On November 23, 2024, the SFS teaching team, led by Professor Qian Xi, was awarded the first prize—the top honor—in the T1 track (AIGC category) in the national finals of the 5th National Higher Education Teachers' Teaching Metaverse Digital Technology Innovation Competition, setting a new record for XJTU.
The National Higher Education Teachers' Teaching Metaverse Digital Technology Innovation Competition, centered on the development of "New Engineering, New Agriculture, New Medicine, and New Liberal Arts," aims to foster digital technology-education integration, drive teaching innovation, and enhance teachers' digital competencies.
Launched on March 18, 2024, the 5th competition attracted hundreds of university teaching teams from 31 provincial-level regions nationwide. After rounds of preliminary and semi-final selections, 339 teams advanced to the national finals. The final for the T1 track—"AIGC Technology and Educational Innovation"—was held online on November 23.
Ultimately, 8 teams, including the XJTU team, won the first prize, while 23 and 28 teams received second and third prizes, respectively. The awards ceremony for the 5th competition is scheduled to take place in Harbin from January 13 to 15, 2025.
The SFS team, led by Professor Qian Xi and including core members Meng Yaru, Yang Yang, He Huiqin, and Liu Xiurong, presented its project in the final round titled "The Construction and Practice of a Blended Academic English-Speaking Course Empowered by AIGC."
The final round involved an 8-minute project presentation followed by a 4-minute expert Q&A session. In the presentation, Professor Qian highlighted the course's unique integration of AIGC technologies and the team's related empirical research in the presentation. Notable innovations included Shaanxi Province's first AI-avatar-based MOOC, a task-oriented knowledge-skill map, an AI agent "Xiaoya Assistant," and self-directed oral training tools powered by AI.
The expert panel evaluated the projects based on innovation, technical implementation, and practical value, with reference to project documentation and 3D Show presentations. The XJTU team was highly praised for its comprehensive integration of AIGC throughout the teaching process and was recognized as a model for national- promotion.
The achievement was made possible with strong institutional support from XJTU's Academic Affairs Office, Center for Teaching and Learning Development, and SFS, as well as funding from the National Ministry of Education, the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Education, and XJTU.
Looking ahead, the SFS Academic English Teaching Team will further explore AI-enhanced teaching models, deepen research in AIGC-based instructional design, and promote a multidimensional educational ecosystem that integrates teaching practice, research, and competition. The team remains committed to student-centered teaching and the cultivation of high-quality, interdisciplinary talent.
The awarded project's 3D Show presentation is available at: https://3dshow.3ddl.net/app/fhnhll.
