The pre-lesson atmosphere of Class 6A010 is gradually warmed by adetailed structural diagram of the power grid. The studentsare gathering around Liang Xidong, a teacher of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Applied Electronics, andreading the diagram carefully.

“The demand of social development for energies is skyrocketing whilehigh-voltage power transmission is a major means to realizelarge-scale power transmission.The distribution and construction of power grids is a complex social projectinvolvingengineering technologies, politics, economy, and culture, and a diagram oftencarries multi-level considerations.”

Liang Xidongwasexplainingthe detailed structural diagram ofa power grid to the students

This is the first lecture of thecourse“High-Voltage Electrical Engineering” taught by Professor Liang Xidong in the new semester. He has taught this course in Tsinghua for 28 years. In 2021,to commend Liang Xidong’s outstanding contribution toteaching and education, Tsinghua Universitygranted him the “New Centenary Teaching Achievement Award”.

Carefully prepare for each lesson and go with time

1:6 is the ratio of time Liang Xidong spends in preparing a lesson to that in giving a lesson, which he hasnever treatedcarelessly. Under thispressurewhich makes himdare notto relax, he is motivated tostrive for excellence,presenting hisresponsibilityand pure original intention for teaching his students.

Liang Xidongwas giving a lesson

Liang Xidongattaches greatimportance to cultivating students’ ability to integrate theory with practice, and tofindthe similarities and differencesamong science, technology, and engineering from different perspectives of scientific principles and practical applications. He said: “With the development ofpower industryin China,the frontier technological changes must beintroduced into classroom teachingtimely.” The textbooks, from which the students learn, mustkeep pace with the times. During his tenure as the dean of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Applied Electronics, Liang Xidong presided over the compilation of a series of textbooks for electrical engineering at Tsinghua University to enhance the system of course construction and expand the breadth of the industry. In addition, the detailed design of teaching methods and teaching links have been constantly innovated and optimized in more than 20 years of practice,for example, he oftenguide students to actively explore and learn wittraining reports of engineering cases.

As a teaching assistant for the course of “High Voltage Electrical Engineering”,thePhD student Liu Shuming was deeply involved in Liang Xidong’swork before and afterclass. He said: “Mr. Liang must go to the classroom in advance to get familiar with the environment before the start of each semester, andhe must learn in details about the classroom structure. distance betweentheteacher and students, classroom computer, projection, morning and afternoon light, and so on.”

At the classroom of “High Voltage Electrical Engineering”

He vitalizes knowledge with concrete content and vivid interpretation,cultivatesstudents’practicingability with indispensable experimental links, and promotes students’ critical thinking with academic contention in technological development.He builds a sense of professional identity, belonging and responsibility in the vast and rich social reality, and reshape the rigorous and serious value pursuit in the training of industry norms. Liang Xidong believes that only by consciously clarifying the orientation of teaching design can the problemsinstudents’ growth be solved in a targeted manner,and the education concept of value shaping, ability training, and knowledge transfer be implemented in specific teaching measures.

“Go to Qinghai!”

2021 coincided with the 20th anniversary of Tsinghua University’s counterpart support to Qinghai University. It is an urgent need for national development to help western universities achieve leapfrog development, and it is also an obligatory social responsibility of Tsinghua people. As the third president of Qinghai University selected by Tsinghua University, Liang Xidong arrived in 2009 when Qinghai University completed the integration of teaching resources and entered the early stage of the “211 Project”. "From a long-term perspective, helping the western region train talents is the most important and fundamental.” Liang Xidong said.

During his tenure as the president of Qinghai University, Liang Xidong focused on promoting the enrollment offirst-tier graduatestudents in all majors to improve the quality of students; comprehensively deploying in the construction of masters’ programs in all first-level disciplines of engineering, strengthening the cultivation of high-level engineering talents urgently needed in Qinghai, and promoting the training of doctoral students in superior disciplines; establishing joint research institutionsand sinking counterpart support from theuniversity level to departments. “At that time, the first batch of students in the Computer Department of Qinghai University were alltaught byteachersfrom Tsinghua University.In order to strengthen the training of teachers at Qinghai University, we have overcome many difficulties and insisted on sending several outstanding young teachers to Tsinghua University to study for doctoral degree every year.” Liang Xidong said.

To replace “blood transfusion” with “hematopoiesis”, he proposedto strengthen talent reserves and capacity building at multiple levels, Liang Xidong said that if a place does not have its own talents, it will never develop. Over the past 20 years, Tsinghua University has achieved remarkable results in its counterpart assistance, which has greatly helped Qinghai University to improve its ability to cultivate talents,makescientific research and serve the society.

To be a teacher and a friend,like a spring breeze

“Rain comes with a spring breeze.” In May 2020, Tsinghua University established five academies to coordinate and promote the training of talents for the Pilot Reform Program of Enrollment for Basic Subjects. Among them, Weiyang Academy carries the important task of cultivating future leading talents in key areas with a solid mathematical foundation, deep development potential, outstanding innovation capabilities, and a combination of science and engineering.

As the first dean of Weiyang Academy, Liang Xidong pays great attention to the formulation of the dual degree training program of science and engineering, the establishment of the “accompanied learning” culture of the academy, the construction of classatmosphere and the connection between the first and the second classrooms. “In addition to the courses,a man can be spiritually influenced by theoverall environment of the university on the one hand, and by theatmosphere of his classon the other hand.Theform ofsecond classroom is not limited to the party group,cultural and sports activities. General educationwhichshapes personality and cultivates temperament, and in-depth exchanges between teachers and students, andamong classmates are also very important.” The outstanding performance of students in WeiyangAcademyover the past year has beenaffirmed by teachers and students in all linked departments.

In the opinion of PhD student WangQian, to cultivatethe ability in self-planning is the most profound point he has feltas student underLiang Xidong. “Whetherin scientific research or life,Mr. Liang will respect my choice and try his best to support it as long asit makes sense.” he said.

Impacted by the COVID-19,Liu Shuming did not go home during the Spring Festival this year, he originally planned tohave some take-away food inthe laboratory as aSpring Festival Eve dinner. “Unexpectedly, a few days before the new year,MrLiang came to the laboratory and askedmy classmatesand meto havethe dinner at his house. With the warmreceptionofMr. Liang and his wife,I still had a warm time on the only Spring Festival Eve notat home.” With meticulous details, Liang Xidong integratedhis care for students in everything.

Time flies like a running bull,Liang Xidong sometimesrecalled the time when he first entered TsinghuaUniversity, recalled theneat characters written on the blackboard, recalled the vivid description closely following the industrial practice,and recalled his teachers teaching bothmoralityand abilities. On the three-foot podium,they arepasseddownfromonegeneration toanother.

Thisreport isforwardedfromthe news web ofTsinghua University.