The 12th Sino-German TongjiMed Workshop Was Successfully Held

On October 30, 2023, Sino-German TongjiMed Workshop XII, which had been interrupted for three years due to the Global Covid-19 Pandemic, resumed at Tongji Medical College and successfully concluded on November 1. A total of 57 participants, including faculty members from various departments of Tongji Medical College and educators from member institutions within the Sino-German Consortium on Medical Research and Education such as Peking University, Sun Yat-sen University, Wuhan University, Sichuan University, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Central South University, Shandong University, took part in the training.

To ensure a highly qualified workshop, on October 29, 2023, experts from both China and Germany, including Prof. Kirschfink, Dr. Strittmatter, and Dr. Bosse, along with Professors from the School of Basic Medicine and Clinical Schools, held a joint preparatory meeting. Both Chinese and German experts outlined the objectives and expectations for the training program, and engaged in comprehensive discussions and preparations regarding its content.

On October 30, the opening ceremony was held in the Academic Hall of Tongji Medical College. The event was presided over by Vice Dean, Prof. SHU Xiaogang. During the ceremony, participants collectively watched a captivating video that highlighted the achievements and prospects of the Workshop. Prof. CHEN Jianguo, the Vice President of HUST, extended a warm welcome. He expressed heartfelt gratitude to the German experts for their long-standing contributions to faculty development and medical education reform at Tongji Medical College. He also warmly welcomed both internal and external teachers attending the workshop. Prof. Kirschfink, on behalf of Heidelberg University, delivered a speech, reviewing the cooperation between Heidelberg University and Tongji Medical College and the accomplishments through joint efforts.

The workshop focused on two main topics: Teaching at our faculty in 2023—how far are we advanced? and Formative assessment—Preconditions and added value. The 3 German experts started by guiding the participants to revisit the educational principles and teaching methods they had learned in previous programs, as well as how they had been applied. Dr. Strittmatter provided a detailed introduction to collegial intervision, a method of peer support, helping trainees address work-related issues, enhance collaboration, and leadership skills. Guided by the German experts, teachers engaged in group practical activities where they reflected on the challenges they faced when using new educational principles and teaching methods in their classrooms. They also discussed possible solutions to these challenges using the collegial intervision method, thus experiencing the effectiveness of this approach firsthand. Dr. Bosse explained the concept of formative assessment and used the example of formative assessment of medical students at Dusseldorf Hospital to illustrate the advantages and potential challenges of implementing formative assessment. Through diverse teaching methods, such as group case discussions and outcome presentations, teachers were actively engaged and motivated to learn effective assessment methods in a relaxed atmosphere. They also shared their experience in using various assessment methods.

At the closing ceremony, representatives from the 5 groups, both within and outside the Tongji Medical College, showcased and reported on the outcomes of their two-day workshop learning. They summarized the key points of group intervision methods and formative assessment and shared their learning achievements and insights. During the speech segment, leaders from both China and Germany provided evaluations of this session of the Workshop and outlined their future expectations. Prof. GUO Yusong from the School of Basic Medicine chaired the closing ceremony.

On November 1st, the three German experts, along with directors from various departments and administrative sectors, conducted a strategic dialogue with the theme Concept of Longitudinal Modular Medical Teacher's Education. The workshop focused on the current status of teacher development at Tongji Medical College and the future concepts and development of medical education. Following in-depth discussions, the German experts then presented the teacher development situations at Heidelberg and Dusseldorf Hospitals. This workshop analyzed the achievements and shortcomings at Tongji Medical College, and drew valuable experiences provided by the German experts who have been closely observed the application of medical education efforts and training outcomes in TJMC. They genuinely recognized the outstanding achievements of TJMC in training and expressed appreciation for the comprehensive development. This recognition not only acknowledges the efforts of our faculty and students but also affirms the potential of Sino-German medical education cooperation. They firmly believe that Tongji Medical College and their German counterparts are progressing together and look forward to further enhancing collaboration and deepening exchanges and research in the field of medical education in the future.

The consecutive 12th Sino-German TongjiMed Workshop has played a significant role in enhancing the teaching capabilities of faculty at Tongji Medical College, promoting faculty development throughout the entire school, and driving the development of medical education and teaching reforms. This edition of the training program innovatively introduced external teachers from member schools under the framework of Sino-German Consortium on Medical Reasearch and Education. In the future, the Workshop will continue to play a more important role in advancing the depth of medical education reforms and strengthening exchanges and cooperation under bilateral or multilateral framework under the Consortium.