The report to the 20th CPC National Congress outlined a comprehensive and systematic plan for “speeding up work to build a strong educational system greater scientific and technological strength and a quality workforce.” Minister of Education Huai Jinpeng wrote in People’s Daily that “advancing the digitization of education” is a primary direction and key task for the new era’s efforts to further strengthen China’s educational system. Promoting the high-quality development of higher education through digital transformation presents a historic opportunity for universities to implement national strategies in the new era.

In recent years technologies such as big data and AI have been reshaping higher education. We can easily observe various changes in everyday educational management. For example there is a more diverse range of actors in knowledge production and dissemination. Numerous platforms for online courses and video platforms offer a plethora of online learning resources posing challenges to traditional talent training models. Additionally knowledge storage and organizational forms have become more fragmented. Prolonged engagement with fragmented knowledge complicates the development of deep and systematic learning skills which may profoundly impact students’ learning habits. Moreover the rise of digital intelligence places higher demands on teaching staff. In the current era teachers need to constantly deepen their professional knowledge and proactively learn to adapt to new teaching environments and tools. Universities are encountering new opportunities and challenges in research teaching and administrative services. How to progress with the times and uphold integrity and innovation to ensure the high-quality development of higher education presents a new challenge for universities.

To seize the historic opportunities and tackle the challenges brought by technological changes Peking University has adopted digital intelligence as one of its development strategies and undertaken a series of practical explorations.

First Peking University has fostered a smart teaching environment by developing its online course system. All classrooms now support both recorded and live-streamed lectures integrating online and offline teaching methods. Every course across over 100 majors has been digitized with the teaching platform featuring more than 14000 recorded courses and over 500000 hours of digital resources. This comprehensive and orderly digital repository is able to satisfy students’ strong desire for knowledge. Additionally the university has improved the digital literacy of its faculty by organizing the Annual Conference of the Chinese Higher Education Development Network and co-organizing international teaching seminars with the University of Cambridge and the University of Michigan.

Second Peking University has pursued broad collaborations to expand the availability of its high-quality resources. More than 200 of its MOOCs are now hosted on the Smart Education of China platform and accessible to the whole society. Since the fall semester of 2021 the university has continuously operated the “Global Open Courses” program where students from dozens of international colleges participate in online classes alongside their counterparts from Peking University. These courses are led by renowned instructors and focus on either enhancing students’ cross-cultural communication skills or delving into cutting-edge areas like AI. In the fall semester of 2022 Prof. E Weinan spearheaded an introductory course on machine learning showcasing the appeal of Peking University’s mathematics and intelligent science disciplines to international students. Additionally Peking University has worked with Tsinghua University and Beijing Foreign Studies University to offer a cross-enrollment program opening a wide array of high-quality liberal arts courses that benefit an expanded student population.

Third Peking University has been advancing interdisciplinary studies through the “Digital Intelligence +” strategy. In recent years the university has accumulated extensive experience in interdisciplinary research and talent development. Peking University has named 2022 “The Year of Digital Humanities” underscored by the motto “Technology empowers humanities; humanities add value to technology.” Leveraging modern technology as a methodological guide and humanities as the guiding value the university aims to address significant issues facing China and mankind in the age of digital intelligence. It is dedicated to advancing methodological innovations developing new research areas fostering theoretical progress and enhancing system capabilities all the while addressing and adapting to the fundamental shifts in the landscape of human existence.

In our ongoing exploratory practices we have come to understand that it is crucial to grasp the unchanging elements amidst change and to effectively manage the relationship between the human element in education and technology.

In this era of technological transformation it is essential to adhere to the unchanged fundamental principle of “student-centered growth.” In the era of digital intelligence online learning platforms offer extensive virtual educational resources. These platforms break down the physical barriers of campuses and classrooms reduce the temporal and spatial distances between people and allow access to knowledge anytime and anywhere. Furthermore it is crucial to leverage these technological tools to position students as the primary agents of their learning while emphasizing teacher-student interactions and collaborative co-creation. Centered round exploration and discovery we should encourage and help students to make autonomous choices develop personalized knowledge systems and enhance self-learning capabilities thereby fostering the skills necessary for lifelong learning.

In this era of technological revolution it is essential to remember that the primary purpose of education is to cultivate moral character and to shape a better life and world. This is captured in the principle of “having both technology and humanity in mind” ensuring that technological advancements constantly serve the goal of “learning to be human.” Traditional Chinese education highlights moral dimensions and the fostering of noble character. The fundamental mission of university education is to promote moral clarity nurture a sense of community and strive for the ultimate good. In modern times our educational focus has shifted towards disciplines and the development of practical skills to adapt to social roles. Although these aspects are important in light of the realities of a changing world we should re-establish a holistic concept of humanity. In addition to attracting and nurturing talent we should focus on empowering them to achieve greatness. In an era dominated by technology the significance of humanities must be emphasized. Mr. Han Qide once used a metaphor saying “If technology is a fast-moving train then humanities are the braking system. For the brakes to function humanities must be on board.” This metaphor effectively highlights the interdependence and cooperation between humanities and technology. Science without humanistic concern may lead humanity into an uncertain future just as humanities research without a scientific perspective can easily become disconnected from this changing era. Peking University is currently promoting strategies like “Digital Intelligence +” and initiatives such as the “Year of Digital Humanities” aiming to foster interdisciplinary and integrative knowledge that encourages students to discover truth understand goodness and appreciate beauty; to know themselves and understand others; and to respect tradition while embracing the future.

The era of transformation demands both integrity and innovation. Peking University will remain committed to its roots in China scientifically advancing the digitalization of education to provide satisfactory education and contribute to the strengthening of China’s educational system. This transformative period also requires enhanced communication and cooperation. Peking University will expedite and extend its educational outreach globally through digital empowerment and innovative cooperation models. Utilizing international platforms like the World Digital Education Conference and drawing on our global cooperation networks and frameworks such as the Digital Intelligence International Development Education Alliance Peking University aims to collaborate with the international higher education community to tackle significant challenges presented by the era of digital intelligence uphold the responsibilities of our times and improve human welfare.