The fifth Session of Zhejiang University “Guiding Horizon” International Faculty Salon Series was Successfully Held
On May 22, the HR department of Zhejiang University (ZJU) hosted the fifth session of its “Guiding Horizon” International Salon Series on the first floor of the Chinese-Western Bookstore at Zijingang Campus. Focused on policies and issues related to teaching and supervision, including evaluations of undergraduate course teaching, policies on dissertations written in English, the session attracted participants from 7 countries.
In her opening remarks, GAO Jie, Deputy Director of ZJU’s HR Department, introduced Zhejiang University’s educational philosophy of student-centered and undergraduate-focused development, the university’s systematic approach to teaching evaluation, and recent updates regarding English-taught graduate thesis requirements. She expressed hope that this salon would clarify policies, address practical concerns, and enhance international faculty’s understanding and integration of key institutional initiatives.
Ms. JIANG Runsha from the Office of Teaching Quality Management at the Undergraduate School delivered a presentation titled “Evaluation of Undergraduate Course Teaching Quality.” She provided an overview of the university’s framework for assessing teaching quality, including key components such as the student rating matrix, inspector mechanisms, and the mechanism of top-rated Faculty/Course Exemption from Evaluations. Her talk clarified procedural standards and promoted alignment with institutional goals for academic excellence.
Dr. LU Yanfei, Academic Teaching Inspector at the School of International Studies, presented insights on “Navigating the Chinese Classroom: Reflection from a Teaching Inspector.” She explained in detail key parameters in teaching evaluation, such as punctuality, content design, ways of organsing the class, student evaluations. Based on accurate analysis of characteristics of Chinese students, Dr. Lu offered very helpful practical strategies on how to create interactive classes.
Professor FANG Fan, Director of the English Department at the School of International Studies, delivered the talk on Graduate Thesis Guidelines and Evaluations. She explained in detail critical aspects of thesis writing, including program timelines, standardized formatting for English-language theses, review protocols, and ethical considerations related to generative AI in academic writing and publishing. Professor Fang further introduced the ongoing support for students and faculty provided by the Academic English Writing Center and invited interested parties to join the activities.
During the Q&A session, participants engaged actively with the speakers. Professor Fang and Ms. Lu addressed inquiries regarding English writing thesis and course evaluation methods. Notably, Professors Fassio and Shamsi raised concerns about the lack of transparency and fairness of departmental-level teaching evaluations, which many international faculties found challenging to navigate. Additionally, participants highlighted linguistic barriers posed by the Chinese-language course selection platform, urging ZJU support for bilingual accessibility. The event concluded with overwhelmingly positive feedback, with attendees praising salon events in strengthening their integration at ZJU.
