On November 3-4, the Industrial Design program at School of Art and Design successfully underwent an on-site review by the German ASIIN International Program Accreditation panel. As one of the first Industrial Design programs in China to complete this accreditation visit, this represents a crucial step in the program's internationalization process.
The ASIIN accreditation panel consisted of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Andreas Merchiers, Prof. Thomas Hofmann, industry representative Mr. Yu Yue, observer Ms. Wang Luzhen, and ASIIN Program Manager Ms. Julia Tohidi Sardasht.
SUES President Prof. Lou Yongqi held in-depth discussions with the panel, extending a warm welcome to the experts. He outlined the university's positioning and strategic goals in the new era, along with initiatives to optimize its disciplinary structure and enhance international education.President Lou emphasized that this accreditation serves not only as a comprehensive assessment of the Industrial Design program's development, but also as a significant opportunity to improve overall educational quality and accelerate the internationalization of SUES' educational model. He stated the university will use this accreditation as an impetus to further deepen educational reforms, promote industry-academia integration and interdisciplinary collaboration, and continuously enhance graduates' international competitiveness.
During the accreditation opening meeting, Vice President Xia Chunming provided an overview of SUES' development history, institutional positioning, 3-Wings disciplinary development strategy, as well as SUES' educational characteristics and achievements in integrating art and engineering while fostering industry-academia collaboration. Gao Zhu, Dean of School of Art and Design, reported on the school's development overview and Industrial Design program construction, including continuous improvement initiatives.
Throughout the two-day on-site visit, the review panel conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the Industrial Design program through various methods including in-depth interviews, discussions with faculty and students, document reviews, and facility visits, assessing aspects such as teaching quality assurance, curriculum implementation, faculty structure, student outcomes, and laboratory and teaching resources.
At the feedback session, the panel presented preliminary observations, acknowledging the program's outstanding performance in teaching resource allocation, industry-academia integration mechanisms, and cultivation of students' international perspectives, while offering constructive suggestions for improvement in areas including curriculum structure optimization, closed-loop teaching quality feedback, and the development of English-taught course resources.
The successful completion of the ASIIN international accreditation on-site visit for the Industrial Design program represents a critical step in SUES' ongoing promotion of high-level international education. This not only marks a breakthrough in establishing an internationally equivalent quality standard system for the program, but also provides strong support for the university's accelerated development into a world-class university of applied innovation with distinct industry characteristics.