Ambitious new curriculum previewed at international education conference

A new future-focussed curriculum will help Cardiff University staff and students work together to address global challenges like climate change, resource scarcity, and AI disruptions, an international conference has heard.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Wendy Larner shared the institution’s ambitions at the International Conference on the Development of Engineering Education hosted by Tianjin University.

Set out in Cardiff University’s strategy, Our future, together, the curriculum will offer flexible, tailored, lifelong learning to students that gives them choices, agency and a voice, and provides future-proofed knowledge and skills that they can apply in the real world to fulfil their aspirations.

Students can expect to be taught in a way that develops them further into resilient, critical, problem-solving change makers who know how to work together in an uncertain, interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral, digitised world.

People from all backgrounds will be helped to transform their lives, place and society, while enjoying a lifelong commitment to, and relationship with, Cardiff University students and alumni.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Wendy Larner said: “Our visit to Tianjin was an opportunity to build on our ongoing partnership, which continues to grow as we expand opportunities for joint research and student exchange programmes that link to the pillars of our ambitious new Cardiff futures curriculum.

“It was a pleasure to share our progress so far with colleagues in China, where we have longstanding collaborative relationships which are already exploring innovative solutions to some of the grand challenges of our time.

“I look forward to monitoring the progress of these collaborations as our relationship grows over the coming months and years.”

Together with Professor Chai Liyuan, President of Tianjin University, Professor Larner also announced the release of the International Engineering Education Development Report.

The report synthesises global trends and benchmarks in engineering curricula, highlighting the need for data literacy, ethics, and sustainability to be embedded across programmes.

The Cardiff University delegation also included Pro Vice-Chancellor International Professor Rudolf Allemann, Regional Dean for China Professor Peng Zhou and Professor Jianzhong Wu, Head of Cardiff University’s School of Engineering.

While at the conference, Professor Allemann contributed to a roundtable discussion on integrating AI ethics into engineering education.

Professor Jianzhong Wu led the School of Engineering team in presenting their latest research findings in energy and digital transformation.

Professor Peng Zhou of Cardiff Business School contributed to advancing Cardiff–Tianjin collaborations, supporting both ongoing activities and new initiatives in teaching and research.

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