The Regional Selection Contest in the Central and Eastern Europe of GCD4FE was successfully held in Zagreb, Croatia, from June 11-13, 2024. The event was organized by Beijing Normal University and the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education, and co-hosted by institutions including the Zagreb University of Applied Sciences, the Smart Learning Institute of Beijing Normal University, and the UNESCO Chair on Artificial Intelligence in Education. The competition was held in conjunction with Croatia’s annual “Printing & Design” international conference. In early July, the Regional Selection Contest of the Higher Education Track will also take place in the Maldives.
Since its launch, the Regional Selection Contest in the Central and Eastern Europe has garnered widespread attention from the international academic community, with hundreds of participants from countries such as Croatia, Serbia, and Hungary registering to take part. After a rigorous selection and review process, 10 outstanding teams were selected to compete in the Regional Selection Contest. The event was attended by prominent figures including Jana Žiljak Gršić, Dean at the Zagreb University of Applied Sciences, Chen Guangju, the Chairman of the Competition Steering Committee and Vice Dean of the Smart Learning Institute of Beijing Normal University, Wang Huanhuan, the Focal Contact for the UNESCO Chair on Artificial Intelligence in Education, and Kuai Hongyan, the Vice Chairman of the Competition Steering Committee and Director of the Design and Learning Laboratory of the Smart Learning Institute.
The Regional Selection Contest spanned three days and encompassed various segments such as pre-competition training, design guidance, project presentations, and an award ceremony. Participants from international universities like the Zagreb University of Applied Sciences, the University of Debrecen, the University of Szeged, and the University of Belgrade engaged in collaborative work and competition through a hybrid format, guided by five international mentors from the competition organizing committee and local Croatian experts.
Vesna Uglješić, a senior lecturer at the Zagreb University of Applied Sciences, provided an overview of the competition’s history and the arrangements for the event, extending a warm welcome to the participants. Wang Huanhuan focused on the application of AIGC in the competition, detailing how AIGC tools can be utilized in information retrieval, image design, drafting paragraphs, and PPT creation, and encouraged participants to leverage these tools to enhance their projects.
During the intense presentation and roadshow sessions, teams showcased their creativity, proposing innovative solutions that leverage AIGC, the metaverse, and virtual reality technologies to innovate education, enhance teaching experiences, and improve learning efficiency. The participants delivered passionate and insightful presentations, which were highly praised by the judges. The judges, in turn, provided in-depth analysis and feedback, offering guidance on creativity, design, implementation, and promotion of the projects.
After a fierce competition, the Regional Selection Contest in the Central and Eastern Europe awarded the Gold Award, along with several other honors including the Best Design Award, Best Science & Education Integration Award, Most Applicable Project Award, Best Planning Award, and the Most Innovative Project Award. The awards ceremony took place during the “Printing & Design” international conference in Croatia, with Professor Chen Guangju and Dean Jana Žiljak Gršić presenting the awards to the winners.
In his closing remarks, Professor Chen Guangju praised the teams for their exceptional teamwork and innovative spirit, highlighting the broad vision and deep sense of social responsibility demonstrated by the youth. He expressed gratitude to the students, teachers, and judges from the Croatian division for their support and contribution to the competition and extended an invitation to educators and students from the Central and Eastern Europe to participate in the competition, contributing to the advancement of education. Professor Petar Jandric of the Zagreb University of Applied Sciences, representing the Croatian hosts, reflected on his visit to Beijing Normal University last year and his experience witnessing the preparations for the 6th GCD4FE finals. He spoke highly of the enthusiastic atmosphere and the new opportunities and experiences provided to students in the Central and Eastern Europe through the collaboration with Beijing Normal University, expressing hopes for continued cooperation in the future.
The successful conclusion of the Regional Selection Contest in the Central and Eastern Europe at the Zagreb University of Applied Sciences not only provided a platform for international educators and students to present innovative educational concepts but also fostered in-depth exploration of the integration of cutting-edge technologies with the field of education. Following the success of the Regional Selection Contest in the Central and Eastern Europe, the Regional Selection Contest of the Higher Education Track will also take place in the Maldives. In late July, outstanding teams from universities worldwide will gather in Beijing to compete for the final honors of the competition, with best wishes for all participants to achieve excellent results.
