2024 Professional Development Days
The annual “Professional Development Day” (also known as Faculty Activity Day) at Wenzhou-Kean University was held once again on June 5, 2024. During this event, faculty members exchanged their educational philosophies, teaching methods, and ideas, sharing numerous personal experiences and insights, and discussing ways to enhance teaching quality. Dr. David Birdsell, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Kean University, Dr. George Chang, Dean of the College of Science and Technology, Dr. Jin Wang, Dean of the College of Business and Public Management, and Dr. Jonathan Mercantini, Associate Provost for Special Projects, participated in the plenary session. They shared crucial information regarding faculty career development, reappointment, and promotion, and discussed how to foster an inclusive, innovative, and inspiring environment and community. Additionally, they addressed key topics such as supporting students facing challenges and the sustainable development of the university.
Since 2016, Wenzhou-Kean University has hosted annual faculty professional training sessions. This year, continuing the tradition, the event was divided into two main segments: the “Plenary Session” and “Training and Sharing.” Approximately 200 faculty members from the entire university participated in these major parts of the event.
This year’s “Professional Development Day” commenced with Dr. David Birdsell, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Kean University, who delivered a keynote address on the development of faculty at Wenzhou-Kean University. He shared the latest policies and practices regarding academic appointments, tenure, and promotions, emphasized the importance of balancing quantity and quality, and provided specific expectations and guidance for the faculty.
Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Dr. Yang Yixin presented a lecture titled “Achieving Career Success at WKU” to all faculty members. The lecture summarized the university’s admissions, academic support, faculty staff, research achievements, student research activities, and awards over the past year, and outlined future academic plans and development goals. With over 200 faculty members from more than 40 countries, Dr. Yang emphasized the university’s expectations for its staff and encouraged everyone to create a harmonious work environment, citing Confucius’s saying: “The superior man seeks harmony but not uniformity; the inferior man seeks uniformity but not harmony.”
During the "Professional Development Days" this year, the training and sharing segment featured 15 workshops, spread across 5 breakout sessions, with 5 external experts and scholars invited to share their insights. The workshops covered a range of topics, including teaching research planning and application guidelines, the application of traditional Chinese philosophy in academia, the use of the Canvas teaching platform, teaching principles, and teaching strategies.
In recent years, the university has seen steady growth in research output and numerous achievements in student research competitions. To further promote the university’s goal of quality-focused academic development, external experts were invited to share their knowledge on conducting research. Among them, Professor Martin Liu from the University of Nottingham Ningbo China presented “How to Prepare a Quality Research Proposal,” Professor Chun Jiahui from the Chinese University of Hong Kong delivered a session on “Advancing Teaching through SoTL,” and Professor Liu Liyu from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences offered a “Natural Science Research Grant Proposal Tutorial.” These sessions provided scientific guidance for the university’s faculty, fostering discussion and collaboration between external experts and university teachers. Additionally, Mohammad Noman, Program Coordinator of Educational Leadership and Assistant Professor at the College of Education, presented an introduction to SoTL (Scholarship of Teaching and Learning).
In the rapid advancement of digitization and artificial intelligence, many educators are focusing on how to integrate technology into teaching to enhance the learning experience. Professor Huaiqing Hong from Nanyang Technological University, an international expert at the Teaching Development Center of Peking University, shared insights on “Technology-Enhanced Dialogic Teaching & Team-Based Learning.” He discussed the Team-based Learning Ecosystem developed at Nanyang Technological University and introduced a computational framework for modeling student engagement.
Professor Hong emphasized that while classroom data alone might not reveal significant insights, classroom interactions can provide valuable information. He highlighted the importance of visualizing the teaching process and practicing “Transform Teaching & Learning with Big Data Learning Analytics.”
Professor Ding Meng from the Department of Chemistry at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University shared his presentation on the “Virtual Chemistry Lab Platform for Hyflex Teaching.” He demonstrated how to design a virtual simulation laboratory that helps students familiarize themselves with the lab environment, equipment usage, and correct operational procedures online at any time. This approach not only improves the efficiency and accuracy of lab operations but also provides additional practice opportunities outside the lab, thereby deepening students’ understanding of theoretical principles.
In addition to sharing research and teaching technologies, Professor Tobin Porterfield, Interim Dean of the College of Business and Public Management, presented on “Best Practice in Program Assessment.” He encapsulated the critical elements of program assessment, emphasizing systematic planning, faculty involvement, comprehensive evaluation methods, and continuous improvement based on data analysis. Lecturer Nathan Workman from the College of Humanities shared his insights on “International Student Migration - Understanding Our Students’ Intentions,” discussing his research on the motivations, obstacles, and factors influencing the success of international students studying abroad.
Additionally, Assistant Professor Ataullah Kiani from the College of Engineering shared insights on “Teaching Strategies, Effective Presentations.”
Assistant Professor Waldo Arriagada, also from the College of Engineering, presented on “An Example of Mathematics Applied to the Arts.”
Lecturer Joseph Markowski from the College of Humanities discussed “Expressing the Inexpressible: The Practice of Words and Letters in Zen Buddhism.” Lecturer Elizabeth Martinez from the College of Humanities gave an “Introduction to Bloom’s Taxonomy,” and Lecturer Po-Yu Wei, also from the College of Humanities, presented on “A Taste of Francophobia: Ragout in Eighteenth-century English Literature.”
Following the event, many professors expressed their enthusiasm and eagerness for future workshops to include more hands-on modules. This was the first "Professional Development Days" organized by the CTL. To better support the teaching development, research projects, and enhancement of the teaching environment at our school, we invite all colleagues who participated in this event to participate in a short survey. Your insights are crucial in guiding our efforts towards supporting professional development and teaching innovation.
For more event photos, please visit the following link: https://pan.baidu.com/s/1bbL0_BunkoaDpl62lE41hA. The extraction code is: c7br.
