ZJU hosts conference on development of education discipline

More than 60 prominent domestic and international scholars gathered at Zhejiang University (ZJU) on Monday for the International Conference on the Development of World-class Discipline of Education and Seminar on the Educational Thoughts of Professor WANG Chengxu, one of the most influential figures in comparative education in China.

The conference facilitated discussion and exploration of the development of education as an academic discipline, under the context of the “Double First-class Initiative”. Collected Works of WANG Chengxu was also released at the ceremony, helping researchers reconsider the methods, paradigm and perspective of education.

Prof. ZHENG Qiang, vice secretary of ZJU’s Party Committee, congratulated on the opening of the conference. “The current era offers not only important opportunities but also stern challenges,” ZHENG said. He hoped that scholars could speak out freely for the future of education.

 “The education discipline of ZJU’s College of Education enjoys a profound history and has entered a new phase of development. It is essential to make use of its advantage in active involvement of interdisciplinary research,” Prof. XU Xiaozhou, dean of ZJU’s Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences, said in the opening ceremony.

Professors unveil Collected Works of WANG Chengxu.

Prof. ZHENG Qiang and Prof. YUAN Zhenguo, dean of Faculty of Education at East China Normal University, unveiled Collected Works of WANG Chengxu. YUAN recalled his friendship with WANG Chengxu, highlighting his extensive knowledge and noble qualities.

Prof. ZHENG Wen, director of the Division of Higher Education in Guangdong Provincial Department of Education, reviewed his experience of compiling the book series. “With high academic value, WANG’s thoughts can facilitate the study on the history of comparative education and higher education,” he said.

Developing the education discipline under the context of the “Double First-class Initiative”

Scholars from seven universities in China presented the experience of developing the discipline of education in their own institutions, pointing out important issues such as the orientation of education discipline and student cultivation.

• Prof. ZHU Xudong (dean of the Faculty of Education at Beijing Normal University) said that the deficiency of research achievement, delayed graduation of students and low proportion of foreign faculty were the major challenges of BNU, and that they were building a comprehensive system for the education discipline to overcome those difficulties.

• Prof. YUAN Zhenguo shared his insights into what world-class discipline stands for, how to build the characteristics of education discipline and how to construct our own paradigm of education. He emphasized that “the focus and mission of educational researchers ought to be predictive research rather than simply descriptions of the current educational situation.”  

• Prof. HU Jianhua (former dean of the School of Education Science at Nanjing Normal University) proposed several instructive strategies, including promoting international cooperation and developing interdisciplinary research.

• Prof. LIU Haifeng (director of the Institute of Education at Xiamen University) stated that the evaluation methods of the “Double First-class Initiative” should be polished.  

• Prof. ZHANG Yingqiang (director of the Institute of Education Science at Huazhong University of Science and Technology) illustrated how the education college in a polytechnic university could clarify its development strategies.

• Prof. LU Xiaozhong (dean of the School of Education at South China Normal University) and Prof. GU Jianmin (dean of ZJU’s College of Education) stated that higher education should keep pace with the society.  

Paving the way ahead with wisdom and recognition of trend

Experts delivered speeches on the topic of “international experience and trend for developing the education discipline”, focusing on issues such as funding, discipline ranking and cultivation of instructors.

• Prof. YANG Rui (associate dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Hong Kong) said that advancing Sino-Western communication was of great significance in building the education discipline.

• Prof. Bernadette Baker (Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison) stressed that great attention should be attached to the current context and principles of diversity so as to achieve excellence in education discipline.

• Prof. Creso Sa (Ontario Institute of Studies in Education at the University of Toronto) mentioned that “priorities for the next five years are internationalization, equity, diversity, indigenization, and research”, while introducing the OISE Academic Plan 2017-2022.

• Prof. Liang Zhang (Department of Administration, Leadership, and Technology at New York University) introduced the procedures and indicators of higher education rankings, summarized the potential issues of the indicators and presented the underlying reasons.

• Prof. Yong-Je Woo (College of Education at Seoul National University) pointed out that a new education model should be adopted to alleviate education inequality.  

• Prof. Jessica Li (Department of Education Policy, Organization and Leadership at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) gave an overview of UIUC. She stated that in the future, the University would ensure the rigor and relevance of academic programs and enhance student experience.

Understanding and interpreting the thoughts of Prof. WANG Chengxu

Scholars attending the seminar recalled their experience with Prof. WANG Chengxu and understanding of his educational thoughts. They said that Prof. WANG had a powerful and far-reaching impact on the education discipline.

• WANG Zhongming (senior professor of Humanities and Social Science at ZJU and son of WANG Chengxu) introduced entrepreneurship education as a major research field for Prof. WANG Chengxu.

• Prof. LIN Zhengfan (former president of Hangzhou Normal University) focused on the comprehensive and interdisciplinary view of Prof. WANG in the research on educational issues.

• Prof. WANG Libing (chief of the Section for Educational Innovations and Skills Development, UNESCO Bangkok) said that the teachings of Prof. WANG had influenced him greatly.

• Prof. CHEN Wei (dean of the School of Vocational Education at South China Normal University) pointed out that Prof. WANG had a contributing impact on building the education discipline in China.  

By: ZHANG Xiaofang (Foreign Affairs Secretary, College of Education); XU Weiqin (Student Journalist, Office of International Relations)