Educators from Beijing, China, and NIU faculty discussed the possibility of linking NIU and schools in the Beijing area during a meeting Monday.

Twenty-two delegates from the Beijing Education Commission delegation visited NIU to learn about how NIU teaches students.

“The main purpose was to find out how we prepare students to become teachers,” said Cynthia Campbell, an assistant professor who works with the Department of Education Technology, Research & Assessment. “They’re interested in how we coordinated the experience with area schools.”

The delegates first met at the Milan Township one-room schoolhouse to get a historical perspective on United States’ schools. The group also visited technology labs in Gabel Hall to see how the curriculum has changed.

Promod Vohra, dean of the College of Engineering, spoke to the delegates at the Holmes Student Center’s Illinois room.

Vohra said it’s important to work with students at the high school level to prepare them for engineering.

“If we don’t work with students at the high school level, their chances of becoming engineers are very slim,” Vohra said. “One of the answers to most of the problems in academia will be answered by strong partnerships.”

Vohra talked about the possibility of online partnerships, idea clinics and sharing the university facilities with high school students to prepare them.

“The biggest problem is not preparing students for the expectations of industry,” Vohra said.

Delegates came to NIU mainly because of its education program. NIU is one of the first institutions to offer stand-alone courses in assessment and technology, meaning these courses aren’t integrated with other courses.

“We’re on the cutting edge in many ways,” Campbell said.

Sharon Freagon, director of the Center for Child Welfare and Education, also spoke to the delegation about working with elementary and middle schools.

“We’re very excited about the partnership we’re doing,” Freagon said. “Being a part of the culture for both settings is really important in what we’re doing for the public schools.”