Date: April 14, 2021

Source: JNU Center for Teacher Development of Undergraduate School 

Author: Hu Xixi

JNU topped the first National Teaching Innovation Contest for College Teachers (Guangdong province) in the number of teams reaching the finals and winning special prizes. Of the 12 JNU teams sent to the contest, which ended on April 12, eight made the finals and three were awarded special prizes, the competition's top award. 

JNU teams led by Sun Pinghua from college of pharmacy, Liu Tao from school of journalism and communication and Guo Shiqiang from school of literature were awarded special prizes qualifying them to represent Guangdong in the national contest on behalf of Guangdong. (Only nine Guangdong teams qualified for in the national contest.) JNU teams led by Zhang Tiantian from college of pharmacy and Zhu Siqi from department of optoelectronic engineering won second prize; the teams led by Sun Li from school of management and Wei Wei from college of pharmacy won third prize, and the team led by Dai Tianshi from school of economics won the excellence award. JNU also one prize for creativity in teaching designs, one for creativity in teaching activities and four for excellence in basic teaching management.

(Winning JNU teachers and JNU team leaders in the contest)

The national contest was guided by the Ministry of Education and organized by the China Association of Higher Education. The Guangdong sub-contest was guided by the Guangdong Department of Education and co-organized by the Guangdong Association of Higher Education and South China Normal University. The national contest will have two tracks: affiliated universities and local colleges, each of which will have a senior group, a vice-senior group, and an intermediate group and below, according to the professional and technical position level of the lecturers. In Guangdong, 100 out of 326 teams are shortlisted for the final.  

(A JNU pep rally for the Guangdong competition)

The national contest will begin in May, and the on-site competition will be held in Shanghai in early July. The contest reflects the fundamental task of moral education and the requirements of putting undergraduate education first and four returns (to common sense, to originality, to original intention and to the dream). Its theme is Promoting Teaching Innovation and Creating the First-Class Curriculum, guided by the Four New Disciplines (new engineering, new agriculture, new medicine and new liberal arts) and focused on the teaching philosophy of “student development as the center.” The contest aims to guide university teachers to dedicate themselves to educating students in the pursuit of excellence in teaching, in both value and action. It also tends to lead teaching reform in universities and to promote the “quality revolution” in higher education.