Smart Learning Institute

【Experts’ Speeches】

In the opening ceremony, Professor Chen Li, vice president of Beijing Normal University, delivered a speech, appraising that this competition, holding both online and offline, adopted a new method to correspond to the fashion of “Internet plus Education”, and its mode of offline guidance with online competition also gave the contestants a chance to get an in-depth experience of the online education. Saida Affouneh, the dean of faculty of education in An Najah National University, Palestine, believed that this competition established itself not only as a platform to design the inclusive education, but also as a channel through which the globe gets to know Chinese cultures. Xu Ping, the president of Beijing Design Society as well as the representative of the referees of the competition, introduced the evaluation criteria via online media. He emphasized that the criteria were designed to focus on the common benefits of people of all nations, and value the ability to solve problems in teaching and learning with design thinking. The opening ceremony was hosted by Wu Yujun, Director of The Office of International Exchange and Cooperation at Beijing Normal University.

During the Roadshow, Mr. Song Weizu expressed his expectation for contestants to put forward more demand-oriented proposals of innovation, creativity, and originality. Dean Liu Dejian praised that all the designs were produced impressively with the sense of creativity, the appliance of technologies, the awareness of the cost, and the use of interdisciplinary methods. Professor Chen Guangju believed that whatever fields the contestants might get into in the future, the experience of this event would do them immense good. The Roadshow was hosted by Huang Jiang, the founder of Moma Design.

During the closing ceremony, Mr. Zhou Zuoyu, illustrated his views about designing and future education on three aspects. First of all, design thinking is the driving engine of education. Secondly, there should be more communications and interactions between designing and education in the future. Thirdly, effective actions should be taken to achieve that. Zhan Tao, the director of UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education, said that in this era impacted by the pandemic, digitization became a necessity for the education, and reflection and redesigning of the educational system was especially essential at this puncture, reassuring the targets of tolerance and equality in good education, and providing everyone with the opportunity of lifelong learning. After that, Dr. Nian Zhiying played a video reviewing the exciting 48 hours of the competition. And Simone Miraldi, a Senior industrial designer in NetDragon Networks Inc, commented as the representative of the referees that it was the passion for education that made everything possible. Saeed Dahdahjani, the director of an independent design studio made a speech on behalf of the mentors that this competition, with its unique form of organization, provided meaningful experience for both contestants and the mentors. The closing ceremony was hosted by Liu Min, the deputy director of The Office of International Exchange and Cooperation at Beijing Normal University.

【Focusing on "Cloud Design · Inclusive Education"】

Global Competition On Design for Future Education has been held successfully for two times in 2018 and 2019. In 2020, concerning the COVID-19 pandemic, the competition was held both on online platform and in offline venues. With the help of the Internet, it attracted contestants from all over the world, and the number and range of applicants went far beyond those of the last two years. Since September 1^st , 2020, more than 500 students from 157 schools and institutions in 13 countries had signed in. They cooperated and competed through Internet in teams made up of students from different countries and regions. Their multi-dimensional communications have broken the limits of the locations, time zones, majors and language barriers, showcasing the multiple possibilities to solve diverse problems in the future. The competition set its eyes on the future, with its focus on inclusive education; many teams have given attention to special groups including children that are struck by poverty or left behind by parents serving as rural migrant workers, and those students with autism. Many proposals have been put forward to help them out of the plights, demonstrating, at the same time, contestants’ high sense of social responsibility as modern students.

【During the 48H Competition】

After the starting signal went off, the 22 teams from 36 schools globally set about designing their works with real-time online instructions from 18 mentors. Focusing on the four topics-- education in crisis, personalized education, special education, and rural education, the teams proposed creative solutions to explore the future path of education. During the three reports and one roadshow, they would present in turn their ideas and products. In the meantime, the 18 mentors online were always ready to give guidance as well as supervision in accordance to their respective conditions.

【Results and Medal Presentation】

After the fierce competition, with meticulous considerations from professional judges, 5 teams were awarded with the metals by the organizing committee. Dean Liu Dejian announced the winners list, and the representatives of the winning teams delivered their acceptance speeches.
 

Mr. Huang Ronghuai, co-dean of Smart Learning Institute of Beijing Normal University, thought highly of this competition. He stated that the initial aspiration of Global Competition On Design for Future Education is to encourage students to view the future with design and to construct the future with education and technology. It was especially difficult, as he mentioned, to organize the event in the pandemic, and its success owned to the co-efforts of everyone. In this case, further achievements could be expected in the competition next year.