2020 Online Summer School: Students of Zhejiang University Attended the Online Courses of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University

From July 6 to August 14, 2020, the online Summer School of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, hosted by the Physics Department of Zhejiang University, was successfully held. A total of 70 students from 9 departments of Zhejiang University participated in seven courses. This online Summer School, covered professional courses, lectures, vlog experiments, cultural activities and other content, and brought a wonderful exchange experience for students through convenient network.

1. Traditional and innovative course teaching

There are more than 20 kinds of courses in this Summer School. Students can choose the corresponding course according to their own interests. Our students took seven courses, including space technology, advanced technology of materials, smart manufacturing, plasma physics, Russian language and business culture, machine learning and game design.

In the space technology class, a group project of microsatellite design was carried out, and experts in the field of microsatellite commercialization were invited to inspire and share four unique microsatellite system designs on air ground monitoring, meteorological observation, plant research and deep space observation from two aspects of innovative functions and design ideas.

In the experimental operation class of advanced technology of materials, the teachers and assistants used vlog videos to lead everyone to observe their laboratory and all kinds of advanced equipment and experimental operation closely. Teachers also encouraged students that are interested in this field to contact them and join the laboratory to engage in related professional research.

The students of smart manufacturing learned industrial control computer, CoDeSys programming, multi-intelligent system, project management and other knowledge, so that students had a deeper understanding of intelligent industry. In the group presentation, students took the power supply system in the smart home as the example, and realized the design of multi-intelligent system.The students had a more comprehensive and profound understanding of what they learned by designing on their own.

The plasma professors introduced from the basic theory of plasma to the very specific knowledge of tokamak and stellarator with wonderful videos and beautiful pictures. In order to make up for inability to visit the laboratory and observe all kinds of wonderful plasma phenomena, the professor specially recorded vlog videos in his laboratory in advance. From the rare gas glow discharge tube, to the electrostatic ion sphere, and then to the magnetically confined particle cavity, all kinds of experimental phenomena were wonderful, which let us have a more intuitive understanding of the course.

In every Russian class of Russian language and business culture, the teacher warmly greeted each student in Russian. In the last class, everyone used Russian to introduce their hometowns. Language is not only a tool for communication, but also a carrier of culture. Following the magic Russian syllables, the students entered the Russian spiritual and cultural world. In the Russian business culture class, the teacher not only showed the typical characteristics of Russian business culture, but also figured out the similarities and differences of business culture among China, Brazil and Colombia.

Machine learning introduced all kinds of machine learning algorithms, such as supervised learning, unsupervised learning, reinforcement learning. Students understood the basic concepts of neural network and other cutting-edge algorithms, and learnt how to use Python, Anaconda and other platforms. The teacher also assigned two subjects, the students actively discussed, united as one, and finally solved the difficulties together. In the course, students and teachers actively communicated, which not only deepened the understanding of knowledge, but also exercised the ability of foreign language communication.

Game design course mainly introduced four kinds of game design and 3D modeling software, Photoshop, ZBrush, Maya and unreal engine. The students created 3D characters and manipulated their actions, then put them into the game scene.

2. Surprise and expectation cultural experiences

Except courses, extracurricular activities also given a deep impression on the students. Following live footage, we walk through St. Petersburg's famous December partisan square. In the evening tour of Russia, due to the time difference, the students got up at 5:30 a.m. to see the midnight scene of Russia. They witnessed the merger of suspension bridges on the Neva River. The noisy and joyful sounds in the market were strengthened by the time difference, giving the students a wonderful experience. In the activity of Pub Quiz, the teacher held a small game about Russia, such as guessing the landmarks and customs of Russian, which made students understand Russian culture in many aspects. Students also enjoyed the Russian ballet performance online, and relaxed after theoretical study and understood the unique history and culture of Russia. But at the same time, students also had a kind of regret that they can't experience at the scene. They look forward to the opportunity to experience it in the future.

This online communication is short but substantial, but it is shared by the same voice from thousands of miles away. The regret of not being able to experience at the scene turned into the brilliance of the online course, giving this exchange a distinctive symbol. Students not only contacted professional courses and Russian courses, but also experienced the long and profound Russian culture and customs. In the multi-cultural intersection and collision, students' thinking and vision were expanded, and this learning experience will become the spiritual wealth with life. We believe that in the future, we will interact with more international friends, and more students will go abroad to show the elegant demeanor of Zhejiang university!