2024 XJTLU Research-Led Learning Summit Concludes Successfully

On November 23, 2024, the 2024 XJTLU Research-Led Learning Summit: Sustainable Development Goals, hosted by the Academy of Future Education’s Learning Institution for Future Excellence, successfully concluded.

Aimed at expanding and deepening students’ understanding and engagement with research-led learning approaches, this year’s summit featured seven thematic forums: Foundational Research-Led Learning, Engineering and Technology, Sciences, Business and Management, Design and Innovation, Humanities and Social Sciences, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Students reported and presented their projects in different thematic forums, and discussed in-depth thinking about the learning process, strategies and techniques with the forum judges and teachers.

Professor Moritz Bilagher, Director of the Learning Institution for Future Excellence, delivered the opening address. He underscored the summit’s special emphasis on the United Nations SDGs, highlighting its profound relevance in an increasingly complex and interconnected global context.

The keynote speech was delivered by Professor Jordan Naidoo (pictured below), visiting scholar and technology expert at the Centre for Teacher Education, Shanghai Normal University, and former Acting Director of UNESCO’s International Institute for Educational Planning. Professor Naidoo offered a comprehensive analysis of SDG 4, the global goal for education, tracing its evolution and core principles. He elaborated on the ambitious vision of SDG 4, the current challenges it faces, and the pivotal role that education plays in advancing sustainable development worldwide.

The Grand Prize of this year’s summit was awarded to the student team led by Junqi Ma. They conducted an in-depth study on the relocation layout of Mubea's tool shop and proposed an optimization plan based on the top 10 SKUs, aiming to improve production efficiency and logistics management through precise layout planning to achieve more efficient production processes and cost savings.

The First Prize was awarded to Qingling Han's group, which aimed to develop a smart monitoring platform integrating artificial intelligence and blockchain technologies to enhance transparency and accountability in transnational corruption governance. Through a dynamic scoring mechanism, the platform is able to monitor and assess the implementation of anti-corruption measures in real time, thereby supporting the realization of the United Nations SDGs.

Through the engaging exchanges and intellectual collisions that marked the 2024 XJTLU Research-Led Learning Summit, participating students gained a deeper and more holistic understanding of research-led learning and the United Nations SDGs. They were encouraged to transcend disciplinary boundaries and singular issues, and to critically reflect on the broader societal, economic, and environmental implications of their academic endeavors. Empowered by this experience, students are now better equipped and more motivated to propose and implement innovative, forward-thinking, and sustainable solutions to the pressing challenges of today’s world, working collectively toward a brighter and more sustainable future.

By Learning Institution for Future Excellence

Photo courtesy by Learning Institution for Future Excellence

Translated by Sichen Fan