In recent years, China has attached great importance to the digitalization and intelligent transformation of education. The Ministry of Education has introduced a series of policies to promote the application of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and cloud computing in teacher development and talent cultivation. South China Normal University, aligning with China's education digitalization strategy, has been exploring the digital and intelligent transformation of teacher education. This project aims to apply smart classrooms and the "Shi Neng Bang" system to address the challenges faced by pre-service teacher candidates, graduate students, and in-service teachers across different schools and educational stages in their professional growth.

The project, led by the College of Teacher Education at SCNU, brings together an interdisciplinary team of experts and has undergone continuous iteration and refinement over six years, with the goal of advancing the digital and intelligent transformation of teacher education. The SCNU team has developed a teacher competency framework and the "the Shi Neng Bang-AI Diagnosis System for Classroom Teaching Competency", while also integrating data from multiple platforms to build comprehensive teacher competency models.

Moreover, the team has combined the "Shi Neng Bang" system with smart classrooms, applying it in various contexts such as pre-service internships, graduate courses, in-service training, and school-based research, and has promoted its adoption nationwide. Supported by the Ministry of Education's "AI Collaborative Platform for Teacher Education", the project integrates the "Shi Neng Bang" system, "South China Teachers Online," and other digital platforms to form a national digital hub for teacher education, fostering cross-regional professional development communities for teachers. Meanwhile, the project actively contributes to national and provincial key initiatives in China, promoting the broad application and sharing of its outcomes.

Since its launch in 2020, the project's "Shi Neng Bang" system has served more than 300 educational institutions and government education departments across China, benefiting over 30,000 teachers, including pre-service teacher candidates and graduate students. The "South China Teachers Online" platform has supported more than 600 teacher training programs. In terms of digital teaching capacity, the project has significantly enhanced both pre-service and in-service teachers' classroom teaching abilities and digital literacy through AI-based diagnostics and personalized training. Several pilot schools have achieved outstanding results in provincial-level teaching competitions. From the perspective of cross-institutional research collaboration, seven normal universities have established a cooperative mechanism of "data sharing—intelligent analysis—joint research—knowledge dissemination" based on the platform, which has incubated a number of cross-institutional research projects and outcomes.

China's strategic priorities in education digital transformation, exemplified by policies such as "Smart Education of China" and "Digital China", have driven universities to deeply integrate emerging technologies into teaching and research. In response to these national strategies, as well as challenges in higher education such as fragmented knowledge systems, outdated curricula, and insufficient evaluation standards, the School of Informatics at Xiamen University has, since 2018, offered the undergraduate course "Virtual Reality Technology and Applications". This course not only teaches cutting-edge virtual reality tools and frameworks but also uses real-world cultural heritage preservation projects as its teaching "classroom," closely linking education with public interest and national industrial strategies.

Building on the course, this project has established a comprehensive pathway that integrates co-designed curricula, localized practices, project-driven learning, and institutionalized dissemination. The initiative unfolds across three phases of practice: First, in response to regional needs for introducing digital technologies into cultural heritage preservation, the course team localized and embedded into the curriculum the global practices of smart classroom operation and digital literacy enhancement advocated by the International Institute of Online Education (IIOE). Working with industry partners, the team co-developed course modules tailored to the preservation needs of Kulangsu, including spatial modeling, virtual storytelling, and digital tourism solutions, guiding students to apply VR/AR tools in real-world contexts.

Second, the course adopted the HyFlex blended teaching model promoted by IIOE, offering flexible participation for both online and on-site students. Supported by smart classrooms and digital industry tools, students engaged in virtual laboratories and immersive scene demonstrations, simulating both industrial and heritage environments. Third, the teaching team authored a three-volume textbook, providing a standardized and replicable implementation model. Meanwhile, Xiamen University has regularly hosted virtual teaching seminars, training sessions, and forums, thereby expanding the project’s academic and practical influence.

Through immersive project-based learning and strong industry–academia collaboration, this initiative has significantly enhanced students’ innovation capacity, academic research skills, and career readiness, while generating notable achievements in social impact, scholarly outcomes, and industry integration. The project has been showcased in over twenty exhibitions, drawing large audiences and international attention. It has also received broad recognition, earning distinctions such as the "Cases of Enhancing Sustainable Development through the Protection and Promotion Cultural Diversity in the Digital Environment" by UNESCO and the "2023 National Cultural Metaverse Demonstration Case" award.

In terms of research–teaching integration, joint R&D with industry partners has resulted in four invention patents and a technology transfer licensing agreement. The project has also produced three application platforms and 169 real-world cases. On the dissemination front, the teaching team developed three textbook series, which have been adopted by more than twenty universities, with nearly 10,000 copies sold. Moreover, the model has been scaled through a virtual faculty training network, reaching over eighty universities, and has been formally implemented at Xiamen University Malaysia.

Since the release of ChatGPT 3.5 in November 2022, artificial intelligence (AI) has had a profound impact on the world and various industries. In response to the rise of AI and the evolving demands it places on talent, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) has formulated the "XJTLU Education + AI Strategic Framework", which aims to enhance human capabilities while preserving the uniqueness of human wisdom. Through international collaboration and the deployment of AI-driven educational technology ecosystems, XJTLU seeks to advance the digital transformation of educational institutions, reform education systems, and strengthen both faculty and student AI literacy and competencies.

XJTLU is actively exploring pathways for digital transformation in education in the era of artificial intelligence, developing an application model that combines a global outlook with localized practices. At the international collaboration level, XJTLUhas established a strategic partnership with UNESCO-ICHEI, consistently contributing high-quality open educational resources to the IIOE platform with a strong focus on AI literacy. Inclusive and equitable education, along with lifelong learning, has been embedded into XJTLU's strategic planning.

At the technological development level, XJTLU has independently developed and launched the XIPU AI platform, introducing cutting-edge technologies such as natural language processing, machine learning, and big data analytics into higher education contexts. The platform supports diverse needs in teaching, research, and administration, while ensuring data security and autonomous control. At the AI educational ecosystem level, XJTLU has not only deeply integrated infrastructure and educational technologies into higher education, but also embedded AI into the full spectrum of teaching and learning, driving systemic digital transformation and enhancing both faculty and student AI literacy and competencies. 

Since its launch, the XIPU AI platform has attracted more than 26,600 users, serving as the core foundation of XJTLU's comprehensive Education+AI Development Action Plan. In empowering teaching and learning, XIPU AI offers robust functions such as intelligent Q&A, modeling, workflow simplification, and AI agents, effectively meeting the diverse needs of higher education. The platform deeply embeds AI into teaching, learning, assessment, research, and management, creating integrated "AI+" application pathways. By reimagining and redesigning workflows, AI significantly improves efficiency, reduces burdens for both staff and students, takes on repetitive tasks, and provides abundant resources and auxiliary support to address human limitations. In innovation and localization, XIPU AI continuously keeps pace with cutting-edge research developments and adapts them to local contexts, transforming ideas into practical and applicable functions. Moreover, to ensure equity and inclusiveness, the platform provides training and services to help users overcome challenges while adopting AI, and introduces scientific approaches to address societal concerns and expectations regarding its impact.