On May, 27 2025, a visiting delegation of faculty and students from the Media major of Loughborough University, the UK, launched a week-long academic and cultural exchange visit at Guangdong University of Technology (GDUT). Saul Albert, Head of the Department of Media at the School of Social Sciences, Loughborough University, accompanied by Auric and Kristiyana, two outstanding third-year undergraduate students, held a series of rich and well-paced professional courses and seminar activities with students from the Sino-British Class of the School of International Studies at GDUT, injecting fresh and dynamic impetus into the university cooperation between China and the UK.

During this exchange event, Professor Albert delivered insightful and accessible lectures centering on core topics including Why Study Media and Communication and Media Landscape, and systematically guided students to move from theory to practice. In the very first class, he organized a brainstorming session on the theme of "Media" for students, guided them to consult literature in databases such as CNKI, and gradually helped them narrow down and define their respective research questions. Subsequently, students wrote concise literature reviews based on their selected topics, and each of them ultimately completed a mini media research project. Throughout the process, through constructive feedback and critical thinking training, the professor not only improved students' academic expression skills, but also helped them build a fundamental awareness of research methodologies and a critical perspective.

In the series of media workshops, the two British students spoke actively and enthusiastically guided Chinese students to participate in group discussions, imperceptibly influencing and igniting the passion of their Chinese peers. Students noted that they previously had a vague understanding of the media major, but through this immersive all-English teaching and practical experience, they have rediscovered the charm of the discipline and found the direction of their future efforts. Many students gradually grew from being shy and reserved at the beginning to being confident and able to speak fluently with ease. The all-English communication environment has greatly boosted students' enthusiasm and confidence in English learning. At the closing of the event, the students of the Sino-British Class presented brilliant video works of their project outcomes, which won high praise from the Loughborough faculty and students. Professor Albert decided to bring the videos back to the UK to share the works of the students from our Sino-British Class with media majors at Loughborough University, and in turn, share the project outcomes of Loughborough students with the faculty and students of our School.

The Loughborough faculty and students were invited to attend the English Corner hosted by our School. They had in-depth exchanges with the participating students about their experiences and impressions from their first visit to China, and encouraged everyone to speak up actively, master English well, and better introduce China's development and achievements to the world. Professor Albert expressed his hope to continue holding English Corner activities online after returning to the UK, encourage British students to actively learn Chinese, and launch an online English and Chinese learning community, so that students from both universities can benefit together.

It is worth noting that prior to this faculty and student visit in May, three academics from Loughborough University already visited Guangdong University of Technology on April, 27 2025 and delivered a series of excellent lectures. Professor Taeyoung conducted an in-depth analysis on The Impact of Netflix on South Korea's Film and Television Industry, exploring how global streaming platforms have reshaped the ecological landscape of the local TV and film market. Professor Anna gave a comprehensive introduction to Loughborough University's development history, disciplinary strengths and international cooperation programs, providing students with valuable reference information for overseas study. Professor Henry focused on language learning methods, and shared practical approaches to improving English proficiency from multiple perspectives by combining his personal experience with language acquisition theories. These lectures laid a solid foundation for further in-depth exchanges between the Chinese and UK sides, and also fostered a sound academic atmosphere for the subsequent immersive interactive courses.

This series of exchange activities is an integral part of the 2+2 Sino-British Joint Program between Guangdong University of Technology and Loughborough University. Through professional teaching and face-to-face exchanges between students of the two universities, it has enhanced the cross-cultural communication competence and broadened the international horizons of the students from the Sino-British Class at our university. Going forward, the two sides will continue to deepen cooperation and work hand in hand to cultivate media talents with global competitiveness.