Xi'an Jiaotong University kicks off online teaching

Affected by the novel coronavirus pneumonia epidemic, Xi'an Jiaotong University has streamlined and clarified its plans to use online and offline courses for teaching in the spring semester, according to XJTU officials.

In order to provide a better teaching experience for teachers who choose to give lectures to live classrooms, the university has added an online live on-demand platform, in cooperation with China Telecom and China Mobile.

As a senior expert in the field of big data knowledge engineering, Zheng Qinghua, vice president of XJTU and a leading teacher in Shaanxi province, is no stranger to online teaching.

He said that although in the current circumstances teachers and students cannot face each other, as soon as students view the classic classroom scene, it conditions them immediately to be receptive to learning.

"Online teaching means that teachers should pay more attention to the pace of lectures, spend more time on the difficult issues and prepare more detailed and adequate lectures," he added.

Xu Zhongfeng, professor of School of Science at XJTU, gave a lecture to more than 2,400 undergraduates online on Feb 18.

It was also his first live lecture and in his view, this new style of teaching works for him and he sees it as a great opportunity for students to improve their independent learning skills.

"The playback screen is clear; the teacher is also very engaged," a student commented.

"The lectures are lively and interesting, having the same effect as offline classes," he added.

XJTU officials said it will continue to expand its facilities to stage live classrooms for online teaching. As of Feb 20, 105 courses had been taught on the online platform, with nearly 40,000 visits, they added.