To thoroughly implement the spirit of the 10th Great Discussion on Educational Philosophy of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) and to focus on the core goal of “cultivating world-class talents and continuously building a world-class university,” the SJTU Paris Elite Institute of Technology (SPEIT) has, since July 2025, convened multiple meetings for interpretation and mobilization, and has now fully launched its 2025 Great Discussion on Educational Philosophy.
This discussion aims to address key bottlenecks, build consensus among Chinese and French faculty and students, and jointly explore a new paradigm for cultivating outstanding and innovative talents in the age of artificial intelligence — striving to establish an international brand of engineering education that is world-class and distinctively Chinese.
Since SJTU’s mobilization and deployment conference on July 9, the Institute has attached great importance to this initiative and responded swiftly. Under the joint leadership of the Chinese and French Deans, a Leading Group for the Great Discussion on Educational Philosophy has been established, along with several task forces covering teaching, research, student affairs, and international cooperation, forming a strong organizational structure.
Through multiple meetings — including the Administrative Committee, Joint Administrative Meetings, and Faculty Practice — the Institute has conveyed the university’s key messages, reviewed, and approved the Implementation Plan for the Great Discussion on Educational Philosophy, laying a solid foundation for orderly, in-depth, and pragmatic progress.
This round of discussion will closely follow SJTU’s three guiding themes of “Clarify the Direction, Build the Plateau, and Create the Peak”, while integrating SPEIT’s unique characteristics of Sino-French cooperative education. It will focus on the University’s 15 core topics and the Institute’s 3 special topics, covering a wide range of areas, including:
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The “Big Ideological and Political Course” system for moral education;
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Academic ethos and study style;
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Mental health education and moral cultivation;
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Dynamic adjustment of disciplines and programs;
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Development of core courses;
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AI-empowered teaching;
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Integration of science, education, and industry;
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Mechanisms for personalized student development and evaluation.
Additionally, special research will be conducted on the challenges, innovations, and experience-sharing in the process of Sino-French joint education.
At present, the Great Discussion at SPEIT is in full swing. The first focused discussion week (October 13–17) has proceeded according to plan.
October 15
A cooperation and exchange meeting
With the School of Foreign Languages, the meeting detailed discussions were conducted on topics such as the future development of the French major, curriculum design, student practice and thesis supervision, and Sino-French cultural collaboration, leading to several important consensuses.
October 17
A special teaching meeting
The meeting focused on key issues such as “future discipline development and adjustment, high-quality core course construction, and the further strengthening of general education.” Members of the Institute’s Discussion Working Group, faculty representatives, and teaching supervisors attended the meeting.
The SJTU Paris Elite Institute of Technology (SPEIT) will take this Great Discussion on Educational Philosophy as an opportunity to comprehensively review the strengths and weaknesses of the entire talent cultivation process, gather collective wisdom, and form a list of key issues and a roadmap for reform.
These outcomes will serve as an important foundation for the Institute’s “15th Five-Year Plan” and future policy-making — realizing the educational vision of “helping every student become the best version of themselves,” and injecting strong momentum into cultivating a new generation of globally minded, world-class engineers for the future.