# Center for Student Achievement and Human Development: Commitment to Student Development and Talent Growth
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# Center for Student Achievement and Human Development: Commitment to Student Development and Talent Growth
*2026-01-01**Views：348*
# CSAHD at Shanghai Jiao Tong University originates from the Graduate Education Research Center founded in 2008. Since its establishment, CSAHD has been committed to comprehensive research on students’ developmental trajectories across educational stages and teachers’ professional growth, offering innovative insights and practical support for advancing China’s world-class higher education system.
\
## **I. Background of CSAHD: Connecting Educational Stages to Foster National Talent**
***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.
\
## **II. Integrated Achievements: Applying Research to Strengthen Foundations**
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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