Abstract
Online teaching has become increasingly significant amidst the sweeping tide of pedagogical reform and innovation. The constrains brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic have expedited the computerization and platformization of teaching and learning, sparking many transformative practices in higher education. Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU), the largest international university in China, has embraced this shift by implementing online education platforms. The Chinese Culture Teaching Centre (CCTC) at XJTLU has developed distinct online platforms, such as U-talk for year one students, to augment their learning experience. This chapter assesses the effectiveness of these online teaching methods for year one humanistic public courses at CCTC. It identifies key challenges, such as artificial intelligence (AI) in assignment writing, and discusses their impact on faculty and students. Recommendations to enhance these methods are proposed, with an emphasis on improving students' learning outcomes and faculty's teaching quality.
TopInnovative Pedagogical Practice At Xjtlu
Since its establishment in May 2006, XJTLU has been on a mission to establish itself as a research-led international university in China, gaining global recognition for its unique approach to learning and teaching, research, social service, and education management. It offers more than 100 degree programmes across science, engineering, business, finance, architecture, urban planning, language, and culture.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Sino-foreign Cooperative Universities: Universities jointly run by both Chinese and foreign educational institutions. This is the third type of university found in China along with public and private universities. Sino-foreign cooperative education institutions and programs approved by the Ministry of Education have brought in quality education resources from abroad. Students are able to gain international education experience without leaving China, which lowers costs compared with self-funded overseas study. Bilateral academic degree certificates are available upon graduation, and are recognized by the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange (CSCSE) of the Ministry of Education.
Artificial Intelligence: Is the intelligence of machines or software, as opposed to the intelligence of living beings, primarily of humans. It is a field of study in computer science that develops and studies intelligent machines. Such machines may be called AIs. At present day, there are more advanced AI machines which called Generative AI. Generative AI consumes existing data, learns from it, then generates data with similar characteristics. For example, it can generate text, images, videos, audio and computer code.
Online Teaching: Is faculty-delivered instruction via the Internet. Online teaching could achieve real-time (synchronous) and anytime, anywhere (asynchronous) interactions. Online teachers use digital resources to share with their students and are accessible to so many people. It provides a lot of freedom to individuals to learn, teach, and develop skills at their own pace. This type of teaching supports one-on-one basis interaction with the students. It makes them comfortable with tough subjects. However, compared with Chinese traditional education, online teaching lacks teachers’ supervision and management, and students are easily confused by many courses.
Humanistic: Public Courses: Are comprehensive courses covering humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and other fields. They aim to cultivate students’ interdisciplinary literacy and cultural literacy, and enhance their global vision and social responsibility. They play an important role in basic university education and modern society, helping students to better understand themselves and participate in global competition.