On the afternoon of April 23rd, Xiangtan Institute of Technology convened a conference on educational reform focusing on "project-based learning," learning from the experiences of the Olin College of Engineering, a global leader in engineering education from the United States. The conference comprehensively deployed the deepening of educational reform centered around "project-based learning." The meeting was chaired by Vice President Zhong Zhiping.

During the conference, Fu Yao shared the educational experience and talent cultivation model of Olin College of Engineering. Established by the Franklin W. Olin Foundation, the "Engineering Education Laboratory" began enrollment in 2002. It has implemented a practice-oriented and interdisciplinary talent training concept centered around "projects." In just over a decade, it has surpassed prestigious institutions like MIT, achieving a rapid transformation of engineering education from a "scientific paradigm" to an "engineering paradigm," garnering worldwide attention for its educational effectiveness.

President Yuan Libin deployed the deepening of the university's "project-based learning" educational reform efforts. He pointed out that the engineering education reform in the United States has important reference significance for the application-oriented talent training of various majors in the university. After more than a year of practice, the majority of teachers actively participated in industrial practice, sourcing projects from enterprises, and achieving a batch of pilot results. This has led to a deeper understanding of the role of projects in educational reform and the promotion of project-based learning.

The purpose of conducting the "Olin Model" study activities throughout the university is to further identify our direction of reform, clarify the reform ideology of "student-centeredness, deep integration of industry and education, and project-based learning," comprehensively advance the educational reform of various majors, and explore new models for cultivating applied talents.

He emphasized that the university will organize "Olin Model" study sessions in the near future, regularly conduct learning exchanges, and discuss issues arising from project-based learning reforms. The next step will focus on four key areas:

1. Encouraging young teachers to continue engaging with factories and enterprises, fully understand industrial logic and corporate needs, track the forefront of industrial technology, and lead students in practical teaching.

2. Deepening the reform of curriculum project-based learning, categorizing courses into three types: A, B, and C, based on the theoretical and practical content of the courses. Each type of course will have different standards and project-based learning approaches.

3. Deepening the integration of industry and education, aligning with enterprise needs, jointly identifying real projects, and solving real problems. Breaking down disciplinary barriers, constructing interdisciplinary, cross-curricular, and cross-major talent training models, and cultivating students' comprehensive qualities and innovation abilities.

4. Accelerating the internationalization process, strengthening inter-school and school-enterprise exchanges internationally, piloting fully English-taught courses, introducing international students and exchange students, further selecting outstanding students to participate in international exchanges and communication, and cultivating high-level applied talents with a global perspective.