Tsinghua University convened a seminar on Friday to review its success in online teaching during the pandemic, share useful experience and explore new ways to further improve its online education system in the future.

The seminar, entitled “Higher Education in Cloud – Promise, Experience and Expectation”, held at the university’s main building, was attended by the University leaders Qiu Yong, Chen Xu, Jiang Shengyao, Wang Xiqin, Ji Junmin, Yang Bin, Li Yibing, You Zheng, Guo Yong, Zheng Li, Xiang Botao and Peng Gang. Yang Bin, Vice President and Provost of Tsinghua University, moderated the seminar, which was broadcast live on various social media platforms.

The seminar opened with a video that showcased the initiatives that were taken by the university for the successful launch and operation of its online education in the spring semester.

Chen Xu, Secretary of the Party Committee of Tsinghua University, delivered a keynote speech entitled "Devoted to the Profession of Teaching". President of Tsinghua University Qiu Yong made a concluding speech, proposing to build a more open, more integrated, and more resilient university and deliver high-quality inclusive education.

During the section designed to showcase online teaching achievements, teacher and student representatives shared their special experiences relating to online teaching and learning in the past five months.Among them, Yang Dongjiang, deputy dean of the Academy of Arts & Design, shared the stories of teachers and students of the Academy working together to overcome difficulties and conduct teaching and learning as well as graduation exhibitions online.

According to Yang Dongjiang, teaching at the Academy of Arts & Design has several characteristics: (i) studios and laboratories are the main venues of teaching and learning; (ii) the Academy attaches great importance to real-time interaction, and teachers' self-discipline is one of the driving forces for the continuous growth of students; and (iii) the Academy emphasizes individuality and encourages students to be creative and explore the unknown, which is a main theme of day-to-day teaching activities of the Academy. Teaching online directly bears on the above three characteristics. This is also a challenge faced by art academies worldwide during the pandemic.

What the faculty of the Academy of Arts & Design want to achieve is not just to deliver high-quality education at least on a par with offline teaching but also to turn challenges into opportunities. Some teachers mailed the necessary materials to students. Some bought equipment and explored new models of online teaching. Some transformed their studios into livestreaming spaces.

During the pandemic, teachers of the Academy have encouraged students to care for society and be courageous. Professor Ma Quan and Associate Professor Gu Xin from the Department of Visual Communication instructed students to create under the theme of fighting the pandemic.

Professor Chen Hui of the Department of Painting has built a WeChat group to keep close contact with students and created a large number of paintings under the theme of fighting the pandemic, inspiring students and setting a great example for them.

Under the influence of Professor Chen Hui, students have picked up their own brushes to pay tribute to those working on the frontlines in the fight against the pandemic, and spread positive energy through paintings.

On June 12, the Academy of Arts & Design held the annual exhibition of works by graduates.

This year's graduation exhibition was special. It was like a rite of passage for students who were about to enter the workplace. It was an emotional event for both teachers and students.

During the pandemic, a research and development team composed of young teachers from the Department of Information Art & Design spent a half month in developing a world-leading new exhibition system. This system allows students to upload works and set up exhibition areas. The students never gave up on making art and the professors provided guidance to students online. With strong support from professors, the graduates have overcome many difficulties and created more than 1,000 high-quality works of art.

In order to work on his graduation project, Liu Peiyang, a student from the Department of Ceramic Design, purchased an electric furnace and set up a home studio.

Building a car by himself has been a dream of Xu Mengjia since childhood. With support of his supervisor Professor Yan Yang who provided guidance to him online, he has finally realized this dream.

Zhu Puqian, a student of the Department of Sculpture, collected stones and wood from a local mountain with his father from the end of last winter to the beginning of this spring.

Yang Dongjiang, deputy dean of the Academy of Arts & Design, said in his speech that, for artists, life experiences and self-reflection are more important than skills. Although the students lost on-campus learning environments temporarily, they have gained a lot. Yang Dongjiang believes that these self-reflection moments and experiences during the pandemic will become an inexhaustible source of inspirations for students. He believes that many outstanding artists, embodying the spirit of Tsinghua University and the spirit of this era, will emerge from the Class of 2020.

The Academy of Arts & Design's Class of 2020, including 282 graduates receiving bachelor’s degree and 167 graduates receiving master's degree, have exhibited devotion to art, a tendency to reflect on life, and perseverance in face of challenges, which is a trait promoted by Tsinghua University and fits the theme of this seminar- Higher Education in Cloud - Promise, Experience, and Expectation.

Source: Academic Affairs Office of the Academy of Arts & Design;

Tsinghua News

Editor: Zhao Ruohan