From March 21 to 30, Professor Bie Dunrong (Dean of the Institute of Higher Education, Xiamen University), Associate Professor Guo Yirong and Assistant Professor Huang Yifan and Cao Xuemeng traveled to the United States for academic exchange activities. During the trip, they visited a number of universities to discuss exchange and cooperation initiatives, conducted talent exchange activities with Chinese students studying in the U.S., participated in two important academic conferences, engaged in exchanges and dialogues with internationally renowned scholars, and discussed the launch of an English-language academic journal. The visit and exchange yielded significant outcomes.
On March 22, 2025, Dean Professor Bie Dunrong and his delegation held in-depth academic discussions with Professor Philip G. Altbach, a leading international scholar in the field of comparative higher education, in Boston, USA. The two sides conducted in-depth discussions on topics such as the development of higher education in China and the United States under the new bilateral context, international education cooperation, and the mobility of academic personnel. They also reached an important consensus on the preparation for launching an international academic journal.
During this visit, the two sides focused on discussing two key topics. First, regarding the new trends in the mobility of international students and academic personnel, Professor Altbach pointed out that changes in global geopolitics have accelerated the diversification of academic mobility, and developing countries need to strike a balance between “bringing in” and “going global” (talent and academic resources). Secondly, concerning the development of higher education in China and the United States, Professor Altbach emphasized that under the current circumstances, the development of higher education in the United States is not improving but worsening. In comparison, Chinese higher education is presented with opportunities, particularly in the remarkable achievements made in the construction of world-class universities.
With respect to the preparation for launching an international journal on higher education research, Professor Altbach specifically noted that the current international journal market is highly competitive. He advised that the journal’s editorial team should be centered on scholars who possess both an international perspective and Chinese experience, focus on cutting-edge academic and policy-related fields, attach importance to interdisciplinary research, and strive to develop the journal into a high-quality and distinctive publication. Professor Altbach gladly accepted the invitation to serve as a consultant for the journal and expressed his willingness to provide support in terms of journal operation strategies and global academic networks.
Teachers and Students of Our Institute Attended the 2025 Annual Meeting of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES)
From March 23 to 26, Professor Bie Dunrong, Associate Professor Guo Yirong, Assistant Professors Huang Yifan and Cao Xuemeng, and master’s students Ren Jia and Fu Qiya traveled to Chicago, USA, to attend the 2025 Annual Meeting of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES).
Assistant Professor Cao Xuemeng, together with her collaborator Xie Wanyi (a doctoral student at the Institute of Education, Tsinghua University), delivered a presentation titled “The social-media-based diary: a promising research tool for the digital era?” at the panel session themed “Digital Tools in Education: Opportunities, Gaps, and Policies Shaping Learning in Classrooms”. The presentation explored the advantages and challenges of using social media-based diaries (compared with traditional diaries) in empirical social science research and put forward suggestions for future related research practices. Assistant Professor Huang Yifan gave a presentation titled “Factors influencing teaching innovation at a university: an extension of the Job Demands-resources (JD-R) model in the digital age” at the panel session “Teaching in a Digital Society: Challenges and Innovations”. Adopting the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) Model, the presentation aimed to explore the complex relationship between the digital resources available to university teachers and the digital demands placed on them, as well as the impact of this relationship on teaching innovation. Ren Jia, a 2023-level master’s student majoring in Higher Education, delivered a presentation titled “From competence to customization: examining digital personalized learning through a moderated mediation mode” at the parallel session “International Perspectives on Digital Platforms: Challenges, Customization, and Institutional Adaptation”. The presentation pointed out that current technological advancements have opened up new possibilities for expanding personalized learning, and a key issue lies in how to mobilize students’ individual potential to give full play to the value of digital technology in realizing personalized learning. Based on a survey of 15,748 undergraduate students from various types of universities across China, the study explored the influencing mechanisms and boundary conditions for college students to achieve personalized learning in the digital age. Fu Qiya, a 2023-level master’s student majoring in Higher Education, gave a presentation titled “Rebirth: the Identity of Chinese Female University Students of Rural Origins” at the parallel session “Disruption and Contestation in Higher Education: Language, Politics, and Activism”. Drawing on an ethnographic study of online narratives in the Douban group “College Students from Rural Areas”, the presentation focused on the identity construction dilemmas faced by rural female university students amid the cultural dissonance between urban and rural areas. It pointed out that after entering the elite higher education system, this group not only has to challenge traditional gender expectations but also faces gaps in cultural capital compared with their urban peers and a lack of academic support. Although higher education provides them with the possibility of social mobility, it further exacerbates the class gap between urban and rural students and the issue of gender marginalization. The conference was marked by a lively atmosphere, with in-depth and enthusiastic interactions among scholars. Discussions on relevant topics extended beyond the conference venues, and participants raised many constructivw2e questions and engaged in in-depth exchanges.
Founded in 1956, the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) is committed to enhancing the understanding of educational issues, trends, and policies through comparative, cross-cultural, and international perspectives. As the largest and oldest association among 47 global comparative and international education societies, it attracts over 1,000 participants annually. Its Annual Meeting, a top-tier international conference, serves as a platform for scholars, educators, and university graduate students worldwide who engage in comparative research on education policy and educational practice to interact and exchange ideas.
During the conference, Dean Bie Dunrong met with Professor Ruth Hayhoe from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto. The two sides discussed topics including the role that universities should play in promoting educational exchanges and enhancing international understanding, as well as the future prospects of China-Canada educational cooperation and exchanges. They also held in-depth discussions on the progress of international and comparative education research at our institute and the specific plans for launching the international journal on higher education research, which received Professor Hayhoe’s high recognition and enthusiastic support. Professor Hayhoe gladly accepted the invitation to serve as a consultant for the international journal.
Teachers and Students of Our Institute Visited the Columbia University School of Education and Attended Its 8th China-US Education Forum
From March 27 to 28, Dean Bie Dunrong and his delegation conducted academic exchange activities at the Columbia University School of Education. They met with Thomas R. Bailey, Dean of the Columbia University School of Education, and held in-depth discussions with relevant leaders on various aspects including educational cooperation, academic seminars, and talent exchanges, laying a solid foundation for in-depth cooperation between the two institutions in the future.
Meeting with Representatives of the Columbia University School of Education
On March 27, Dean Bie Dunrong, Associate Professor Guo Yirong, Assistant Professors Huang Yifan and Cao Xuemeng, and doctoral student Hu Yanting were invited to the Columbia University School of Education. They held a discussion with Amine Mechaal, Director of the Office of Global Affairs of the school, Professor Thomas Brock, Director of the Community College Research Center (CCRC) of the Columbia University School of Education, Research Fellow Xu Jing (a visiting scholar at the Columbia University School of Education), and Song Yu'ang (a doctoral student at the Columbia University School of Education).
Director Amine Mechaal extended a warm welcome to the delegation from our institute. He briefly introduced the Columbia University School of Education’s remarkable achievements and extensive influence in the global education sector, and emphasized the significant role of this exchange activity in expanding educational cooperation between the two parties.
In his speech, Dean Bie Dunrong expressed sincere gratitude to the Columbia University School of Education. He provided a detailed overview of the outstanding achievements made by our institute in higher education research and talent cultivation, and put forward several proposals for exchange and cooperation between the two institutions.
During the exchange session, the two sides held lively discussions on various aspects of educational research and cooperation. Director Amine Mechaal gave a detailed introduction to the Columbia University School of Education’s global partnerships and various related activities. Professor Thomas Brock shared key research findings of the CCRC (Community College Research Center) in the field of community colleges. Associate Professor Guo Yirong offered her views on future exchange and cooperation between the two institutions, proposing to integrate resources from both sides and explore effective cooperation models through initiatives such as enhancing student exchange programs, inviting faculty from the other institution to give lectures, organizing seminars, and conducting collaborative research.
Our Institute Held a Talent Exchange Fair at the Columbia University School of Education
On the afternoon of March 27, our institute organized a talent exchange fair at the Columbia University School of Education. The fair attracted enthusiastic participation from doctoral students of the Columbia University School of Education and New York University.
Dean Bie Dunrong provided a comprehensive and in-depth introduction to the participating doctoral students regarding our institute’s development history, school-running conditions, current status of discipline construction, achievements in educational innovation, talent needs, and future development plans. He also gave a detailed explanation of our university’s talent recruitment policies, with a particular focus on the corresponding benefits, funding support, and work-life security provided for various types of talents. The participating teachers also shared their application experiences and work experience one after another.
The doctoral students present responded enthusiastically and raised questions actively. The participating teachers patiently and meticulously answered their inquiries regarding career development planning, collaboration on research projects, opportunities for teaching practice, as well as working environment and benefits. Due to the enthusiastic participation of the doctoral students, the originally one-hour fair was extended to two hours, fully demonstrating the strong impact of this exchange activity.
Professor Bie Dunrong Delivered a Keynote Speech at the China-US Education Forum
On March 28, Professor Bie Dunrong and his delegation were invited to attend the 8th China-US Education Forum hosted by the Columbia University School of Education. At the forum, Professor Bie delivered a keynote speech titled “The Chinese Model of Higher Education Popularization and Its Promotion Strategies”.
In his speech, Professor Bie pointed out that Chinese higher education has entered the stage of popularization. The development process of Chinese higher education popularization is unique: the gradual transition from an elite-oriented model to mass education and then to popularization is the result of the combined forces of market demand, government promotion, universities’ adaptive responses, and support from basic education. He conducted an in-depth analysis of the necessity for Chinese higher education popularization to advance to the medium-to-high stage and the key issues that need to be addressed. He proposed that economic and social development requires higher education to cultivate more high-caliber talents to address the imbalance in human resources. Despite fluctuations in the number of newborns, the demand for higher education development remains strong, as the population of college-age students will remain relatively sufficient in the next decade or so. Promoting popularization is an inevitable requirement for achieving the equitable development of higher education, which entails addressing issues such as unequal access to higher education among college-age populations, regional disparities in educational resources, and unmet educational needs of non-college-age populations. Regarding promotion strategies, he suggested that universities should explore educational models adapted to changes in student demographics, focus on advancing the coordinated development of higher education, leverage digitalization to open up new avenues, and gradually elevate the overall level of higher education.
Text by Cao Xuemeng, Huang Yifan, Hu Yanting, Guo Yirong, Ren Jia and Fu Qiya
Image by Guo Yirong, Huang Yifan and Cao Xuemeng
Translated by:Dai Lan
