On the morning of December 5, 2023, the Third Annual Conference of the First International Advisory Board (IAB) of the International Business School was successfully held in conference Room 1329 at Wenlan Building. The Conference adopted a hybrid format, combining online and offline participation, under the theme "Cultivating Business School Students in the VUCA Context: Competency Goals and Assessment Methods."

Attending members of the committee included Professor LAI Kin Keung, Chair of the Board and Distinguished Professor of IBS; Professor Li Yuan, Vice Chair of the Board and Distinguished Professor at the School of Economics and Management, Tongji University; Mr. Nie Xinyong, Vice Chair of the Board, renowned investor, entrepreneur, 78' alumnus of Shaanxi Normal University, and Chairman of United Capital Investment Group; Professor Wei Jiang, Deputy Party Secretary and Vice President of Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics; Professor Renee B. Kim from the School of Business, Hanyang University, South Korea; Professor Yan Liang from the Department of Economics, Willamette University, USA; Professor Hantang Qi from Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham, UK; and Professor Zhang Jinghua, Assistant Dean of the School of Business, Macau University of Science and Technology, and AACSB Project Supervisor. Members of the IBS Party and Administrative Joint Committee, department heads, program directors, directors of the First-Class Discipline Construction Office, the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Teaching and Research Section, the Teaching Innovation Research Center, the Alumni Association, the Party and Administrative Offices, as well as all members of the International Cooperation and Accreditation Office, attended the offline conference.

The opening session was chaired by Mr. Si Peifeng, Party Secretary of IBS. He welcomed the committee members and expressed gratitude for their support and concern for the college's work over the past three years. Subsequently, Dean Lei Hongzhen responded to the suggestions and advice offered by the board members at the previous conference and reported on the college's development from 2022 to 2023. Dr. Li Zhengfeng, Director of the International Cooperation and Accreditation Office, then introduced the construction progress of the college's Assurance of Learning (AoL) system.

The discussion session was chaired by Professor LAI Kin Keung. Board members engaged in discussions centered on the theme, "Cultivating Business School Students in the VUCA Context: Competency Goals and Assessment Methods." Professor Lai began with a presentation on "Learning-Centered Education," detailing the experiences of the College of Business at City University of Hong Kong. He clarified the relationships between learning outcomes, teaching activities, and assessment methods, emphasizing that both teachers and students should be clear about learning objectives, and that teaching methods, activities, and assessments should support and promote students' achievement of these goals. Professor Renee B. Kim offered nine suggestions for enhancing the college's social impact and improving its AoL system from an AACSB accreditation perspective. She noted that the college could leverage its existing diverse activities to implement indirect assessments and must use assessment results to refine curricula and training programs. She also recommended establishing reasonable institutional mechanisms to involve all faculty members in building the AoL system without significantly increasing their workload. Professor Hantang Qi suggested that the college should integrate internationalization goals into its student cultivation system based on its specific context, while also focusing on developing students' adaptability. Professor Wei Jiang emphasized the importance of clarifying the college's positioning and strategy to define the type of talent it aims to cultivate. He also advocated for organizational innovation within the college to improve existing structures, systems, and mechanisms. Professor Li Yuan highlighted the current challenges facing economics and management disciplines and proposed personalized student cultivation approaches. Chairman Nie Xinyong offered suggestions from an enterprise perspective, stressing the importance of modern technology. Professor Yan Liang recommended strengthening the cultivation of international perspectives among students across all programs and identifying the college's unique positioning and characteristics. Professor Zhang Jinghua shared accreditation experiences from Macau University of Science and Technology, noting that AACSB accreditation can facilitate systematic institutional development. She also emphasized the importance of embedding an assessment culture within the college's teaching activities and encouraging participation from all faculty members.

In conclusion, Dean Lei Hongzhen thanked all board members for their participation and valuable insights and outlined the future direction for the college. He stated that the college will focus on strategy, innovation, and impact, develop its unique characteristics, pursue organizational innovation, and proactively respond to the forefront of technological development and the current challenges facing education.