In the summer vacation of 2023, our School has organized 4 overseas study exchange programs, sending a total of 83 undergraduate, master, doctoral and MBA students. Of these, 59 went to the University of Cambridge, 11 to Geneva, Switzerland, 4 to the Free University of Berlin in Germany, and 9 to the University of Coimbra in Portugal. By participating in short-term overseas study exchanges, students' professional knowledge and comprehensive quality have been improved, which not only enriched cross-cultural experience, but also broadened their international vision.

I. Summer Program of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge

The summer program of Fitzwilliam College lasted for two weeks. Cambridge invited the world's top scholars and business executives in the field of digital innovation to help students grasp the development of innovation in the field of business, understand the mechanism and implementation process of various types of business innovation, and prepare for future career success.

Feelings of Students:

Fragments of Cambridge Memories (Excerpts)

Bai Qinxue, Grade 2021 International Economy and Trade (Hende Experimental Class)

Gently I walked away,

As I come softly;

I waved softly,

Say goodbye to the clouds in the west.

Two weeks was short, but it was very impressive and emotional. One of the things I've learned very deeply is: How can we understand ourselves better by understanding others? Through this study, I realized that perhaps there is no good or bad in this world, only differences and similarities. Through understanding others, we can better understand ourselves. "Spring is for growth and summer is for harvest." We meet in the summer when all things grow, wandering in the soft waves of the Kang River, witnessing the collision of eastern and Western cultures, and witnessing our own growth.

As a student of BNUBS, I had the honor to listen to Professor David Stillwell's lectures. He had a very profound and dialectical view on AI and big data where he started from the basic definition, and gradually deepened and implemented it into our real life. China has entered the era of digital economy, and large and small enterprises have entered the stage of digital transformation. I understand that digitalization is not a simple information transformation from paper version to electronic version, but a top-level design understanding, making full use of information technology, from both sides of external services and internal management, to achieve cost reduction and efficiency. In the class report in the first week, we used R language to search for emotional evaluation words in community forums, and then judged the word-of-mouth and product feedback of a certain enterprise's demand market. I think this was a very interesting process, because I always thought that subjective feelings are difficult to quantify, but finally, with the careful guidance of the teacher and the efforts of the students, we formed the word cloud map and the sentiment level, and we can intuitively see the attitude of the product users.

Digital transformation is not to shout slogans and follow the trend, but to explore the core of the operation, in order to let it play its potential. Technology may not replace the human mind, but it can serve it better. The emergence of artificial intelligence, such as AI, does not mean that we can stop thinking, but can save simple repetitive thinking, so that humans will broaden their horizons to explore the unknown in higher dimensions.

Figure 1 Group photo at King's College

Figure 2 Teaching site of enterprises visit

Figure. 3 Group photo of certificate of completion

Ⅱ. "Global Leadership and Sustainable Development" International Organization Training Camp Program

With the theme of "Global Leadership and Sustainable Development", the International Organization Training Camp program introduced the basic operating mechanisms of international organizations through team building, visits, lectures and group discussions, and demonstrated the best practices of global leadership and sustainable development to students. The event was held in Geneva, Switzerland.

Feelings of Students

Visit an International Organization and Experience the Integration of Diverse Cultures (Excerpt)

Reyishaguli Abla, MBA Class of 2021

The course covered topics such as AI and big data analytics, peace building, gender differentiation, and the future workplace, as well as presentations from international organizations such as ITO and ILO to help us understand the relevant history, operational models, and future focus. These forward-looking topics and the lively atmosphere of the classroom were very enlightening, allowing us to have a more comprehensive thinking and discussion on the present and future. This process transcended geography, gender, and time. Although we came from different countries, different industries and different fields, we were all discussing the common topics of the world. I was deeply honored to have been able to experience such a global, thought-provoking and epoch-leading course.

This project has played an empowering role in broadening my global vision and guiding my work practice. As a college entrance examination English teacher in a training institution, with the continuous reform and experimental innovation of English college entrance examination, every year the paper proposition and examination depth are adjusted and changed with the progress of The Times. As a discipline leader, I needed to keep curiosity and insight about various kinds of current news and events, which helped me to predict the latest trends of exam questions every year, and also helped me to analyze exam questions more perceptively and accurately.

In addition, the short study gave me a chance to experience the life of studying abroad. It gave me a new experience and improvement in time management, interpersonal communication and language skills. Through the brief exploration and surprise experience of the city style, natural scenery and cultural history of Geneva, I also had the opportunity to get to know foreign tourists, exchange Chinese culture and urban development, discuss Chinese Confucian culture with foreign students, and spread Chinese culture.

Figure 4 Group photo of the visit to the United Nations Office at Geneva

Figure 5 Visiting the United Nations Office at Geneva

Figure 6 Visiting the World Intellectual Property Organization

Picture 7 Visiting the World Intellectual Property Organization

Ⅲ. Summer program at the University of Coimbra, Portugal

The University of Coimbra Summer program is a three-week program that includes extensive language classes, academic training, and a rich cross-cultural exchange and experience. The University of Coimbra is a renowned research university with a long history and a reputation for academic excellence.

Feelings of Students

The Blending of Language and Culture, Summer and Memory will Always be here (Excerpt)

Jia Fuhong, Class 2021 International Economy and Trade (Hende Experimental Class)

Looking back on my summer exchange at the University of Coimbra in Portugal, I deeply felt the cross-cultural experience and personal growth that this experience brought me. In this program, I took courses in Portuguese and economics. At the same time, we visited Lisbon, Porto, Aveiro and other cities and tasted the local specialties. These valuable experiences have given me a deeper understanding of Portuguese culture and the world, which had not only sparked my interest in learning the language, but more importantly shaped my sense of being a global citizen.

First of all, by learning Portuguese, I had a deep understanding of the language and culture of this country. Language is the carrier of culture, I had not only improved my language ability, but also better understood and communicated, and felt the foreign way of thinking and values. Portugal's culture is full of enthusiasm, energy and diversity, and I was impressed by their music, food and traditional festivals. This exchange program opened a door for me to the world of Portuguese culture and gave me a deeper knowledge and understanding of the people of this country and other Portuguese-speaking countries.

Secondly, studying economics courses has given me a more comprehensive understanding of the world economy and business environment: industrial structures, market characteristics and economic challenges in different sectors. These studies had not only broadened my economic knowledge, but also cultivated my ability to analyze and solve problems. I believed that these knowledge and skills will play an important role in my future study and career development.

Communicating and getting along with excellent teachers and students from all over the world was also a great harvest of this exchange experience. We learned, explored, and shared our cultures and experiences together. This kind of cross-cultural communication had not only allowed me to understand the customs and concepts of different countries and regions, but also cultivated my cross-cultural communication and cooperation ability. Through interaction, I learned to respect and appreciate the differences between different cultures, while also recognizing the global problems that we as global citizens should work together to solve.

Figure 8 Group photo in front of the building of Coimbra University School of Learning and Literature

Figure. 9 Farewell dinner at the Tears Estate in Coimbra

Ⅳ. Summer program of Free University of Berlin, Germany

The Freie Universitat Berlin Summer Program consists of four weeks of classroom teaching and cultural experiences, where students can study and discuss with outstanding students from all over the world. Freie Universitat Berlin is a world-renowned research university located in Berlin, Germany, with an excellent academic reputation and rich research resources.

Feelings of Students

Summary of Freie Universitat Berlin Summer Program - An Unforgettable Learning Journey (Excerpt)

Yang Xiaoyin, Class 2021 International Economy and Trade (Hende Experimental Class)

This summer, I had the opportunity to participate in the summer school program at the Free University of Berlin. The program offered a wide range of course options and extracurricular activities that attract students from all over the world.

As a student who loves business and cares about environmental issues, I signed up for the sustainable business course. The course focuses on sustainable business, where we learn how to integrate environmental protection into business strategies and how to maintain respect for ecological balance while pursuing economic interests. The teacher of this course specially chose the course model of workshop, so that we could learn how to integrate sustainable development into business strategy in practice. In this project, teamwork was also a highlight. We five people in the class formed a group and we finished a big project together. For the Free University of Berlin, we have designed an exchange system for idle goods that is beneficial to its own sustainable development. Each member of our team brought their expertise to the table and worked together to solve the problem, resulting in an excellent report. This experience has made me deeply understand the importance of teamwork, and the unique contribution of each person can only be maximized in a team. In the course, I not only learned theoretical knowledge, but also participated in the analysis and discussion of some practical cases, which gave me a deeper understanding of sustainable business.

In this process, I also felt the improvement of personal ability. Although I have been studying German for two years, this is the first time I have lived in a purely German environment for almost a month. In this month, those sentences that had appeared in textbooks appeared alive in front of my eyes, this feeling was wonderful. This learning experience made me realize that the meaning of learning a language is to apply it in life.

Figure 10 Group photo of the group report

Provided by International Exchange and Cooperation Office

Edited by Shang Yihong

Reviewed by Cai Hongbo