops slowly to avoid big ramp-rate fluctuations.”

Dr Zhai said the power ramp-rate control approach proposed in Xiaoyang’s project could enable solar photovoltaic power generation to be widely adopted by China’s electric utility company, State Grid.

Jiacheng Liu (pictured below), who studies BEng Digital Media Technology, investigated methods for content-based image retrieval by colour and texture for her final year project.

She said that traditional image retrieval is based on text with computers being able to retrieve keywords, subject headings, captions and natural language text in an image. However, she said the approach was not always accurate.

“Content-based image retrieval (CBIR), which is the application of computer vision techniques to image retrieval, is regarded as one of the most efficient methods to search for visual information in images,” she said. “It is much more accurate and precise than text-based retrieval.”

She explained that CBIR analyses the content of image, including colours, shapes, textures, as well as any other information that can be derived from the image itself, rather than the metadata such as keywords, tags, or descriptions associated with the image.

“This technique can be widely used in medicine, for example, allowing doctors to search relevant pathological images and their treatment information,” she added.

For his project, Menglong He (pictured above, left), who studies electrical engineering, opitimised a radio frequency energy harvesting device to enable wireless charging.

He said: “Through its receiving antenna, this device can absorb and capture electromagnetic energy generated by radio frequency and transform it into electric power that can be used for to charge electronic devices.

“My optimisation will improve the energy absorption efficiency and capacity of the radio frequency energy harvesting device.”

Professor Eng Gee Lim (pictured below, left) from the department praised the students’ performances, saying: “I think the students have done extremely well this year, I am impressed with the results. They have done a lot of literature reviews, which is very important for their future, and they can begin to make plans for the next stage of their educations and careers.”

He also praised the method of using posters to present research, saying: “Staff have chance to look at all the projects, raise questions and give suggestions to students. Both students and staff gain a lot from poster sessions.”

A New Year concert was held at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University in celebration of the holiday season, combining symphonic music with traditional Chinese folk music.

The concert featured student musicians and was jointly organised by student associations, the Symphony Orchestra, the Folk Orchestra and the Choir.

Over four acts, the concert celebrated the music of China and western cultures, reflecting XJTLU’s unique ethos. A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often written by composers for orchestra.

"This was the first time the three associations had joined together to hold such a large concert," said Hanlihui Ma, head of the Symphony Orchestra and a second year student from the Department of English. “We will continue to seek such opportunities for cooperation in the future.”

Accounting student and Folk Orchestra member Haihua Zhang said members had been planning the concert since the academic year began in September. He added that he hoped XJTLU students would be inspired by the beautiful music.

An educational forum on innovation in higher education teaching in the internet era was held at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University.

The forum, organised by the Institute of Leadership and Education Advanced Development (ILEAD) at XJTLU, attracted experienced academic staff, managers and admin staff from around 30 universities in China.

Focusing on higher education reform, participants discussed problems and development trends in higher education from the perspective of innovation at universities and in staff practice, support and development.

Professor Youmin Xi, executive president of XJTLU, said: “In the internet era, traditional teaching has been impacted and challenged by new educational concepts and technologies, such as ‘virtual classrooms’.”

He said that in order to adapt to a changeable and complex social environment in the future, universities need to return to the essence of talent development, understanding social demands on students and realising a student-centred approach through reshaping education.

He added: “XJTLU aims to help students grasp the skills needed to meet uncertainty in the future and maintain competitive skills.

“The University advocates that higher education in China needs to transform from a traditional ‘knowledge feeding’ approach to research-led teaching, developing students’ knowledge integration skills and enabling them to develop the capacity to constantly update their abilities.”

A number of participants and trainers gave presentations at the forum.

Professor Yihong Fan from the faculty development centre at Southwest Jiaotong University presented on a staff development project.

She said: “In addition to institution design, we needed to attach importance to staff demands to make participating in this project feel meaningful. Teachers responded positively and they all cherished this opportunity. An atmosphere of trans-disciplinary communication was formed based on their common interests.”

Professor Yunrui Han from the Department of Mathematical Sciences at XJTLU said he believed it was very important to help students transform their studying style at an early stage.

“We should encourage students to actively participate in the whole teaching process and change their learning from passive to active. We need to help students understand the value of the knowledge they’ve gained and train them to apply it,” he said.

Professor Bixia Lin, from the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the Education University of Hong Kong, analysed the background, development and practice of educational innovation in universities.
She said that the trend of globalisation was the main element affecting educational innovation in universities and that the topic had gained more attention internationally.

Dr Xiaojun Zhang, deputy director of ILEAD, shared his thinking about research-led learning based on practice at XJTLU. He said he thought education reform was not equal to student growth: “Reform should not only concern staff and teaching, but pay attention to students and learning,” he said.

Jing Tian, dean of the business school at Taishan University, had participated in previous training on research-led teaching, organised by ILEAD, and said that she was impressed by XJTLU’s educational approach and philosophy.

She said: “I have a deeper understanding of teaching innovation through participating in this forum. Although we cannot simply copy good experience, communication with and learning from others helps us develop and change our teaching approach. Reform needs to combine innovative teaching ideas with our actual situation.”

The XJTLU education forum, a quarterly activity hosted by ILEAD, is a key platform for discussing higher education reform and innovation in China.

A special piano concert, that combined the instrument with cello, violin, saxophone, flute and erhu, was held at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University ahead of Christmas.

The “White and Black”, concert was jointly organised by student associations, the XJTLU Keyboard Group, the Symphony Orchestra, the Folk Orchestra and Hosting and Broadcasting.

A total of 16 pieces of music were performed in various styles, including solos, duets and quintets.

Xingyuan Wen, a Year One student from the Department of English at XJTLU and one of the performers, said that it was the first time she and her partner have performed a piano duet, each with their own piano. “Although we had lots of disagreements during practice, we overcame the difficulties and gave our best performance to the audience,” she said.

Audience member Yaoyi Zhang, also a Year One English student, added: “I liked the performance of ‘Noctume in D Flat Major’ by Chopin, the performer filled his playing with his personal emotions.”

Ziwei Yang, a first year studying BA Marketing and who was in charge of the concert, said the performances covered classical and modern music and well-known musicians from different countries, including Beethoven and Mozart. “The concert was a great success and I am really appreciated all the performers’ hard work and practice,” he said.

A training programme for human resources managers at universities in Jiangsu Province was held at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University.

More than 100 HR managers and staff from 53 universities attended the training, which was focused on promoting the internationalised development of academic staff in universities.

Xinyu Guo, deputy head of the staff resources office of the Jiangsu Department of Education, said that it was the first time the topic had been discussed in the province: “We chose to have this event at XJTLU because of its international environment and atmosphere,” she said.

During the training, Professor Youmin Xi, executive president of XJTLU, delivered a speech on the history and mission of Sino-foreign cooperative universities, based on XJTLU’s own experiences.

His presentation covered XJTLU’s achievements over the past 10 years, as well as the University’s recruitment of international talent and the career development support offered to staff. He also spoke about the challenges faced when trying to recruit talented international staff, including changes in policies, including tax and immigration, cultural differences, air quality in China, and the development of international-standard living environments.

Additionally, Professor Xi suggested that domestic Chinese universities’ internationalisation strategies tended to focus on basic elements, such as the number of international students, bilingual courses and international staff.

“XJTLU’s international strategy is more about management and mechanisms,” he said. “We emphasise the development of global players and actively encourage staff and students to speak on the international stage.”

Zhenlin Wang, head of the human resources office at Nanjing University, praised XJTLU’s international achievements over the past decade.

He said that XJTLU’s flexible working system and management of international talents had given policy makers and management teams in domestic universities a positive reference.

In addition to presentations, participants from Nanjing University, Soochow University and Nanjing Tech University discussed the implementation of an international talent strategy, while a meeting on academic staff development in Jiangsu in 2017, was also held during the two-day event.

Chunxia Cui, head of the staff resources office of the Jiangsu Department of Education, emphasised the importance of building a high-level talent team as well as staff professional development and training.

A delegation from the National Education Advisory Committee (NEDC) of China visited Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University last week as part of its work to push through education reform in the country.

The delegation, led by Zhan Wang, director of the committee responsible for course materials for state education at elementary level, visited XJTLU to hear about the University’s achievements and experiences as a Sino-foreign joint venture. Mr Wang is the former deputy minister of the Chinese Ministry of Education and former vice governor of Jiangsu Province.

The National Education Advisory Committee is responsible for the assessment of education across China, aiming to improve quality and highlight best practice amongst education institutions.

Professor Youmin Xi, executive president of XJTLU, vice presidents Dr Minzhu Yang and Dr Yimin Ding welcomed the group.

During the meeting, Professor Xi delivered a speech on the history and mission of Sino-foreign cooperative universities, based on XJTLU’s own experiences.

He said: “Education [in China] is encountering many challenges in the current era. A big problem for education reform is that we are focused on our internal problems, but pay less attention to the development of international education, which can enhance the process of higher education reform.”

He said he believed that reform of higher education needed to adjust, along with the positioning of the function of universities, university governance structures and the way of allocating resources, amongst other things.

“This is the era to rethink education, reshape learning and teaching, and redefine universities,” he added. “XJTLU and other Chinese universities have an opportunity to explore education from the same starting line as world-class universities.”

Speaking about XJTLU’s own experiences, Professor Xi said that the University was dedicated to building an academic community conducive to students’ learning, while at the same time improving campus values and influencing social development.

He repeatedly mentioned XJTLU’s educational philosophy, emphasising that a university was not simply a place where students learn knowledge, but should also help them grow. He said XJTLU advocated research-led teaching, learning and working, with staff and students encouraged to make progress through constant exploration.

“In order to explore interaction between universities and society, XJTLU has established a series of research institutes, including the International Innovation Hub and International Technology Transfer Centre, which aims to make XJTLU a platform to attract international advanced technologies to enter the Chinese market,” Professor Xi continued.

Professor Xi also revealed that XJTLU was thinking about how to further influence the reform of domestic education and the development of international education.

“Every year, XJTLU summarises the best practice in international education, along with theoretical research and XJTLU’s own research, and we pass the results to other domestic universities in the forms of conferences, forums and training,” he added.

Members of the delegation were interested in a range of topics including XJTLU’s educational philosophy and the internationalisation of its staff, including recruitment policies and salary scales.

Mr Wang said: “XJTLU’s achievements over 10 years demonstrate the trend of education modernisation in Suzhou.”

He added that the modernisation of education in Suzhou was a leader in China and that opening up to the outside world was an important way to improve education in the country.

In addition, he said he believed Suzhou, a frontline city in China’s reform and opening up policies and a leader in economic development, had provided fertile ground for XJTLU’s growth, emphasising XJTLU’s success in integrating and localising high-quality resources.

“XJTLU’s achievement is not only in talent training, it has also contributed to local social and economic development. XJTLU’s achievements have had a positive effect on universities in the province and across China,” he said.

“The Ministry of Education is very supportive of Sino-foreign cooperative universities. We hope XJTLU, as a pioneer, will continue to achieve great things in talent training, institutional construction and the exploration of educational philosophy.”

Professor Jean Chen, executive dean of International Business School Suzhou (IBSS) at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, has been recognised as a leading talent in Suzhou.

Professor Chen, who joined XJTLU in January 2016, was selected for the ‘Jinji Lake Double Hundred Talents’ programme, which commends talented individuals from all areas and industries.

She was presented with the title ‘Leading Talent of International Disciplines’ at a ceremony held in Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP).

The ‘Jinji Lake Double Hundred Talents’ programme aims to build SIP as a gathering place for high-level talent in order to support the area’s economic and technological development.

Professor Chen said the award recognised not only her achievements, but also those of IBSS, and reflected its vision of becoming “an internationally renowned business school and a driver of impact creation in China and the region in which we operate.”

She said: “IBSS has established excellent relationships with companies in SIP and collaborated with them in many areas and ways. IBSS has played an increasingly significant role in supporting SIP in using scientific and technological innovation to lead transformation and implement strategies.

“We will continue to encourage our staff to take part in the increasing science and innovation programmes supported by local government and companies, which benefits both local development and builds IBSS’ unique brand.”

Professor Chen became a chair professor of accounting and finance in the United Kingdom in 2011, where she spent 30 years living and working. She has been recognised internationally as an expert in the field of accounting and finance in general, and corporate governance in particular.

Prior to joining XJTLU, she was the founding head of Southampton Business School at the University of Southampton in the UK, a world top 100 university, and, according to the Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS), the first Chinese British to head up a business school in the UK.

In 2014 and 2015, she was elected by UK business schools to hold two senior roles in the CABS, as a council member and chair of the council's international committee. She was chosen as an executive director of the Chinese Academy of Management in 2015 and was awarded the ‘overseas outstanding scholar’ national prize by the Chinese Ministry of Education for her contribution to higher education in 2012.

Professor Chen has published more than 100 papers in high-quality international academic journals, including 'Strategic Management Journal', 'Journal of Management Studies', 'Journal of Accounting and Auditing Finance', 'European Financial Management', and 'European Accounting Review'.

She holds positions as an editor and an editorial board member, and serves as a chair of the scientific committee, for international conference publications such as 'Corporate Governance: An International Review'. She has delivered numerous keynote speeches at international conferences and seminars at high-profile universities worldwide.

An experienced PhD supervisor, Professor Chen has principally supervised 25 students who have received their doctoral degrees from world-class British universities. She has also led and completed many research projects including those supported by the European Union, the British government, the National Natural Science Foundation and National Social Science Funds of China, and the Chinese Ministry of Education.

Since becoming executive dean of IBSS, she has defined IBSS’ operational purpose as “merging Chinese and Western culture and combining theory with practice”. Under her leadership, IBSS has made significant progress in research, business engagement and executive education, and the provision of quality education.

She has also developed a platform for, and has been coaching and supporting, early-career academics, teaching them how to conduct research and publish their work.

“Soon after she joined IBSS, Professor Chen delivered a lecture to academic staff and PhD students about how to publish papers in top international academic journals,” said Dr Victor Zhang, an associate professor and director of the PhD programme at IBSS. “She has been a source of encouragement and inspiration for us and a role model for us to follow.”

He added that a particular focus for Professor Chen was the development of the IBSS PhD programme: “She has carried out training for PhD students and has strictly controlled programme quality, which had helped the PhD programme at IBSS take a great step forward,” he added.

“We have witnessed that under Professor Chen’s leadership, IBSS has improved its operations in many areas and we are on our way to achieving our ambition of being a world-renowned business school.”

Nearly 600 Year One students at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University showcased the robots they had designed and programmed at an annual robot demonstration day.

The demonstration day, which has been held each year since 2012, is part of a Year One module on fundamentals of computer programming that aims to introduce programming to students from all backgrounds.

Module leader Dr Hai-Ning Liang, from the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering, said: “This module was designed to help students without any programing background learn in a way that would invite hands-on, creative and collaborative engagement with the material.

“Although mainly aimed at students intending to go into the Departments of Computer Science and Software Engineering and Electrical and Electronic Engineering, there were students from nearly all clusters across the University enrolled in the module this year.”

Students were tasked with working in nearly 150 groups to put into practice their understanding of programming concepts, gained from lectures and labs, in order to design and program me a LEGO MindStorms robot. The robot then had to solve two challenges, including following a line and passing obstacles along the way, and navigating a narrow path by tracking a moving object without touching barriers represented by pieces of wood.

Dr Liang added: “It is actually quite remarkable what students can learn and achieve in such a short time if they are given the right platform, tools and motivation.

“The two challenges are actually inspired by international competitions, like Robo-Cup Junior. Normally, students have months to prepare for such competitions, whereas our students have only three to four weeks to do so. Despite the short time, our results show that our students are able to successfully complete them.”

Dr Liang praised the students’ performances and said that many groups were pushing themselves to make their robots more efficient and faster, and were even trying to solve bonus parts of the two challenges.

“These bonus parts were optional and required higher levels of complexity and difficulty, as well as a good understanding of programming and the capabilities of the robots,” he added.

Kaixuan Fan (pictured above, first on right), a Year One electric and electronic engineering student and team leader of a group whose robot was able to solve the bonus parts of the challenges, said: “The style of this module was very good. We needed to practice design and to programme a robot ourselves, which was more interesting and useful than just learning the theories.

“My programming, computational and logical thinking abilities all improved through this activity. I also learnt how to finish a task as a team and how to manage a team.”

Professor Yong Yue, head of the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering, said: “Our department, following the vision of the University, aims to encourage innovative teaching practices from our staff so as to give our students the best tools and pedagogical platforms to learn in ways that encourage meaningful, engaging and creative learning. The module ‘CSE003 Fundamentals of Computer Programming’ is a good example of how the department puts this into action.”

Dr Liang added that the success of the module depended on the continuous support of the University, the departments involved, and the hard work of the team of teaching assistants led by PhD students Vijayakumar Nanjappan, Xuan Zhao and Xiaohui Zhu. He also highlighted that this year, the module had benefited from the help of Dr Andrew Abel, a lecturer in the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering.

Nearly 600 Year One students at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University showcased the robots they had designed and programmed at an annual robot demonstration day.

The demonstration day, which has been held each year since 2012, is part of a Year One module on fundamentals of computer programming that aims to introduce programming to students from all backgrounds.

Module leader Dr Hai-Ning Liang, from the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering, said: “This module was designed to help students without any programing background learn in a way that would invite hands-on, creative and collaborative engagement with the material.

“Although mainly aimed at students intending to go into the Departments of Computer Science and Software Engineering and Electrical and Electronic Engineering, there were students from nearly all clusters across the University enrolled in the module this year.”

Students were tasked with working in nearly 150 groups to put into practice their understanding of programming concepts, gained from lectures and labs, in order to design and program me a LEGO MindStorms robot. The robot then had to solve two challenges, including following a line and passing obstacles along the way, and navigating a narrow path by tracking a moving object without touching barriers represented by pieces of wood.

Dr Liang added: “It is actually quite remarkable what students can learn and achieve in such a short time if they are given the right platform, tools and motivation.

“The two challenges are actually inspired by international competitions, like Robo-Cup Junior. Normally, students have months to prepare for such competitions, whereas our students have only three to four weeks to do so. Despite the short time, our results show that our students are able to successfully complete them.”

Dr Liang praised the students’ performances and said that many groups were pushing themselves to make their robots more efficient and faster, and were even trying to solve bonus parts of the two challenges.

“These bonus parts were optional and required higher levels of complexity and difficulty, as well as a good understanding of programming and the capabilities of the robots,” he added.

Kaixuan Fan (pictured above, first on right), a Year One electric and electronic engineering student and team leader of a group whose robot was able to solve the bonus parts of the challenges, said: “The style of this module was very good. We needed to practice design and to programme a robot ourselves, which was more interesting and useful than just learning the theories.

“My programming, computational and logical thinking abilities all improved through this activity. I also learnt how to finish a task as a team and how to manage a team.”

Professor Yong Yue, head of the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering, said: “Our department, following the vision of the University, aims to encourage innovative teaching practices from our staff so as to give our students the best tools and pedagogical platforms to learn in ways that encourage meaningful, engaging and creative learning. The module ‘CSE003 Fundamentals of Computer Programming’ is a good example of how the department puts this into action.”

Dr Liang added that the success of the module depended on the continuous support of the University, the departments involved, and the hard work of the team of teaching assistants led by PhD students Vijayakumar Nanjappan, Xuan Zhao and Xiaohui Zhu. He also highlighted that this year, the module had benefited from the help of Dr Andrew Abel, a lecturer in the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering.

A Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University graduate, who seemed likely to pursue an engineering career after graduation, has found success in an unexpected industry.

Yang Xu, who graduated from BEng Telecommunications Engineering in 2012, expected to continue studying abroad before finding a job. But, at the last moment before graduation, he decided he had to pursue his passion for baking.

“I DECIDED TO BE A BAKER AT THE LAST MOMENT”

“When I was a young boy, I liked to watch my mother cooking,” says Yang, who is originally from Xinjiang in China. “Eventually I found that I fell in love with cooking.”

However, as he grew up, Yang was not able to fully focus on this and other hobbies, due to the pressure of studying for exams. It would not be until he came to university that he would be able to explore his love of cooking once more. And, although he studied telecommunications engineering, Yang says that he knew he would not be happy if he ended up working in an engineering-related area.

“I think a life without pursuing your dreams is painful and I wanted to find a career that I could strive for,” he said. “I feel very fortunate that I found my real interest at the last moment of university life.”

Yang says he realised what he wanted to do thanks to XJTLU’s focus on encouraging students to pursue their interests and passions.

After graduation, Yang spent a year at a professional western-style baking school to learn how to bake bread and cakes. Then, for two years, he worked in a French-style restaurant in Suzhou and learning more baking skills from his mentor who worked in the same restaurant.

He now has a studio of his own, Aroma of France, which sells sandwiches, birthday cakes, desserts and breads, all baked by Yang himself. In addition, the studio also provides DIY courses for people who want to learn how to bake, including parents who want to spend time baking with their children.

“I WANT PEOPLE TO EXPERIENCE THE HAPPINESS OF BAKING”

Yang says that at first his family didn’t support him in his decision to be a baker: “I explained to them that being interested in something was very important for a successful career,” he says. “They eventually understood and have now given me lots of suggestions and financial support.”

He also received support from academic staff at XJTLU, especially those in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, who shared with him their own experiences and encouraged him to follow his interests: “Many members of staff told me that although professional abilities are important for entrepreneurship, personal qualities and how you treat others were more important,” he says.

He believes that studying at XJTLU equipped him with the ability to grasp knowledge quickly, as well as helping him acquire the habit of persistence and improving his communication skills, all crucial to his success.

And Yang’s baking mentor, Yuguo Zhang, who is well-known in Suzhou, agrees that Yang has many important skills: “Yang’s ability to learn is very good,” he says. “He understands ideas quickly and is very hardworking. He learned baking with me for just two years but his technical skills are equivalent to others who have learned for seven or eight.”

Regarding his future plans, Yang says he wants to open a Western-style restaurant focused on providing customers with healthy food.

“I want to be a good chef,” he says. “But, more so, I want to help people try baking and experience the happiness I feel when I’m baking.”

“I NEVER THINK ABOUT GIVING UP”

As well as his daily work, Yang also spares time to share his entrepreneurship experiences with current XJTLU students as well as working with them to complete their coursework.

He has good advice for students who want to try setting up their own business, saying that entrepreneurs need to understand customers’ requirements, have a passion for what they are doing and not give up easily.

“Being an entrepreneur is hard work,” says Yang, who gets up at 4am to work a 12-hour day. “But, I never think about giving up. I believe that as long I work hard and strive for what I believe in, I can be successful.”

A two-day training programme on implementing ‘student-centred’ education and support attracted more than 40 staff and senior managers from Jiaxing University to Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University.

The training was organised by the Institute of Leadership of Education Advanced Development (ILEAD) at XJTLU.

XJTLU’s vice president, Dr Minzhu Yang, shared XJTLU’s practical experiences of implementing student-centred education, emphasising especially the structure and operation of the University’s student affairs system.

Jin Xu, deputy head of the Student Affairs Office at Jiaxing University, said he was impressed by XJTLU’s information systems, such as student portal ICE, which provide services for learning and teaching. He said that XJTLU’s experiences had provided good examples for their own reform.

Head of the Student Affairs Office at Jiaxing University, Yuhong Hu, added: “XJTLU’s student support system is comprehensive. In comparison, ours, which is in progress, lacks overall planning and its efficiency needs to be improved.”

Chi Lu, deputy head of the Student Affairs Office at XJTLU, spoke about the approach and practice of XJTLU’s mental health and development centre.

He said: “XJTLU’s psychological consultation service is targeted at XJTLU students, staff and parents. We take the initiative to understand customer need and provide specialised and targeted consultation.”

Qiuchen Qian from XJTLU’s career team shared information about the University’s career guidance services, focusing on initiatives including the external mentors’ programme.

Deputy party secretary of the College of Humanities and Law at Jiaxing University, Jueliang Bu, was impressed by XJTLU’s external mentors’ programme, saying it “fully used external resources to serve students and this is very worthwhile for us to learn.”

Xiangyang Zhang, party secretary of the College of Mathematics, Physics and Information Engineering at Jiaxing University, added: “XJTLU’s professional service teams have achieved great success and their practical experience is a very good reference for us.”

Deputy director of ILEAD, Dr Xiaojun Zhang, said: “We hope to provide career development guidance to people who work in the field of higher education, improve their leadership, professionalism and lifelong learning abilities.

“We also hope to help to push education reform and innovation for universities who have participated in our training programmes, and help them to set up student-centred education.”

The University of Liverpool has announced that Professor Barry Godfrey will be appointed as Vice-President for Academic Affairs at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University from August 2017.

Professor Godfrey will take on the role as a three-year secondment, succeeding the current Vice-President for Academic Affairs, Professor Andre Brown, who will be returning to Liverpool.

On his experiences at XJTLU, Professor Brown said: “This has been an outstanding opportunity to be part of the unique venture that is XJTLU. We are not simply the largest joint-venture university in China, we have also contributed significantly to the growth and development of international higher education in China. To be part of managing this ground-breaking growth and development has been a privilege.”

Professor Godfrey will sit on the Senior Management Team at XJTLU and be responsible for academic strategy, as well as all aspects of liaison with the University of Liverpool, including academic standards and quality assurance, academic strategy, and academic staff recruitment and development.

Reacting to his appointment, Professor Godfrey said: “I’m delighted to be joining such an energetic and successful venture, and look forward to contributing to the University’s ambition to become a research-led international university, recognised internationally for its unique learning and teaching and research environment.”

Professor Youmin Xi, Executive President at XJTLU, added: "Vice-President of Academic Affairs is a senior leadership role with responsibility for academic strategy as well as daily operations at XJTLU. I would like to thank Professor Andre Brown for his great contribution to XJTLU since July 2014, and to wish him well as he returns to Liverpool in August.

"Additionally, I would like to welcome Professor Barry Godfrey to the XJTLU Senior Management Team as it leads the University on an new exciting journey, after a first 10 years of wonderful development.”