On the afternoon of June 17, 2025, the inaugural session of the "Knowledge & Action" international student academic advisory forum, organized by the Training and Academic Affairs Office of the School of International Education (SIE), was successfully held in Room B211, Haichuan Building. Focusing on the theme of "Policy Interpretation & Experience Sharing by Outstanding Graduates," the event aimed to help international graduate students address practical challenges in their academic development, attracting active participation from students of various nationalities. The session was hosted by Ms. Du Xueling, Director of the Teaching Affairs Office. Assistant Dean Guo Hanning, Director of the Student Affairs Office Zhang Tianhao, and relevant staff members participated throughout.
In her opening remarks, Assistant Dean Guo Hanning of SIE elaborated on the cultural significance of the "Knowledge & Action" concept, emphasizing the importance of academic planning and encouraging all international students to face challenges proactively. She stated that SIE will continue to organize series of activities to provide comprehensive academic support for international students. Subsequently, Director Du Xueling systematically and meticulously explained the academic management regulations at DUT, clearly outlining academic requirements and development pathways, with focused explanations on key student concerns.
This session also featured experience sharing by five outstanding international graduate student representatives.
Mr. Mohammad Rakibul Hasan (master of Mechanical Engineering from Bangladesh) shared how he overcame research challenges and successfully earned his master's degree through solid literature review, precise problem identification, persistent effort, and close collaboration with lab mates. He plans to continue pursuing a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at DUT.
Mr. Lukudu Samuel John (master of Heating, Gas Supply, Ventilation & Air Conditioning Engineering from South Sudan), drew from his seven-year bachelor's and master's journey at DUT to share strategies for efficient research, covering time management, literature review methodologies, manuscript submission techniques, and smart tool applications.
Mr. Al-Bishari Mohammed Abdullah Yehia ( Ph.D. of Software Engineering from Yemen) highlighted the importance of cultivating academic resilience, sharing his experience of persisting with research during the pandemic. He discussed motivations for study, achieving academic breakthroughs, and skill development for self-improvement and overcoming limits.
Ms. Firdaws Rahmani (Ph.D. of Applied Mathematics from Algeria) systematically outlined the key stages of the Ph.D. program at DUT based on her experience, focusing on the curriculum system, thesis specifications, defense procedures, and the research environment. She particularly shared her learning experience within her research group, providing a clear academic road map for international Ph.D. students. She encouraged current students to actively integrate into research teams under their supervisors' guidance and to seek and provide support within peer groups.
Ms. Sidra Jubair (Ph.D. of Computational Mathematics from Pakistan) candidly shared setbacks encountered during her studies, such as model failures and paper rejections, and described her experiences and strategies for overcoming them. Her achievement of publishing multiple high-level papers served as an inspiration for current students to bravely face research setbacks and challenges.
The graduates' sharing was sincere and profound, covering critical areas like coping with academic pressure, cross-cultural adaptation, research methodology exploration, time management, and paper publication. They provided highly practical guidance and advice to the attendees, resulting in frequent interaction and enthusiastic responses.
In her concluding remarks, Assistant Dean Guo Hanning encouraged the students present to take this event as an opportunity to seriously review and plan their studies, actively solve problems, and wished all international students a fulfilling and successful graduate journey.
The inaugural "Knowledge & Action" academic advisory activity concluded amidst a vibrant atmosphere of exchange. As a significant initiative by SIE to innovate talent cultivation models, this series of activities not only builds a bridge for teacher-student interaction but also exemplifies the university's educational philosophy of "embracing all rivers (Haina Baichuan) and relentless self-improvement (Ziqiang Buxi)." Moving forward, SIE will continue to serve DUT's "Double First-Class" initiative and internationalization efforts. It will deepen the development of the "Knowledge & Action" branded series, constructing a multi-level, comprehensive academic support system to effectively enhance the quality of international student cultivation. This aims to contribute DUT's wisdom to cultivating more high-level international talents with deep China understanding and affinity.
