Newsletter#13: 2024 Global Smart Education Conference (GSENet)

As the annual conference of GSENet, the Global Smart Education Conference 2024 was held in Beijing from August 18 to 20, 2024, hosted by Beijing Normal University and the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education as co-host . Since 2020, it has been a crucial platform for international collaboration and exchange in smart education. The conference is themed around "Education Transformation & International Understanding, "with plenary sessions, high-level dialogues, thematic forums, round-table discussions, and workshops on smart education policies, technologies, and practices. A total of 16 theme forums and 11 special events were held. Over 400 domestic and foreign guests from more than 60 countries and regions worldwide spoke freely and jointly drew an ideal blueprint for smart education.

The conference schedule

Guests' remarkable views

Major Outcomes of GSENet

At the opening ceremony, Professor Huang Ronghuai, Co-Dean of the Smart Learning Institute of Beijing Normal University, and Professor Zhan Tao, Director of the Institute for Information Technologies in Education of UNESCO, released the research report "Global Understanding of Smart Education in the Context of Digital Transformation" on behalf of the GSENet. This crucial report is conducive to strengthening the international understanding of smart education and deepening the digital transformation of global education, which is of great significance for opening the first year of smart education.

At the closing ceremony, Liu Dejian, Co-Dean of the Smart Learning Institute of Beijing Normal University and Chairman of Net Dragon Websoft released the "Global Smart Education Innovation Award." The establishment of this award has essential significance and value in leading trends, enhancing international cooperation, and promoting sustainable development.

Three sub-Themes of GSENet

The latter part of the conference held forums and activities around the three sub-themes of "jointly planning forward-looking strategies and policy plans to lead the sustainable development of smart education," "promoting the integration of science and education and industry and education to support the innovative practice of smart education," and "taking the Global Smart Education Conference as an opportunity to jointly create a better tomorrow for smart education that benefits mankind." As the driving force of smart education, digital transformation has brought many challenges and opportunities to the field of education. Among them, Maryam Mariya, Minister of Higher Education, Labour and Skills Development of the Maldives, mentioned that while promoting digital technology, it is necessary to pay attention to ethical considerations, including digital and data privacy, data welfare, and ensuring the inclusiveness of the education system. 

AI technology has been mentioned repeatedly in many forums and activities. It has not only changed the way of knowledge creation but also changed the way of cognition of the world and adapting to it. Additionally, it has reshaped our way of creating knowledge, cognition of the world, and adaptation to the world.

Professor Yu Shengquan, Executive Director of the Future Education High-tech Innovation Center of Beijing Normal University, mentioned the concept of cognitive outsourcing. If we look at cognition as a whole, cognitive outsourcing is a way of thinking that combines man and machine. The core of cognitive outsourcing is the balance of internal and external cognition. In primary education, if we blindly hand over the mental process to AI, it will cause our internal and external cognition to be unbalanced and split, thus bringing us into the trap of cognitive outsourcing.

Zheng Qinghua, the Chinese Academy of Engineering Academician and the President of Tongji University, mentioned that AI empowers scientific research. Al for Science has spawned a new scientific research paradigm. Four scientific paradigms have been formed in human beings' understanding and transformation of the world. The earliest is the empirical paradigm, the second is the theoretical paradigm, the third is the computational paradigm, and the fourth is the data-driven paradigm. Al for Science integrates these four scientific research paradigms into a comprehensive and all-around scientific research paradigm, dramatically promoting human beings' ability to explore and study nature, analyze problems, and find laws.

Randa Shaheen, First Deputy Minister of the Egyptian Ministry of Education, mentioned that technology and AI have brought us development on the one hand. On the other hand, they have brought challenges and dangers to human survival. Therefore, we need to integrate human actions to ensure human survival. When facing the development of AI, we can better ensure human independence and achieve a better development balance.

Finally, representatives from the education sector of various countries proposed that full-factor digital transformation is fundamental, as it can encourage the all-round and free development of individuals, which can positively impact teaching, learning, and social development.

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For the 2024 Global Smart Education Conference detail report, please visit https://gse.bnu.edu.cn/

Key Updates about CTL

1. Instructional Skills Workshop

We warmly invite you to participate in the upcoming Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW). This workshop is scheduled for October 19-20 and November 2-3, 2024, and aims to enhance your teaching effectiveness through immersive experiential learning methods. Participants will explore core teaching and learning concepts, reflect on current practices, experiment with new instructional strategies, and engage in supportive environments. 

​We look forward to discussing this excellent opportunity to increase student engagement with interested faculty and staff of WKU. Please note that participation is limited to five individuals, and all four days of the workshop are required.

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For ISW detail information, please visit official website https://www.wku.edu.cn/en/ctl/isw

2. Faculty Consultations 

At the Center for Teaching and Learning, we offer comprehensive faculty consultation services to support teaching with technology, and the design and delivery of face-to-face, online, and hybrid courses. Our consultations can be conducted in individual or group settings and tailored to your needs.Our services include Course Review, Course Design and Delivery, and Technology Integration.

​We encourage you to reach out if you have additional questions, concerns, or areas where you would like assistance. We're here to listen, collaborate, and offer support tailored to your needs.

To schedule a consultation with our team, please visit this website https://calendly.com/ctl-wku/faculty-consultations to request an appointment.

For Faculty Consultation detail information, please visit official website https://www.wku.edu.cn/en/ctl/faculty-consultations  

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Author: Duo (Dolories) Liu
Chief Editor: Yirui (Sandy) Jiang