On December 3rd, the Mechanics and Aerospace Department of the School of Energy and Power hosted a themed teaching salon to explore methods for integrating and promoting undergraduate discipline competitions with professional courses. Zhao Yuling from the Mechanics and Aerospace Department presided over the salon, and fluid mechanics expert Professor Li Changfeng was invited to provide guidance. Several teachers from the School of Energy and Power and the School of Civil Engineering also participated.

At the beginning of the event, Zhao Yuling introduced the main segments of the salon. Using the course 'Introduction to Aerospace Engineering' as an example, she shared her own experiences and insights on the practice of 'course-competition integration' in professional course teaching. She believes that in today's higher education landscape, undergraduate teaching is no longer a traditional classroom solo performance; competitions act as energetic partners closely intertwined with the courses. Ideological and political (IAP) elements, like brilliant stars, embellish the sky of course-competition integration, illuminating the path of education. She highlighted that before class, competitions were introduced through study groups; during class, classic competition cases were analyzed alongside key knowledge points; and after class, students were guided to participate in competitions, with attention given to IAP throughout, allowing these elements to naturally permeate like salt in water.

Subsequently, in attending teachers engaged in in-depth discussions. Professor Li Changfeng noted that the combination of courses and competitions has effectively promoted learning in 'Introduction to Aerospace Engineering' and related courses, stimulating students’ interest and initiative. Additionally, he suggested continuing to explore new IAP elements and cases and finding ways to integrate them with one’s specialty. He also shared decades of teaching experience. During the free discussion session, teachers from the School of Civil Engineering focused on identifying intersections between professional courses and competitions, while other teachers discussed challenges they encountered in teaching. Teachers answered each other’s questions, creating a very harmonious salon atmosphere.

Through this teaching salon, teachers observed the potential and advantages of 'course-competition integration' in professional curricula, gained a deeper understanding of its specific applications and outcomes, and further inspired enthusiasm for educational reform and innovation. Moving forward, they will use the insights from today’s exchanges to improve shortcomings in their teaching process, providing students with richer, more engaging classes and more diverse learning experiences, further promoting the innovation and development of teaching within the department.