Professional Development for Learning and Teaching Support Course

The core objective of professional development for learning and teaching support course is to lead education administrators to think about how to construct “student-centred” teaching management systems; in particular, curriculum transfer from the traditional mode of teaching contents and management to the new mode, which facilitates student-centered active-learning from a research-led approach. This course discusses the objectives, system and reform strategies on teaching management in detail.

In 2017, 69 teaching management staff in total from Shanghai International Studies University and China University of Geosciences have participated the customised professional development course for learning and teaching support.

The course has been held for two times, in March and December, 2017, respectively; more than 100 teachers totally in various subjects from nearly 40 universities have participated in the course. This course integrates the needs of the participants with the experience of XJTLU, aiming to discuss how to transfer university management of teaching and learning, how management staff of teaching and learning change their roles from administrators to the supporters and servants both for student learning and teachers’ teaching with the participants, in the trend of “teacher-centred” to “student-centred” teaching and learning reform.

Participant Feedback

Wang Xinran, Deputy Head of Academic Affairs Office at China Pharmaceutical University
“The university always focuses on the teacher development support and pays less attention to the training of teaching and learning management staff. Nowadays, the university is promoting the teaching and learning reform; however, it is impossible to achieve the reform by innovating the teaching and teachers without innovating the concepts of according administration system and staff. It is supposed to change the thoughts and philosophies in order to implement the “student-centred” system. We are still under the influence of the tradition and lay much emphasis on “administration” and lack of support and service. The front-line teaching and learning management staff gained many practical suggestions and shocking ideas from this course.”

Teacher Guo from the Academic Affairs Office in China University of Geosciences (Beijing)
“I listened to every lecture carefully and took notes; I have participated many teaching and learning trainings of this kind, but I was the most dedicated to this time compared with previous trainings. I see a kind of structure for the new type university and the directions for future education and university development within the short period of time. I have no ideas about when can we witness such changes in all Chinese universities, after all, there is such a university, which provides more opportunities for the young.”

Experts’ Comments

“(After the releasing of the education development outline for the thirteenth five-year plan) As the senior teacher working in front-line for several decades, I feel the greater responsibility which I afford. Currently, we should avoid speaking out the abstract slogans but summarising the experience and lessons carefully, analysing the teaching contents, requirements, methods, assessment carefully. We should stick to the “student-centred” principle and implement it into each phase of teaching in every course, putting forward specific and oriented measures. Only in this way can we make our undergraduate teaching to meet the requirements of the time and benefit, benefiting the students and serving the talents needs of the nation.”

Professor Guo Jingming

The Math and Physics Teaching Centre of XJTLU