Hosted by Hubei’s Office of International Exchange and Cooperation and organised by the School of Teacher Education, SIT Programme Manager for the School of Computing, Alex Ewing, was invited as the keynote speaker to present at the event, where he led specialist sessions for teaching staff and students on 3rd June.
Mr Ewing delivered an in-depth presentation on pathways for teacher professional development and interdisciplinary project management practices.
The lecture focused on practical approaches to improving teaching quality through structured frameworks. During the session, Mr Ewing introduced a “dual-driven” model combining teacher development strategies with project management tools. He highlighted the importance of strengthening technical skills, pedagogy, digital literacy and reflective practice— four key pillars that support modern education delivery.
Drawing on real-world examples, Mr Ewing demonstrated how tools such as one-page project charters, milestone planning and risk logs could help teachers approach course development more strategically and improve outcomes.
The session also explored how integrating the Plan–Do–Check–Act (PDCA) cycle could make teaching improvements more measurable and consistent.
Participants actively engaged in discussion, raising questions about applying project management tools in teaching environments, collaboration between academic and administrative teams, and how to better visualise teaching data. Mr Ewing responded with practical insights, including simplified governance models and structured feedback approaches.
Mr Ewing said he found the HUE visit really enjoyable, particularly presenting to the teaching staff. “…It gave me an opportunity to discuss the practice they have there for Classroom, especially given the challenges they face with larger class sizes.” He described the student presentation as lower key, and helpful for the students; “It was also interesting … it allowed me to help them decide if NZ study is the right way for them.”
Associate Dean of the School of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, Ms Deng Fang, acknowledged Mr Ewing for his visit and contribution.
“We would like to express our sincere gratitude for Alex’s visit and valuable exchanges at Hubei… We greatly appreciate his time and support, and we look forward to continuing our close collaboration and steadily advancing our joint educational programmes and related cooperative initiatives.”
SIT Chief Executive, Bharat Guha, said the recognition reflected SIT’s growing international reputation. “SIT and Hubei have been partner institutes for more than 16 years; we are well placed to support the professional development of teachers and institutions there, which in turn, supports and strengthens our educational connections in China.”
International Manager, Riza Ambadar, acknowledged the productive partnership with Hubei and the opportunity to share SIT’s teaching excellence more widely.
“The visit highlights SIT’s ongoing commitment to build global partnerships and share New Zealand’s applied teaching expertise with international institutions. This demonstrates that a successful model of SIT's collaboration can be replicated by other institutions in China, and by other educational organisations across the globe.”