Xu Xiaodong, B.Sc., M.Ed., Ph.D. in Psychology, is a professor and doctoral supervisor, and the director of the Cognitive Technology Research Lab at the School of Information Technology in Education at South China Normal University(SCNU). He is a member of the 7th Academic Committee and a member of the Academic Committee at SCNU, as well as a member of the Academic Committee of the China Association for Educational Technology(CAET). He was a member of the expert working group of the National Education Steering Committee for the Professional Degree Education of Master of Education, and the vice-chairman and executive director of the Professional Committee of Information Technology Education, CAET.
He graduated from the Department of Physics of Northeast Normal University and stayed on as an assistant and lecturer in the Department of Educational Technology. He taught courses such as teaching analysis techniques and teaching evaluation for undergraduates, and also participated in the filming, editing and production of television teaching materials such as Ancient Chinese History and National Physical Geography organized by the Ministry of Education.
As a state-sponsored visiting scholar, he went to the Faculty of Education at Okayama University in Japan to study in the direction of Educational Engineering in School Education. After that, he pursued a master's degree in educational content and methodology, studying under the famous educational engineer Professor Kondou Isao (近藤勲) to conduct research on CAL and teacher education, and following the famous curriculum and teaching theory expert Professor Masato Takagi (高旗正人) to conduct research on group learning and educational content.
After obtaining his master's degree, he entered the Graduate School of Natural Sciences at Okayama University to study for a doctorate in psychology in the direction of Fundamental Studies of Human Intelligence in the major of Intelligent Development. Under the supervision of psychologist Professor Keiichi Mitani (三谷惠一), computer scientist Professor Tadahiro Konishi (小西忠孝), and artificial intelligence expert Professor Akira Inoue (井上昭), he engaged in the study and research of the psychology and neuroscience of perceptual learning, intelligent control analysis, and design concept formation theory. During this period, he worked as a part-time lecturer at Shujitsu Women's University in Okayama Prefecture. After obtaining his doctorate in 2000, he returned to China and has been a professor of SCNU ever since.
He has presided over three projects of the National Social Science Foundation and the National Education Science Planning Project, five provincial social science and education science projects, and five projects of international organizations such as the China-UNICEF project as the chief expert. He is one of the first and current experts of the ‘National Training Programme’ of the Ministry of Education, and a mentor of the ‘Million Talent Project’ in basic education in Guangdong Province and Guangzhou City. He has published 13 academic works and textbooks and written more than 150 academic papers. He has won the 6th National Outstanding Scientific Research Achievement Award (Humanities and Social Sciences), the 5th and 6th National Outstanding Scientific Research Achievement Award in Education, the Outstanding Paper Award in New Century National Online Education from the Department of Science and Technology of the Ministry of Education, the Outstanding Paper Award from the GCCCE, and the Outstanding Achievement Award in Education and Teaching (Basic Education) in Guangdong Province.
His main research areas include educational technology and learning sciences. His research interests include Digital Transformation in Education, the Application of Digital Technology in Teaching, Student Learning, Teacher Learning, Teaching Research, and Information Technology in Education.
Students with similar research interests are welcome to apply for Master's and PhD programme with Professor Xu Xiaodong. Come to SCNU and let's study and research together. Contact: xuxd@scnu.edu.cn.