On 24 March, 2023, to further improve talent cultivation quality in the College of Automotive Engineering (CAE) and completely implement the automotive “New Four Modernizations” undergraduate training program in the context of developing “New Engineering Disciplines”, three German technical executives from FAW-Volkswagen Automobile Co., Ltd. and Wu Zhan, an alumnus of JLU, visited the college. Hu Xingjun, Deputy Dean of CAE, Wang Junnian, Head of the Department of Automotive Engineering, Chang Wei, Associate Professor of the Department of Thermal Engineering, Jiao Chengxuan, Director of the Academic Affairs Office of CAE, and ten student representatives discussed details related to the joint development of courses with the four visitors.

The discussion was chaired by Wang Junnian. Deputy Dean Hu Xingjun briefly introduced the history and current development of the college. Then, Director Wang Junnian made a detailed introduction to the college’s curriculum for talent cultivation, as well as the arrangements for the “Automotive Product Development Engineering” course this semester, and explained the university’s views on the design of the course objectives and the requirements for course assessment. The two sides then exchanged ideas on classroom requirements, arrangements for on-campus teaching assistants, in-class interaction methods, cases used for teaching, assessment methods, and other details. The student representatives also expressed their strong interest in the various cases of product development engineering provided by the company. Finally, the two sides agreed on all the details of the co-developed “Automotive Product Development Engineering” course for this semester.

All three German attendees were technical executives in chassis development from FAW-Volkswagen, with years of experience in braking, steering, suspension, and electronic control system development. They had a strong interest in Jilin University, known as the cradle of Chinese automotive talents in Changchun where the headquarters of FAW-Volkswagen locate, thus actively seeking the opportunity to participate in student lectures on engineering development. They also looked forward to possible cooperation with the college in industry-university research, provision of talents in engineering technology, etc.

After the meeting, as arranged by the college, the visitors from FAW-Volkswagen visited the laboratories and key laboratories of various departments and took self-developed equipment such as driving simulators for a test drive. They expressed their heartfelt appreciation for Jilin University’s research equipment in automobile dynamics, tire mechanics, intelligent driving, and chassis by wire, as well as its independent research and development capabilities, its success in academic innovation, and its innovative top talent cultivation achievements represented by the student racing teams.

The visit of the German experts further enhanced the mutual understanding between FAW-Volkswagen and Jilin University, and continued the cooperation between the two sides before the pandemic, when foreign executives of FAW-Volkswagen visited the university regularly to engage in course lectures. It also showed that the college made an important attempt at talent cultivation to build a new engineering curriculum system through the “three-in-one” integration of theoretical automotive engineering knowledge system, the international frontier of leading enterprises’ practical application, and students’ interest in learning and active participation in course development. This exchange also offered greater prospects for future cooperation in terms of joint guidance on graduation projects, mutual exchange and training of teachers, joint development of key chassis technologies, and the college’s provision of outstanding talents for the company.