Smart Learning Institute

On July 22^nd, 2022 (GMT+8), the finals of the 5^th Global Competition on Design for Future Education was successfully held. Co-organized by Beijing Normal University (BNU) and UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (UNESCO IITE), the Competition was held in the Smart Learning Institute of Beijing Normal University, supported by domestic and foreign universities, scientific research institutes, student unions and well-known enterprises. With the themes of AI and Education, Metaverse and Education, Rural Education and Inclusive Education, the Competition is divided into two categories, one for college students and another for primary and secondary school teachers.
 
Mr. Zuoyu Zhou, Vice President of Beijing Normal University; Mr. Taek-Dong Yeo, Vice President of Yeungnam University; Mr. Weizu Song, founder of Beijing Design Society and deputy director of the Central Cultural Committee of the China Democratic League joined in person and delivered inspiring words. Mr. Kecan Shi, secretary of the party committee of the Faculty of Education at Beijing Normal University; Mr. Lei Wang, the deputy director of the office of international exchange & cooperation of Beijing Normal University; Ms. Chunrong Liu, the deputy director of the Faculty of Psychology at Beijing Normal University, awarded mentors with appointment letters. Finally, Mr. Guangju Chen, the vice director of the university council of Beijing Normal University announced the opening of the 48H Global Finals.
   At the Opening Ceremony, Mr. Zuoyu Zhou, Vice President of BNU introduced the competition by emphasizing that it is an important international event organized by the university, which has been successfully held for four consecutive years. This year, co-organized by UNESCO IITE, and in line with the Futures of Education Initiative launched by UNESCO, the competition has attracted students and teachers worldwide. The design competition opened doors for exploring how to apply emerging technologies such as AI and metaverse to solve key issues in education, especially in rural and underdeveloped areas. Since 2022 marks the 120^th anniversary of BNU, the competition is of great significance, which has built an international platform to explore solutions for future education and create a better learning environments.
 
Mr. Taek-Dong Yeo, vice president of Yeungnam University congratulated BNU for its 120^th anniversary and appreciated the contribution the university has given in cultivating talents. As one of the partners, Yeungnam University made great efforts in promoting the competition. Mr. Taek-Dong Yeo emphasized that both China and South Korea focused on innovation education, and hoped that some innovative educational projects could be generated from the competition.
 
Mr. Weizu Song, the founder of Beijing Design Society, pointed out that design was an innovative method to create commodities, services and environments for users by integrating scientific technologies, culture and art, social economy, laws, customs, etc. He believed that acquiring cross-disciplinary knowledge is the key to create excellent designs. The Competition is the cross-border integration of education and design in the era of intelligence. As the special cooperative organization, Beijing Design Society has participated in the competition for five years, providing several supports in the planning and implementation. It is hoped to stimulate teachers’ and students’ innovation and promote deeper integration of education and design via this platform.
The finals will last for three days (from July 22^nd to 24^th), including activities like The RoadShow (for Teachers), 48H Global Design (for Students), RoadShow (for Students), and the Awarding Ceremony.
 
Since 2018, the annual Global Competition on Design for Future Education has been organized by BNU for five consecutive years, which has gained attention worldwide. Mr. Mingyuan Gu, Professor of Faculty of Education at Beijing Normal University; and Mr. Guanzhong Liu, Professor in the Academy of Arts & Design at Tsinghua University served as general counsels at the competition. Additionally, specialists and scholars from various universities and enterprises have provided training sessions and guidance for participants. Since Marth 7^th, 2022, the competition has attracted over 1000 university students from nearly 20 countries and regions and 500 primary and secondary school teachers. Through Cloud Design and Cross-School Collaboration, a number of well-designed projects and case-studies have been produced.