Shaping the future of education: ECNU participated in the 2025 Global Education Deans Forum

For nearly a decade, the Faculty of Education at East China Normal University (ECNU) has been an active contributor to the Global Education Deans Forum (GEDF), a platform founded at ECNU, along the Liwa River, in 2018. In the years since, the Forum has developed into a venue where education leaders exchange strategies and practices for addressing regional and global challenges. As the founding institution of the GEDF network, ECNU’s Faculty of Education has continued to share its perspectives on international collaboration, teacher education innovation, and cross-cultural dialogue, supporting the Forum’s ongoing growth.

The 2025 GEDF, held from October 21 to 24 at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College, brought together education leaders, deans, and scholars from around the world. Under the theme “Navigating the AI Transformation: Colleges of Education in the Evolving Higher Education Landscape,” participants examined how artificial intelligence (AI) is influencing teaching, learning, teacher preparation, and institutional strategy.

The Forum opened with a panel discussion on “Seeing Innovation—AI and Teaching, Learning, and Opportunities in Education,” which set the stage for the sessions that followed. Over the next two days, panels and roundtables explored AI’s impact on instructional design, teacher preparation, and pedagogical change. Speakers also addressed the structural and ethical considerations associated with rapid technological development. Discussions highlighted the role of translational research and research–practice partnerships in strengthening community engagement and supporting school-level innovation.

Throughout the Forum, roundtable sessions encouraged deans to reflect on how AI is shaping institutional planning and teacher education reform, which revealed both shared priorities and distinct challenges across systems. A hands-on ideation workshop at Vanderbilt’s Wond’ry invited participants to develop scalable models for global cooperation that go beyond traditional memoranda of understanding. TED-style talks showcased how universities are experimenting with new approaches to innovation. The Forum concluded with a keynote address on advancing AI-driven innovation and planning the next phase of GEDF development.

With its focused discussions and forward-looking agenda, the 2025 GEDF underscored the importance of international collaboration in guiding the future of education. The participation of ECNU’s Faculty of Education reflected its ongoing commitment to research-informed teacher education and its efforts to connect education leaders across countries and regions.