1. Origins and Growth of the Center
At its inception in 2008, CSAHD set the pursuit of excellence in graduate student development as its guiding mission. In 2020, in response to the new development needs following the establishment of the School of Education, CSAHD expanded its research focus from graduate students to include both students in basic education and teacher development. While exploring the developmental trajectories of students from senior high school through graduate education, CSAHD also pays close attention to the professional growth of teachers. Rooted in Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s profound educational heritage and its distinguished tradition in engineering education, CSAHD takes serving the national talent strategy as its responsibility, focusing on the entire process of student development and talent cultivation, and building a multidimensional and integrated system of research and practice.
CSAHD is distinguished by its holistic approach that bridges different stages of education. It views student development and teacher growth as a continuous and interconnected process, aiming to uncover the principles of human development and contribute to a theoretical framework for talent cultivation with Chinese characteristics.
The ultimate mission of CSAHD is to integrate theoretical inquiry with empirical data to explore and construct talent development and training models that are both evidence-based and suited to China’s context. In doing so, it aims to offer “SJTU solutions” for school education reform and the cultivation of strategic talents for the country.
2. Our Faculty Team
Led by Professor LIU Shaoxue, CSAHD brings together a multidisciplinary research team with both international vision and local practice. Among them, three individuals received the Shanghai Pujiang Talent Program awards, and nine instances involved appointments in domestic and international academic organizations or on the editorial boards of academic journals, contributing to onging academic exchange and disciplinary development. Core members include:
· LIU Shaoxue - Professor, Director of CSAHD. Research areas: Graduate Education; Teaching and Learning in Higher Education; Engineering Education; History of Chinese Higher Education.
· YANG Xie - Professor. Research areas: Institutional Research; University Strategic Management; Evaluation of Higher Education; Degree and Graduate Education.
· ZHU Jiabin - Associate Professor, Deputy Director of CSAHD. Research areas: Engineering Education; STEM Education.
· CEN Yuhao - Associate Professor, Assistant to the Dean. Research areas: Student Learning and Development; Impact of Unversities on Students; Graduate Education.
· ZHU Jianni - Associate Professor. Research areas: Academic Career Development of Returnee Faculty; German Higher Education and Science Policy; Cross-Border Academic Mobility and Cross-Cultural Adaptation of Students and Scholars.
· YU Tianzuo - Associate Professor. Research areas: Engineering Dducation; Vocational Education; Graduate Education.
· CHEN Shuhua - Assistant Professor. Research areas: Graduate Education and Employment; Graduate Learning Experiences; Graduate Degree Standards and Dissertation Review.
· YANG Qianru - Assistant Professor. Research areas: Cognitive Development; STEM Learning; Environmental Influences; Social Interaction; Educational and Psychological Measurement; AI-Assisted Research Methods.
Guided by the principles of “student-centered education, research-based development, and service-oriented engagement,” CSAHD has achieved remarkable accomplishments in talent cultivation, scientific research, social service, and academic brand building. It has trained a large number of high-quality education professionals, undertaken multiple major national and provincial projects, and established a comprehensive knowledge system that integrates theory with practice and connects domestic and international perspectives. Through these efforts, the center has built a distinctive academic presence and lasting social impact.
1. Talent Cultivation: Students-Centered Approach with Notable Achievements
CSAHD offers a range of cutting-edge courses covering topics such as educational studies, student learning and development, STEM education, and arts education. Its students have received numerous awards at the national and provincial levels. For example, XU Jing, an early cohort student in the Master of Education in Subject Teaching (Chinese), won first prize in the Tian Jiabing Cup National Teaching Skills Competition; YANG Xinzhe won first prize in the same competition in the Subject Teaching (Mathematics) category. Doctoral students XU Weiqin and SHI Xueyi received the “Wenzhi Newcomer” honor from Shanghai Jiao Tong University. XU Weiqin’s doctoral dissertation was selected for inclusion in the Doctoral Dissertation Series of the Academic Innovation Program of the China Association of Higher Education. Students including ZHANG Yuxuan and SUN Yuezhu won third prize and an Outstanding Teaching Design Award in the Tian Jiabing Cup Teaching Skills Competition for full-time Master of Education students. Teaching cases such as “Restoring a Real Lu Xun” and “A New Interpretation of Thunderstorm: Re-Encounter” were included in the National Professional Degree Case Center’s case library for education, demonstrating how problem discovery and resolution in educational practice can drive teaching innovation and provide exemplary models for Chinese language education reform.
2. Scientific Research: Provision of Evidence-Based Insights
CSAHD demonstrates strong research capacity and maintains a close alignment with national strategies and educational development priorities. It has undertaken dozens of major projects at national and provincial levels, covering areas such as graduate education, engineering education, and teacher development. Research findings have been published in leading domestic and international journals, including Higher Education Research, China Higher Education Research, Research in Higher Engineering Education, Higher Education, International Journal of STEM Education, and Journal of Engineering Education. A number of its policy recommendations have been adopted by central authorities and the Ministry of Education.
Representative works include Professor LIU Shaoxue’s book What Has Education Changed?, which was selected as one of the “China Good Books”, and the team’s Report on the Development of Undergraduate Vocational Education in China (2025), which provides an important reference for the advancement of undergraduate vocational education. Associate Professor CEN Yuhao’s paper Local Internationalization: An Effective Pathway to Cultivating Global Competence in Master’s Students was recognized as an outstanding paper in Degree and Graduate Education, and her curriculum system case was honored as an excellent example in the national Excellence in Engineer Education Reform initiative. Associate Professor YU Tianzuo’s work published in Science and Technology Daily has offered academic and practical insights into engineering education and graduate education.
3. Social Service: A Think Tank for Societal Impact
Members of CSAHD actively contribute to the academic community, serving as council members, committee members, and experts in various national and regional academic associations, and playing important roles in the development of high-quality academic journals in China and abroad. Professor LIU Shaoxue serves as a council member of the China Association of Higher Education. Associate Professor ZHU Jiabin is an Associate Editor for Journal of Engineering Education and IEEE Transations on Education. Associate Professor CEN Yuhao serves on the international editorial board of Journal of College Student Development, as a youth editorial board member of Degree and Graduate Education, and as deputy secretary-general of the Shanghai Higher Education Association. Assistant Professor CHEN Shuhua serves on the editorial board of Springer Nature Social Sciences. Through these roles, CSAHD builds extensive platforms for dialogue between theory and practice and enhances its role as a professional think tank serving educational decision-making.
In recent years, members of CSAHD have been invited by Peking University, Tsinghua University, and other leading institutions to deliver thematic lectures on topics such as the localization of student development theories and the cultivation of excellent engineers, sharing cutting-edge concepts and innovative practices. CSAHD has also participated in the compilation of the book series Education in China and the World, taking responsibility for chapters on graduate education and STEM education. By synthesizing China’s educational practices, these efforts advance an educational narrative that integrates Chinese characteristics with a global perspective and share China’s educational insights worldwide.
4. Academic Brand: Platform Building and Benchmark Setting
CSAHD is committed to building influential platforms for academic exchange. It has established two major publication series that have become important resources in the field of education research.
Research Library on Education, Teaching and Talent Development is a collection of research outcomes that integrates theoretical studies, school-based explorations, case analyses, annual reports, and classic translated works. Closely aligned with the practical needs arising from China’s educational reform and development, this series values both originality and frontier exploration in educational theory, as well as practical guidance for education practitioners. It has established a comprehensive knowledge system that bridges theory and practice and connects local experience with international vision. Since its inception, more than 20 volumes have been published, continuously providing academic support and practical insights for advancing innovative education and research on talent development in China.
Trends in Graduate Education Abroad is a curated reference series on global trends in graduate education reform and development. It is commissioned by the Association of Chinese Graduate Education and the Graduate School of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, with content selection and editing undertaken by CSAHD. The publication includes ten sections: analytical commentaries, graduate student development stories, degree standards, special topic I, special topic II, research columns, case sharing, news briefs, activity overview, and resource highlights. Featuring timely content, broad coverage, and diverse formats, it serves as a bridge of knowledge between domestic and international communities in graduate education. Since 2011, a total of 145 issues have been published, making it an indispensable information resource for experts, scholars, administrators, and graduate students engaged in graduate education.
Together, these two major publication series complement each other, shaping an integrated framework of knowledge exchange that links theory with practice and connects domestic and international perspectives, greatly enhancing CSAHD’s visibility and influence in the academic community.
III. Future Aspirations: Advancing with Innovation and Vision
Looking ahead to the “15th Five-Year Plan” period and beyond, CSAHD at Shanghai Jiao Tong University will stay committed to its research vision, take on new responsibilities in this era, and futher its work with a more systematic, professional, and global prespective. Anchored in empirical research, connected closely with policy consultation, and driven by academic innovation, CSAHD will continue to deepen its three core strategic directions and enhance its academic influence, policy contributions, and leadership in the fields of student achievement and human development.
1. Promoting Empirical Research and Building a Leading Think Tank Platform
Leveraging its accumulative datasets on student development and learning, CSAHD will conduct data-driven policy research on key topics such as the transition from secondary to higher education, the integration of undergraduate and graduate education, engineering education, employment development, and teacher professional growth. By producing high-quality policy recommendations and publishing reports, hosting forums, and enhancing the translation of research into practice, CSAHD aims to strengthen its public impact and build a leading think tank for educational decision-making, contributing a strong voice from Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
2.Cultivating Scholarship Excellence and Expanding the Influence of the Research Publications
CSAHD will systematically compile and publish a distinctive series of works on international graduate education, focusing on cutting-edge theories and practices around the world, including training models, quality assurance, and supervisor development. These publications will provide both global perspective and locally grounded pathways for the reform of graduate education in China. In parallel, CSAHD will develop a digital platform for its research library, launching a series of high-quality publications and building an integrated academic brand system that supports research, dissemination, and exchange, thereby further elevating its influence and voice in the academic community.
3.Focusing on Diversified Cultivation and Exploring New Directions in Applied Undergraduate Education
In response to the national strategy of accelerating the development of applied undergraduate education, CSAHD will strengthen its research in this area by organizing interdisciplinary teams to conduct research on key issues such as curriculum design, faculty development, integration of industry and education, and evaluation standards. Within three years, CSAHD plans to establish a dedicated research database on applied undergraduate education, release annual reports, host national summits, and promote the formation of a research alliance. In doing so, it aims to build a high-impact research hub and policy platform that supports the advancedment of applied undergraduate education in China.
4.Strengthening Systematic Support and Consolidating Foundations for Sustainable Development
Entering a new stage of developmnet, CSAHD will continue to uphold the philosophy of “research as the foundation, teaching as the soul, and service as the core.” It aims to better leverage high-quality resources within and beyond the university and to deepen both interdisciplinary and international collaboration. Supported by the School of Education at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the center seeks to further improve its organizational structures, strengthen its academic team, and foster a vibrant scholarly environment, advancing toward becoming a leading research institution that integrates theoretical research, policy consultation, social service, and global dialogue.
Through solid academic accumulation and ongoing practical exploration , CSAHD will continue to contribute to the high-quality development of education in China. It aims to build a student development and talent cultivation system that embodies distinctive Chinese charactersiics and meets word-class standards, ultimately sharing Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s insights and China’s approaches with the global education community.
Contributed by ZHU Jiabin
Proofread by WANG Rui
Edited by CHEN Ruoxi
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