As a winner of the 2018 Beihang Excellence Award for Moral Achievement and Talent Cultivation, Prof. Wang Huiwen from the School of Economics and Management delivered a report about her practice and reflection on experience-based education at the New Main Building on March 25. The event was hosted by Associate Professor Shan Wei, who is in charge of student affairs in the School of Economics and Management, and nearly a hundred students listened to the report.
In a teaching career of 36 years, Prof. Wang has always been combining theory with practice, informing students of the frontiers of the disciplines they are learning about, enhancing their comprehension ability and promoting the spirit of innovation. Because of her care and love for students, dedication to work, sense of responsibility, innovative spirit and charisma, Prof. Wang is referred to as Mother Wang among students who are much influenced and inspired by her.
In her report, Prof. Wang introduced her original aspiration and the process of experience-based education reform, telling her story with the School of Economics and Management and Zhizhen College, one of the six colleges under Beihang School that focuses on supporting freshmen and sophomores. Sharing her thoughts about education and teaching, she firmly believed that the fundamental idea of education is to bring out the longings of students and identify the “pain spots” from the real needs of students.
As she just started to work as Dean of the School of Economics and Management, the class of 2014 also became the first residents of the Shahe Campus. Her talk with the freshmen at that time revealed the problems of confusion, worry and depression shared by students at the beginning of their college years, so she conducted a comprehensive survey among the students, faculty and graduates of the School of Economics and Management. Based on the results, she repeatedly held discussions with leaders and teachers of the school, from which a clear, scientific and effective plan for experience-based education reform gradually came into being.
The reform includes three aspects. The first part is instrumental learning, which helps enrich the students’ experience by providing hands-on learning opportunities at learning bases and key laboratories.The next is interactional learning, which leads to the birth of Mentor Program, a well-known project of undergraduate consultants. The program helps the students learn from the interaction with their seniors and pass on the culture of family among Beihangers. The third part is transformative learning, which aims at the reflection and growth of students through learning and experience as well as the development of scientific spirit and ideals in them.
Stepping down from the position of Dean of School of Economics and Management, Prof. Wang began her career as Dean of Zhizhen College in 2017 and continued to put her ideas of education reform into practice. Zhizhen College not only inherits Mentor Program and High-End Forum from the School of Economics and Management, but also starts the activities to bring familiarity among freshmen and initiates Partner Program. All these measures help cultivate students who have ideals, capabilities and the sense of responsibility and develop the culture of family as well as a good academic atmosphere in Zhizhen College.
According to Prof. Wang, her understanding of the truth of education comes from her students. Therefore, teachers should always follow the principle of “from the students and to the students”, pay attention to the development of the senses of belonging, identity, mission and gain in students, and believe in their pioneering spirit. At the end of the report, she concluded that it was the goodness, sincerity and wonderfulness of students that enlightened her about the value of her work and the meaning of life.
Reported by Zhu Pengyu
Reviewed by Shan Wei
Edited by Jia Aiping
Translated by Li Mingzhu
