On November 21th to 23th, the 2025 Annual Conference on the Development of the Virtual Teaching and Research Office for Public Psychology Courses in Yangtze River Delta Universities, hosted by the Ministry of Education, was held at the Suiyuan Campus of Nanjing Normal University. The conference was organized by the Virtual Teaching and Research Offices for Public Psychology Courses in Yangtze River Region Delta Universities, guided by the Teaching Committee for Psychology Programs under the Ministry of Education, supported by Higher Education Press, and hosted by the School of Psychology at Nanjing Normal University. Centered on the theme “Teaching Reform and Innovation in University Public Psychology Courses through Digital Intelligence Empowerment,” the conference delved into innovative pathways and developmental directions for public psychology curricula amid digital transformation. Attendees included Su Yanjie, General Secretary of the Teaching Steering Committee for Psychology Programs in Higher Education Institutions under the Ministry of Education, former President of the Chinese Psychological Society, and Professor at Peking University; Cheng Tianjun, Member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Vice President of Nanjing Normal University; and Yao Benxian, Director of the Ministry of Education's Yangtze River Delta Region Virtual Teaching and Research Office for Public Psychology Courses and Professor at Hefei Normal University. Over 70 experts and scholars from multiple universities across the Yangtze River Delta region participated in the conference. Yao Benxian presided over the opening ceremony.

In her speech, Su Yanjie highly commended the unique value of this annual conference in focusing on teaching research. Drawing on his decades of teaching experience, he emphasized that while embracing new technologies like generative AI to enhance public psychology education, educators must remain vigilant against the risk of skill erosion caused by overreliance on AI. He advised teachers to strike a balance between technological assistance and independent creation, fostering mutual advancement between teaching and research.

In his speech, Cheng Tianjun extended warm congratulations on the conference's convening and expressed sincere gratitude to the experts and scholars who have supported the development of public psychology courses in higher education institutions. He emphasized that amid the ongoing digital transformation of higher education, virtual teaching and research rooms serve as vital bridges for breaking down inter-institutional barriers, connecting theoretical research with pedagogical practice, and integrating faculty development with resource sharing. Leveraging cross-institutional collaboration platforms and digital intelligence technologies, these virtual departments integrate superior educational resources, ensuring public psychology instruction aligns closely with the student development demands of the digital era. Through continuous exploration and deepened cooperation, they steadily enhance the teaching quality of public psychology courses across universities in the Yangtze River Delta region, providing a practical model for similar course development nationwide.

Huang Feng, the General Secretary of the Virtual Teaching and Research Office for Public Psychology Courses in Universities of the Yangtze River Delta Region under the Ministry of Education and faculty member of Hefei Normal University, presented a progress and work plan report for the Virtual Teaching and Research Office. During 2024-2025, the office actively carried out a series of activities including teaching resource development and the collection of outstanding teaching research papers. Members achieved significant accomplishments in publishing monographs and textbooks, participating in teaching competitions, and undertaking teaching research projects. For the 2025-2026 academic year, the Virtual Teaching and Research Office will prioritize teacher professional development training, organize teaching skills competitions for young faculty, deepen the application of AI technology, and explore the release of teaching research topics.

This conference featured three keynote presentations. The session was chaired by Zhong Yuan, Dean of the School of Psychology at Nanjing Normal University. Yao Benxian delivered a presentation titled “Exploring the Construction of an Autonomous Knowledge System in Chinese Psychology: The Case of Public Psychology Course Materials.” Hao Ning, Academic Vice President of Hefei Normal University and Associate Dean of the School of Psychology and Cognitive Science at East China Normal University, spoke on “East China Normal University's Philosophy and Initiatives for Cultivating Elite Innovative Talent in Psychology.” Ji Ming, Associate Dean of the School of Psychology at Shaanxi Normal University, presented on “A Discipline-Specific Approach to Cultivating Elite Innovative Talent in Psychology.”

On the afternoon of the 22nd, an experience exchange meeting for partner institutions was convened. The meeting was chaired by An Yuanyuan, Vice Dean of the School of Psychology at Nanjing Normal University. Experts from four institutions shared valuable insights on public psychology teaching reform and curriculum development. Wang Haoyu, Deputy Director of the Joint Working Committee for the Virtual Teaching and Research Office of Public Psychology Courses in Yangtze River Delta Universities under the Ministry of Education and Vice Dean of the School of Education Sciences at Anqing Normal University, presented on “Values Preservation and Path Reform in Public Psychology Teaching in the New Era.” Tao Weidong, also Deputy Director of the same committee and Professor at Huzhou Normal University, delivered a talk titled “Integrating Life Philosophy into Public Psychology Teaching.” Wang Chenbo, Assistant Dean of the School of Psychology and Cognitive Science at East China Normal University, presented on “Public Psychology Teaching Reform and First-Class Course Development”; and Liu Zejun, Head of the Public Psychology Program at the School of Psychology, Shanghai Normal University, delivered a report titled “Generative AI's Innovation in Public Psychology Teaching.” ​​​​​​​Wang Chenbo, Assistant Dean of the School of Psychology and Cognitive Science at East China Normal University, presented on “Public Psychology Teaching Reform and First-Class Course Development”; and Liu Zejun, Head of the Public Psychology Program at the School of Psychology, Shanghai Normal University, delivered a report titled “Generative AI's Innovation in Public Psychology Teaching.”

 

 

During the conference, the Joint Working Committee of the Yangtze River Delta Universities Virtual Teaching and Research Office for Public Psychology convened a working meeting. Participants engaged in in-depth discussions on the challenges facing the office and its future direction, while also evaluating three categories of teaching reform and innovation achievements: outstanding teaching research papers, exemplary teaching cases, and excellent teaching materials. Hao Ning announced the list of award winners for the teaching reform and innovation achievements showcased at this conference, with the awards presented on-site by the attending guests. On the morning of the 23rd, delegates toured the Experimental Center of the School of Psychology at Nanjing Normal University, the Institute of Brain Science and Mental Health Intelligent Support at Nanjing Normal University, and the Teacher Museum at Nanjing Normal University.

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This conference, convened at a pivotal moment in accelerating the development of China as an education powerhouse and advancing the national digital strategy, serves as a significant academic gathering focused on leveraging digital technologies to empower teaching reform. The consensus reached by participating experts and the research outcomes achieved hold important guiding significance for promoting the reform and innovation of public psychology courses in higher education institutions. They will help universities in the Yangtze River Delta region collaborate to advance the high-quality, integrated development of public psychology teaching.