The final of the First National Engineering Maker Teaching Ability Competition and the final evaluation of the Teaching and Research Projects were recently held in Tianjin on April 8-9. This event was organized by the Engineering Maker Education Virtual Research Office of the Ministry of Education, with guidance from the Engineering Training and Teaching Guidance Committee of the Ministry of Education. During the competition, teachers from YSU have won one special-class prize and one first prize. Furthermore, two teaching research projects led by YSU teachers were also approved.
Song Jiaqiu's Team Wins the Special-Class Prize
Jia Wanjun's Team Wins the First-Class Prize
This competition is the first event of its kind in China, focusing specifically on faculty members from universities across the country. This pioneering event aimed to foster the exchange of teaching experience in engineering makers among universities, while also establishing high-quality and proficient teaching teams. Its ultimate goal was to cultivate "gold-level teachers" of engineering makers, and create exemplary "gold-level courseware" for this field. The competition garnered immense participation, with over 100 universities representing 28 provinces, regions, municipalities across the nation. After the selection in six major national competition zones, 137 delegations successfully qualified for the national competition. The grand event brought together more than 400 experts and teachers who engaged in on-site competition across three programs: "Craftsmanship and Innovation", "New Patterns of Labor", and "Final Evaluation Meeting of Teaching and Research Projects".
The competition invited 65 experts from the National Engineering Training and Teaching Steering Committee and the Engineering Training and various provincial Engineering Training and Teaching Steering Committees, forming an expert committee. The competition evaluation consisted four parts: teaching design, teaching exercises, application for teaching research project approval, and lecturing. The first three parts were conducted online, while the lecturing took place face-to-face. During the offline competition, teachers showcased their expertise in engineering training, innovative teaching, engineering maker education, and labor education. YSU's Song Jiaqiu and her team, based on the theme of Mechanical Processing and Program Control Design for Open Intelligent Remote Control Vehicles, have entered the final for their meticulous teaching design, impressive lectures and debates, and effective teaching outcomes. They competed alongside esteemed universities such as Tongji University, Harbin Institute of Technology, Xi'an University of Technology, and Shanghai University. In the final round, Song’s team excelled and secured the first place, earning the Special-Class Prize for Craftsmanship and Innovation. Additionally, Jia Wanjun and her team won the first prize for their work on New Patterns of Labor, focusing on the theme of New Patterns of Engineering Practice Education Based on the Full Product Processing Cycle. Concurrently, at th final evaluation meeting for Teaching and Research Projects, YSU's application for the "Two Integrations and Three Improvements" - Research on Construction of College Student Innovation/Entrepreneurship Platform and Team Building Practice and Dynamic Integration Project Driven Engineering Training Reform Practice was approved as a Teaching and Research Youth Project.
Teachers in Lecturing
Following the competition announcement, the Engineering Training Center promptly initiated comprehensive preparations. Starting from last October, the center engaged in rigorous course discussions, refining themes, producing videos, conducting defense drills, improving teaching materials, and seeking expert guidance. During the competition, the lecturing teachers exhibited a dignified and generous demeanor, accompanied by polished and natural expression skills. They effectively communicated the latest teaching concepts and practical achievements, seamlessly integrated them into the teaching process. Through their performance, the teachers showcased not only their solid teaching skills and personal qualities, but also highlighted YSU's exceptional standards in engineering education and practical teaching.
YSU has consistently placed great importance on engineering training and teaching while actively accelerating the reform of practical teaching methods. With the generous support of university officials and stakeholders, the Engineering Training Center remains committed to fundamental principles while forging new paths to adapt to evolving circumstances. It organizes innovation competitions and practical teaching projects, fostering deep cooperation with maker spaces, processing communities, and innovation workshops. Moreover, it has developed a practical teaching curriculum system characterized by six innovative features: new concepts, new content, new models, new methods, new curriculum systems, and new curriculum evaluations, all of which contribute to the ongoing reform of engineering education. Seizin the opportunity presented by this competition, the Engineering Training Center aims to further advance practical teaching reform by emphasizing the distinctive attributes of practical education. It strives to cultivate students' craftsmanship character, refine and pass down the values of "ideological and political values" and "labor education values" within engineering training. In doing so, the center aims to make significant contributions to the cultivation of exceptional and innovative talents, as well as the overall development of practical teaching.
