Center for Future Education: Shaping the Future Education Landscape through Interdisciplinary Innovation

1. Center Overview | Cross-Disciplinary Integration, Exploring the Future of Education

The Center for Future Education (CFE) at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) is committed to building a leading hub for future education practice and research. Focusing on the digital and intelligent transformation of education, the Center explores new models for cultivating innovative talent. Leveraging SJTU's strengths in science and engineering, the CFE brings together experts in educational technology, computer science, engineering design, psychology, and medicine to establish an interdisciplinary and collaborative research platform.

The CFE is led by Professor CHIANG Fengkuang, who currently serves as Associate Dean of the School of Education, Tenured Professor, and Director of the Center for Future Education. Professor CHIANG has made significant achievements in STEM education, Artificial Intelligence (AI) education, and future learning spaces research. He previously served as a visiting scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a reviewer for the British Educational Research Association (BERA) Annual Conference, and has been recognized as an Elsevier "Highly Cited Scholar" in China for four consecutive years. He leads the CFE to focus on frontier research in educational technology and STEM education with an international perspective.

The Center's team also gathers several outstanding young scholars, forming a cross-disciplinary, complementary research force. Associate Professor DAI Haimin  specializes in educational psychology and human-computer interaction, with research published in first-tier international journals such as Computers & Education and British Journal of Educational Technology. Associate Professor CHEN Jiexu  focuses on educational equity and social mobility, leading multiple national-level research projects. Assistant Professor WANG Yu investigates the brain mechanisms in STEM education and collaborative learning using cognitive neuroscience methods. Assistant Professor ZHOU Xiaofei specializes in AI and novel technologies for learning, applying embodied learning and explainable AI to K-12 education. Postdoctoral Fellow CHEN Runzhi focuses on a series of studies related to AI in Education.

This blend of multidisciplinary integration and diverse research streams enables the CFE to continuously contribute to the cutting edge of combining educational theory with intelligent technology, striving to create an internationally influential future education research and innovation center.

2. Research and Teaching Achievements | Intelligent Technology Driving Educational Innovation

The Center for Future Education continually advances high-level research and instructional innovation, focusing on the core issue of integrating education and technology. Key areas include AI, multimodal learning analytics, STEM curriculum innovation, and future campus development. Team members have undertaken numerous key research projects, including those funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the National Social Science Fund of China, MOE (Ministry of Education in China) Liberal arts and Social Sciences Foundation, Philosophy and Social Science Foundation Project, and Shanghai Action Plan for Science, Technology and Innovation, establishing a research system characterized by "Technology-Empowered Education Reform".

In terms of research output, CFE faculty have published multiple high-quality papers in top international journals such as Computers & Education, British Journal of Educational Technology, Educational Psychology Review, and European Journal of Education. Some studies have been selected as Best Papers at international conferences or invited submissions to special issues. Research topics cover the innovative application of generative AI in teaching, multimodal analysis of learners' cognitive processes, interdisciplinary curriculum design, and the restructuring of learning spaces, representing the leading edge of educational technology and learning sciences.

In terms of teaching and talent development, CFE faculty emphasize translating research findings into innovation in teaching practices. They offer courses such as Future Education, Frontiers and Global Outlook of AI in Education, Research on Science and Technology Curriculum and Textbooks, Research on Science and Technology Instructional Design and Implementation, Frontier Research in Higher Education, and Academic English, encouraging students to engage in project-based learning within authentic contexts. The faculty team has participated in public service STEM projects for K-12 education for several years, promoting AI education and embodied learning to K-12 classrooms and benefiting nearly a thousand teachers and students. The CFE also regularly hosts domestic and international academic lectures, inviting distinguished scholars from institutions such as UCL, Nanyang Technological University, Tsinghua University, Fudan University, and the University of Hong Kong for in-depth research communication, thus building an open and shared academic ecosystem.

Prof. CHIANG, the director of CFE, teaches in “AI and Digital Intelligence Micro Major: A Large-Scale Educational Model”

In terms of social service and international collaboration, CFE faculty actively participate in education policy consultation and academic promotion, undertaking multiple research tasks commissioned by the Ministry of Education and local governments. The CFE maintains long-term research collaborations with internationally renowned universities, including the University of Warwick, the Education University of Hong Kong, and UCL, jointly advancing global agenda research and innovative practices in future education.

3. Future Outlook | Co-creating a New Intelligent Education Ecosystem

Looking ahead, the CFE will continue to leverage its cross-disciplinary advantage, deeply studying areas such as AI, Virtual Reality, Embodied Cognition, and Learning Space Design, to explore the comprehensive integration of intelligent technology and educational innovation. The CFE will be dedicated to constructing a holistic educational ecosystem covering curriculum, pedagogy, environment, and technology, creating blended physical-virtual learning scenarios for the future, and helping to form new models of intelligence, personalization and equalization in education.

The Center for Future Education will continue to uphold the philosophy of "Prioritizing Scientific Research, Innovation Centered, Serving Society", participating in global education governance and academic exchange with an international perspective. We strive to become a world-class educational innovation research institution with global influence, contributing "SJTU Wisdom" and "China Solutions" to the sustainable development of education in China and the world.

Student final projects from Future Education

AR and AI robots in Future Education

The classroom activities in Future Education

Written by ZHOU Xiaofei

Proofread by CHIANG Fengkuang

Edited by CHEN Ruoxi