Date: December 20, 2023

Reporter: Ma Limin, Wang Xiangbo 

Source: Southcn +

The expert group on the construction of virtual teaching and research rooms under the Ministry of Education recently revealed the list of pilot projects for virtual teaching and research rooms. Among the selected projects are 50 typical virtual teaching and research rooms, 100 typical teaching and research methods, and 50 typical teaching and research achievements. Notably, two virtual teaching and research rooms have been pilot constructed in schools within the region.

1.Integrated News Course Group Virtual Teaching and Research Room

One of the pioneering virtual teaching and research rooms is the Integrated News Course Group Virtual Teaching and Research Room. This room, established in 2014 and approved as one of the first pilot projects for the construction of virtual teaching and research rooms by the Ministry of Education in 2022, has been dedicated to enhancing communication and cooperation with universities across the country. The room aims to promote the co-construction and sharing of high-quality resources, innovate talent cultivation models, and elevate the teaching and research abilities of educators. With over 50 frontline teachers from more than 20 universities nationwide, including prestigious institutions such as Renmin University of China and Fudan University, the room has made significant strides in its development.

(Teaching and research activity poster)

The Virtual Teaching and Research Room of the Integrated News Course Group has focused on optimizing the teaching system, enriching and sharing teaching resources, and creating three major brand teaching and research activities, including Famous Teacher Demonstration Courses, Frontier Sharing Meetings, and Experimental Ongoing. Additionally, the room has made substantial progress in teaching and research exchange, resource sharing, knowledge graph construction, and curriculum development. 

(Knowledge Graph of Integrated Journalism)

The achievements of the Virtual Teaching and Research Room of the Integrated News Course Group have been remarkable. Notably, several individuals associated with the room have received provincial and ministerial level competition awards, teaching achievement awards, and have published relevant textbooks. The room's efforts have been recognized through various accolades and awards, further solidifying its position as a leader in virtual teaching and research.

(Virtual Simulation Experiment Award Certificates)

Looking ahead, Professor Liu Tao, the head of the Teaching and Research Office, highlighted the room's future focus on curriculum construction based on knowledge graphs, promoting cross-school and cross-regional teaching and research exchanges, and fostering equal communication, sharing of achievements, and mutual learning among educators.

2.Virtual Teaching and Research Room of College English Course Group

The Virtual Teaching and Research Room for College English Course Group has been making significant progress since its approval as a pilot construction project in 2022. This collaborative effort, undertaken in partnership with the Higher Education Research Press, involves more than 50 member units, encompassing various types of schools, including Double First Class Construction Universities, ordinary universities, and private colleges. Its reach extends across 27 provinces, cities, and autonomous regions throughout China.

Led by Professor Zhao Wen from the School of Foreign Languages at Jinan University, the Teaching and Research Office boasts a Vice Chairman and three members of the College Foreign Language Teaching Guidance Committee, along with five national and provincial/municipal teaching teams, 10 provincial/municipal level teaching masters, and 21 national/provincial first-class courses. The team comprises 60 first-class course leaders and chief responsible teachers from 10 different types of university English teaching teams in South China, Northeast China, North China, and Northwest China.

(Textbook New General English edited by Zhao Wen) 

In line with the Ministry of Education's digital strategy action for higher education, the expert group for the construction of virtual teaching and research rooms has established 28 virtual teaching and research room subject collaboration groups across 10 university disciplines in 2023. Professor Zhao Wen leads the collaboration group for 32 foreign language virtual teaching and research rooms in the field of literature.

(Team member's National first-class course

The College English Curriculum Group Virtual Teaching and Research Office, situated in the Dawan District, prioritizes morality cultivation as its foundation and talent training ability as its core. It collaborates with the Hong Kong and Macao Teachers' Sustainable Professional Development Center to bridge the gap between the East and West. The office focuses on co-constructing, sharing, and governing first-class courses and high-quality teaching resources. It conducts theoretical and empirical research on teachers' practice community, explores the construction of virtual grassroots teaching organizations based on Internet technology, and fosters a collaborative community of teaching practice and research among university English teachers, enhancing their educational and research abilities while promoting educational equity.

Under the leadership of Zhao Wen, the team has achieved significant results in curriculum development, textbooks, resource construction, teaching research, and teacher development. The effectiveness and applicability of its construction concept, methods, and approach have been demonstrated in practice, showcasing its potential for widespread promotion and application. The office's efforts have had a demonstrable impact on promoting educational equity and enhancing teacher teaching ability.

Furthermore, JNU has been approved for two pilot projects in the first batch of construction. Throughout the construction process, two teaching and research rooms have engaged in diverse and distinctive teaching and research activities, yielding solid results in innovative teaching and research, the establishment of a high-quality teaching resource library, the formation of a teacher practice community, and the provision of teacher training, all of which have significantly contributed to talent cultivation.