Fudan University shares online teaching experience with US educators

Shanghai's Fudan University has shared with US academics its experience of transforming to an Internet-based teaching model during the COVID-19 pandemic in a series of online exchanges hosted by a Chinese-American non-profit organization, according to local business news portal Yicai Global.

The shift to digital has led to some new challenges including network congestion, extra work loads for professors, greater pressure for students, copyright protection issues and the logistics of holding exams online, Fudan University Vice President Xu Lei was quoted by Yicai Global as saying during three separate livestreaming sessions hosted by the New York-based Committee of 100.

"E-teaching on such a large scale is a first for the world,” Xu said. However, it is also an opportunity to reform teaching methods and foster students' pro-active learning habit. Feedback from both teachers and students has been better than expected, he added.

"It opened another window for students to ask questions and interact with their teachers,” said Xu, adding that the move has brought interesting changes to China’s normally 'quiet' classrooms.

Even after things get back to normalcy, this episode will have a profound, long-term effect on educational practices at Fudan, Xu said.

A teacher from the City University of New York also shared how to reduce students’ workloads and how to access various discussion groups through the online conference software function, Yicai Global reported.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the Committee of 100 has teamed up with the American National Education Association and the American Association of School Administrators to launch a series of online exchanges. It has invited business leaders and educational administrators to share their experiences, solutions and methods to help companies and schools in the US cope during these challenging times.