On May 30th, the three-month exchange and study program at Polytechnic University of Milan for 20 young backbone scholars from Chongqing Jiaotong University successfully concluded, achieving remarkable results that laid a solid foundation for further deepening our university’s internationalized teaching and academic exchanges and cooperation.

During the study visit, the young backbone scholars first underwent a month-long intensive training in English and Italian. They fully demonstrated the “Two-Roads” spirit, studying diligently, practicing hard, and supporting each other, ultimately passing the oral and written examinations smoothly. They participated in a series of training courses on advanced teaching methods and innovative concepts, covering cutting-edge fields such as flipped classrooms, serious games and simulations, cognitive upgrading of learning, management seminars and group tasks, curriculum goal design and syllabus design, digital transformation, and the teaching application of AI technology. The scholars also observed the teaching classrooms of Polytechnic University of Milan, learning from their advanced teaching concepts, methods, and models. They exchanged ideas with professors and students on issues such as talent cultivation models, curriculum systems, teaching methods, and student engagement. The scholars unanimously expressed that this visit not only improved their own teaching skills but also provided new ideas for teaching reform and innovation.

In addition to classroom learning, the visiting delegation also toured various industry-leading laboratories at Polytechnic University of Milan, including materials, architectural, and civil engineering labs in the fields of civil engineering, materials science, transportation, architecture, and design, as well as wind tunnel labs, PHEEL labs, Industry 4.0 labs, chemistry labs, and environmental labs. They also visited the manufacturing facility of the renowned automotive brand Pagani and the Iltar Italbox automotive supply factory. The delegation actively established connections with experts, professors, and researchers in related fields to learn about the latest scientific research equipment, research directions, and achievements, and to discuss potential collaboration opportunities. During the visit, scholars were invited to deliver over 10 academic reports at institutions such as Polytechnic University of Milan, Politecnico di Torino, Aalto University in Finland, National Technical University of Athens, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid in Spain, and IMDEA Materials Institute, engaging in extensive and in-depth teaching and academic exchanges. 

During their stay in Italy, the temporary Party branch of the visiting delegation actively organized the members to earnestly study and implement the spirit of the 2024 National Two Sessions, conduct thematic studies on emerging productivity, and related documents on building a university for everyone’s growth. They fully exerted the vanguard role of the Party members and the fighting fortress role of the Party branch.

This study visit not only enabled our young backbone scholars to gain a deep understanding of Polytechnic University of Milan’s development concepts and teaching methods such as innovation, coordination, green, openness, and sharing, but also allowed them to meet a group of knowledgeable and theoretically profound experts and professors, and to delve into Italian history and culture. Meanwhile, it disseminated the fine traditional Chinese culture and the unique strengths of Chongqing Jiaotong University, expanded the areas of academic exchange and cooperation, and laid a solid foundation for enhancing cooperation and exchanges between the two universities. Through setting an example, being constantly influenced, and experiencing empathy and resonance, the members of the study visit group felt the new culture, accepted new transformations, embraced new changes, and enriched the new culture, contributing to our university’s goal of becoming a growth-oriented university and fostering new-quality productive forces for development.