Prof. Dr.-Ing. Xiaoping Xie: Towards the Digital Urban Era
Applicant: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Xiaoping Xie, Institute for Building Climatology, Faculty of Architecture | School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Zeitraum: 2021 - 2022
Participating partners: Kyushu-University, Fukuoka, Japan | Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway | Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
How can students and academics around the world collaborate to design the cities of tomorrow without the limitations of time and space restricting joint learning and teaching? The international teaching program "Towards the Digital Urban Era," developed under the direction of Professor Xie, provides an answer to this question. In collaboration with three renowned partner institutions in Japan, China, and Norway, they created an innovative seminar program that combines internationalization, interdisciplinary collaboration, and digital teaching.
Over the course of two semesters, 82 students from 14 countries collaborated in a hybrid, cross-university learning environment. The project focused on a participatory didactic learning concept that combined the expertise of the four universities. Each institution contributed its own thematic focus on digital urban change, ranging from smart cities and sustainable building concepts to the social dimension of digitalization.
For Prof. Xie, who initiated and coordinated the project, international cooperation is more than professional practice, it is her personal philosophy: „As an international scholar with an immigrant background and an intercultural education, international cooperation comes naturally to me. Experiencing the richness of cross-cultural exchange firsthand was the driving force behind my decision to pursue my studies in Germany. Building bridges between cultures is not just a part of my work - it is a calling.“
A special highlight was the festive opening event on September 30, 2021, which featured high-ranking guests, including the rector of TU Dresden, Prof. Ursula Staudinger and the senior vice president of Kyushu University, Prof. Masakazu Tani. The event was framed by keynote speeches from Prof. Dr. Frank H.P. Fitzek (TU Dresden) and Prof. Annemie Wyckmans (NTNU).
The innovative hybrid teaching and learning format proved effective at all levels: The seminar results were exhibited at the BZW in spring 2022 and attracted considerable attention. In the summer of 2022, the project won the TU Dresden award for diversity-sensitive teaching. Inspired by the intercultural experience in the seminar, one participant decided to spend a year studying in Japan.
"Towards the Digital Urban Era" is considered a best-practice example of sustainable teaching in a globally networked era and has set new standards for intercontinental exchange.
Contact
© Sven Ellger/TUD
Coordinator
NameDaniela Mohrich
International Funding Programmes
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International Office
International Office
Visiting address:
Fritz Foerster Bau, Office 167 Mommsenstraße 6
01069 Dresden
Postal address:
TUD Dresden University of Technology International Office
01062 Dresden
© Sven Ellger/TUD
Research Assistant
NameHelene Herwig
Send encrypted email via the SecureMail portal (for TUD external users only).
International Office
International Office
Visiting address:
Fritz Foerster Bau, Office 167 Mommsenstraße 6
01069 Dresden
Postal address:
TUD Dresden University of Technology International Office
01062 Dresden