The 2024 World Digital Education Conference was convened in Shanghai

On January 30th, 2024, the 2024 World Digital Education Conference was convened in Shanghai under the theme of "Digital Education: Application, Sharing, and Innovation". Representatives from over 70 countries and regions worldwide participated in the conference. Zhou Dawang, Director-General of the Department of Science, Technology, and Informationization of the Ministry of Education, stated that this fully embodies the consensus that digital education has become in the world's educational development, and also fully demonstrates that digital education has become a driving force for promoting educational reform.

BACKGROUND

The Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China and the People's Republic of China for UNESCO successfully hosted the 2023 World Digital Education Conference in Beijing in February 2023. The conference attracted representatives from over 130 countries and regions to participate, where they shared the latest policies and effective experiences on digital education transformation, receiving positive responses and unanimous praise from all attendees.

The Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China, the People's Republic of China for UNESCO, and the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government co-hosted the 2024 World Digital Education Conference in Shanghai from January 29 to 31, 2024.

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The theme of the conference was “Digital Education: Application, Sharing, Innovation,” focusing on discussions around topics such as the enhancement of digital literacy and competencies of teachers, digitalization and the construction of a learning society, digital education assessment, artificial intelligence and digital ethics, challenges and opportunities of digital transformation for basic education, and the digitalization of education governance and digital education management.

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Chen Jining, the Secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Committee, and Cai Dafeng, the Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches.

KEYNOTE SPEECH

Minister of Education Huai Jinpeng presided over the opening ceremony and delivered a keynote speech titled “Jointly Promoting the Application, Sharing, and Innovation of Digital Education” at the plenary session.

ACHIEVEMENTS ANNOUNCEMENT 

1. The World Digital Education Alliance was officially established

• The representative of the initiating parties is Liu Limin, President of the China Education Association for International Exchange. As of that time, 104 universities, international education organizations, research institutions, and companies from 41 countries and regions around the world had joined the alliance.

• The World Digital Education Alliance actively responds to the spirit of the United Nations Summit on Educational Transformation and the UNESCO 2030 High-level Steering Committee for Education, aiming to create an international platform for enhancing dialogue and exchange, promoting practical cooperation in digital education, and fostering high-quality development.

2. The International version of China’s National Platform for Smart Education officially goes live (https://csmartedu.cn).

• The international platform is a public service platform for education directed and constructed under the guidance of the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China, aimed at global learners in response to the vision statement of the United Nations Summit on Educational Transformation and the solemn commitment made to UNESCO.

• With the vision of “making digital education accessible to all learners,” the platform supports six official UN languages: Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish, and Arabic. It features specialized columns for news, resource services, and a governmental affairs hall, providing a wealth of learning guidance and governmental services.

3. Release of Compilation of International Digital Education Cases

• Qin Changwei, the Secretary-General of the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO, released the Compilation of International Digital Education Cases at the conference’s closing ceremony. Led by the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO and organized by the UNESCO Chair on Artificial Intelligence and Education based at Beijing Normal University, this compilation collects 55 cases from 35 countries and regions across all five continents, encompassing digital education practices at various levels including national, community, and school.

4. The Global Digital Education Development Index (GDEI) and the China Smart Education Development Report 2023 were released

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• The Global Digital Education Development Index (GDEI) is a comprehensive index developed by the Chinese Academy of Educational Sciences to assess the overall development level of digital education in countries worldwide, based on an innovative, evidence-based evaluation paradigm.

• The China Smart Education Development Report (2023) indicates that in 2023, China implemented a policy network system that advances in depth and connects horizontally to ensure the strategic actions of education digitalization are effectively implemented. The report presents 20 typical cases in the fields of basic education, vocational education, higher education, and special education, showcasing the Chinese practice of digital education. It distills five major pathways of development in China’s smart education and proposes five trends in digital education development to the global community.

5. The inaugural issue of “Frontiers of Digital Education” (in English) was launched.

• Managed by the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China and hosted by Higher Education Press, the journal is distributed internationally by Springer Nature. The launch was jointly initiated by leaders from the Ministry of Education’s Social Sciences Department, China Education Publishing & Media Group, Higher Education Press, Springer Nature, and the journal’s editorial team.

• “Frontiers of Digital Education” is an all-English quarterly journal, with its advisory and editorial board members hailing from countries including China, the USA, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Mongolia. The journal focuses on interdisciplinary research in digital technologies and education, aiming to reveal trends in digital education policy evolution, analyze key research issues, and address urgent challenges in digital education and technological innovation. Topics of interest also include the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education, Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) in education, data analytics and learning analytics, online and blended learning, mobile learning and microlearning, digital equity, and educational inclusivity.

6. The Shanghai Call for Cooperation on Digital Education

• Xie Dong, the Deputy Mayor of Shanghai, representing the host Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, announced the outcome document "Shanghai Call for Cooperation on Digital Education" at the conference’s closing ceremony.

• The initiative of this conference calls for leveraging the World Digital Education Conference, the alliance mechanism, and the public service platform for smart education to enhance policy dialogue, case exchange, and information sharing. It aims to deepen South-South, South-North-South cooperation, with a focus on Africa and small island developing states, and a particular emphasis on women, girls, and disadvantaged groups, ensuring that digital education benefits everyone equitably and contributing to the achievement of the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

PARALLEL SESSIONS

1. Improvement of Digital Literacy and Competency of Teachers

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• The parallel session on “Improvement of Digital Literacy and Competency of Teachers” is guided by the Department of Teacher Education of the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China and hosted by East China Normal University. The aim of this session is to share advanced concepts globally in enhancing teachers’ digital literacy and competency, exchange and showcase effective paths and typical experiences for improving teachers’ digital literacy and competency, promote the practice of enhancing digital literacy among teachers worldwide, and drive teachers to become the main force in educational transformation.

• Representatives and guests from government agencies, universities, primary and secondary schools from various countries around the world, as well as international organizations, totaling more than 200 participants, attended the session.

2. Education Digitalization and Learning Society Construction

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• Representatives from the education departments, universities, and research institutions of 35 countries and regions, totaling more than 240 participants, attended the session.

• The “Report on the Development of Building a Learning Society in China in the Digitalization Process” was released at the session, introducing China’s plan, experience, and actions in promoting the construction of a learning society empowered by digitalization in recent years, as well as future trends in digital learning.
• Experts at the session generally believe that the construction of a learning society in the digital age requires comprehensive empowerment by digital technologies, which will also provide a wider range of application scenarios. This session further consolidated the consensus on building a learning society in the digital age and proposed new initiatives for constructing a digital education community in the digital era, marking the beginning of a new era for the learning society.

3. Global Trends of Digital Education Development and Evaluation Index

• The parallel session aims to exchange trends in global digital education development, share experiences in monitoring and evaluating digital education both domestically and internationally, and discuss theories, practical schemes, and typical applications of digital education monitoring and evaluation, to promote the formation of a global consensus on digital education evaluation. The session is guided by the Committee of Experts on Education Digitalization of the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China, hosted by the Chinese Academy of Educational Sciences, and supported by the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission and Shanghai Normal University. Invitations were extended to experts in the field of digital education evaluation from universities and research institutions, responsible officials of digital education in educational administrative departments, representatives from schools with typical cases of digital education development, and representatives of relevant international organizations.

• The future of global digital education evaluation presents both challenges and opportunities. As digital technologies continue to innovate and educational concepts are constantly updated, the philosophies, content, and methods of evaluation also need to evolve. Facing the significant differences in digital education development globally, how to establish a universal and operable evaluation system is a question that requires collective contemplation.

4. Artificial Intelligence and Digital Ethic

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• On January 31, 2024, the “Artificial Intelligence and Digital Ethics” parallel session of the 2024 World Digital Education Conference was held at the Shanghai Expo Center. The conference aims to share policies and experiences related to the application of artificial intelligence in education from various countries, fostering a significant consensus on empowering educational development through artificial intelligence.

• Deputy Minister of Education, Wang Guangyan, advocated for transforming student learning, educational teaching, school governance, and the educational ecosystem with intelligent technology. He proposed constructing a new tripartite teaching model of “teacher-machine-student,” promoting a shift from knowledge transmission to the cultivation of higher-order abilities and comprehensive qualities, and advancing digital education, digital technology, digital humanities, and digital ethics in a coordinated manner to benefit teachers and students with artificial intelligence.
• “Practicing ethical standards in the application of artificial intelligence in education and promoting the construction of a scientific governance system.” The “Artificial Intelligence Empowered Educational Development” initiative released at this parallel session clearly conveyed the consensus on valuing digital ethics in educational applications among various countries. “In the digital age, talent capability development, quality enhancement, and value shaping should be integrated,” said Du Yubo, President of the Chinese Association of Higher Education, emphasizing the inclusion of digital literacy and skill cultivation in school education and vocational training to ensure the legal, compliant, and safe use of digital technology in education.

5. The Challenges and Opportunities of Digital Transformation for Basic Education

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• The parallel session focused on discussions around three main aspects: 1. How to strengthen the application of digital technology to enhance the quality of basic education; 2. How to share high-quality resources digitally to promote educational equity; 3. How to utilize digital transformation to adapt educational teaching models to the future societal demand for talent.

• Regarding the target of education, Yu Yunfeng, the Secretary-General of the China Education Association for International Exchange, mentioned that the post-2000 and post-2010 generations are native to the digital age, with the internet naturally permeating every aspect of their lives. Utilizing advanced technology to provide equitable, inclusive, and targeted education, and cultivating well-rounded socialist builders and successors in moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labor education is the trend. “Digital education is no longer an elective but a compulsory subject.”

6. Digitalization of Education Governance and Digital Education Governance

• The conference aims to provide a platform for countries to exchange and share practical experiences and innovative measures in the field of digitalization of education governance and digital education governance; to enhance the participation and collaborative actions of local governments, enterprises, schools, and other stakeholders; to discuss how to strengthen international cooperation in addressing issues and challenges related to digital education governance; and to consider quality assurance and the mutual recognition of diplomas and degrees in the digital age.

If you are interested in obtaining the full version of the 'Compilation of Materials for the 2024 World Digital Education Conference,' please email the Center for Teaching and Learning at ctl@wku.edu.cn

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References:

1.Institute of Smart Learning, Beijing Normal University. (2024). Compilation of materials for the 2024 World Digital Education Conference. Retrieved from Ministry of Education website, World Digital Education Conference website, & Micro-Expression Education.

2.Ministry of Education: World Digital Education Conference- Digital Education: Application, Sharing and Innovation http://en.moe.gov.cn/features/2024WorldDigitalEducationConference/#ShanghaiInitiative

3."World Digital Education Conference", https://wdec.smartedu.cn/en/

4."World Digital Education Conference concludes with multiple achievements",https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202401/31/WS65ba2e78a3104efcbdae8f84.html

5.“Cooperation initiative agreed as conference on digital education closes”, https://www.shine.cn/news/metro/2401316635/

Author: Yirui (Sandy) Jiang
Chief Editor: Yirui (Sandy) Jiang