The University of Macau (UM) Centre for Continuing Education (CCE) organized a “Training Course on Teaching Innovation and Reform for Backbone Teachers” for outstanding faculty members from Shunde Polytechnic University from August 25 to 29, 2025. The five-day training programme, attended by nine core faculty members, was designed to enhance the international teaching capabilities of Shunde Polytechnic University’s educators, advance the institution’s international management and research standards, and lay a solid foundation for its future global development, including the training of overseas technical personnel.
Several seminars were held on the UM campus and led by senior UM faculty members. The intensive and comprehensive training covered a wide range of topics, including the internationalization of higher education, global talent cultivation, international pedagogical methods, enhancement of teaching strategies, organization and management of international students, and innovation in science and technology research and development systems. The participating faculty actively engaged in classroom discussions and practical exercises, fostering in-depth interactions with the expert instructors. They reported significant gains from the programme, particularly new perspectives on international teaching philosophies and the integration of AI-empowered teaching.
The programme also extended beyond the classroom with a series of field visits. On campus, the delegation visited the UM Gallery, the UM Library, the State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, the State Key Laboratory of Internet of Things for Smart City, the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and Cheng Yu Tung College. Off-campus visits included trips to the Macao Young Entrepreneur Incubation Centre (a national-level co-working space) and the Macao Science Center (a science popularization and education base). Furthermore, the delegation visited the Zhuhai UM Science & Technology Research Institute and the Hengqin Planning Exhibition Hall in Hengqin to learn about the latest progress and new opportunities in Hengqin-Macao cooperation.
At the programme’s closing ceremony, Song Yuhong, Dean of the School of Intelligent Manufacturing at Shunde Polytechnic University, stated that the experience was highly beneficial. Through classroom exchanges and site visits, he witnessed UM’s achievements in internationalization, its model for cultivating innovation and entrepreneurship, and the cutting-edge research at its State Key Laboratories, all of which he found highly valuable for reference. He expressed a profound understanding of the critical role that internationalization plays in enhancing a university’s comprehensive strength and the quality of talent cultivation, noting that the programme had broadened his perspective. He plans to apply the knowledge gained to his future teaching and administrative work, actively explore new paths and methods for international education, and contribute to his university’s development and the educational cooperation within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Situated in Shunde, Shunde Polytechnic University is a full-time public undergraduate-level vocational institution. Its predecessor, Shunde Polytechnic, was established in 1999. In June 2025, the Ministry of Education approved the establishment of Shunde Polytechnic University based on Shunde Polytechnic. The university has consistently been at the forefront of reform and innovation in higher vocational education. In both 2019 and 2025, it was selected twice as a Class B institution under China’s first “Double High Plan” (a national initiative to develop high-level vocational colleges and majors with Chinese characteristics).
This training programme has enhanced the understanding and communication between the faculty of the two universities, deepened their appreciation of each other’s cultures, and strengthened educational cooperation and talent exchange within the Greater Bay Area. It holds significant importance for the practical advancement of the “Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.”