French Inspectorate General Delegation Visits SPEIT for Quality Assessment

06.05/2025 30

On May 26, 2025, a delegation from the French Inspection Générale de l'Éducation, du Sport et de la Recherche (IGÉSR) conducted a one-day teaching quality inspection at SJTU Paris Elite Institute of Technology (SPEIT). The delegation included Jean Aristide Cavaillès, National Inspector of Physics-Chemistry and SPEIT’s founding Physics-Chemistry Coordinator, and Claudine Picaronny, National Inspector of Mathematics. They were received by SPEIT Chinese Dean Chen Cailian, French Dean Zied Moumni, Vice Deans Lu Jialiang and Zhong Shengyi, former Party Secretary Liu Zenglu, and faculty members from Mathematics, Physics, and the Cooperation & Development Office.

This visit formed part of the French Ministry of Education’s evaluation of overseas French-style engineering education programs. The IGÉSR delegation’s China itinerary covered Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Hangzhou, with SPEIT—a model of Sino-French engineering education collaboration—serving as a key assessment site.

The delegation’s intensive schedule included:

Classroom Observations

SPEIT’s foundational mathematics and physics courses are taught by six faculty holding Agrégation—France’s most prestigious and selective teaching certification for top-tier educators.

Inspectors observed: Laura Guislain’s Fundamental University Physics, Aurélien Klak’s Advanced Linear Algebra, Sébastien Godillon’s Algebra & Topology Tutorials. The inspection team praised SPEIT’s teaching quality.

Laboratory Inspection

The delegation visited the lab for Delphine Delbarre’s Fundamental University Physics course, commending students’ practical skills and equipment resources.

Professional Dialogues

Inspectors held constructive discussions with SPEIT’s Physics and Mathematics faculty on Curriculum Design: Complementarity of Sino-French systems, especially innovations bridging theory and engineering practice, Teaching Methods: Integrating French Grande École pedagogy with Chinese approaches, including case studies and project-based learning, and Cross-Cultural Education: Managing bilingual programs and multicultural classrooms.

Management also presented SPEIT’s achievements and development plans in talent cultivation, international cooperation, and quality management.

The team also provided some key feedback: Aristide Cavaillès noted SPEIT "embodies the essence of French elite education while incorporating Chinese rigor and innovation." Claudine Picaronny highlighted "the scientific rigor and forward-looking design of the mathematics curriculum."

That evening, Dean Moumni and the delegation met with the French Consulate’s Science & Technology Attaché in Shanghai to discuss deepening Sino-French education cooperation.

This visit not only validated SPEIT’s teaching quality through international standards but also reinforced its commitment to global educational excellence.

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About IGÉSR

The Inspection Générale de l'Éducation, du Sport et de la Recherche operates under France’s Ministries of National Education/Youth and Higher Education/Research. As France’s highest-level independent supervisory body for public education, it evaluates institutions and advises on policy.