Construction and exploration of a practical teaching system for automation majors in the context of emerging engineering education

As a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation continues to accelerate, the development of emerging engineering education has placed higher demands on the engineering practice skills, interdisciplinary innovative thinking, and complex systems problem-solving abilities of students majoring in automation at higher education institutions. However, practical teaching in automation programs currently faces several persistent challenges, including a disconnect between course content and industrial technological advances, monotonous teaching methods, insufficient engineering experience among faculty members, and rigid assessment mechanisms. This study introduces the concept of a closed-loop educational ecosystem and develops a practical teaching system characterized by "three stages, four dimensions, and dual cycles". The three stages constitute a progressive competency development pathway of "foundational understanding–integrated practice–advanced innovation". The four dimensions—"institutional guidance, resource integration, methodological innovation, and dynamic assessment"—form an enabling framework that encompasses the entire teaching process. The dual cycles comprise an internal teaching–learning cycle centered on data-driven approaches and an external university–industry cycle characterized by the integration of industry and education. By restructuring modular curricula, implementing full-cycle project-based learning, fostering collaboration between university and industry faculty, and adopting multidimensional dynamic assessment, this study explores effective approaches to practical teaching reform. Preliminary empirical evidence indicates that the proposed system effectively improves students' hands-on engineering skills and innovative capabilities, providing a theoretical framework and practical model that may inform teaching reform in other engineering disciplines.