BEIJING, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Confronting the challenges of in-classroom teaching due to the COVID-19 epidemic, eye-catching technologies from many Chinese companies at the ongoing 2020 China International Fair for Trade in Services in Beijing are providing new possibilities for future education after the crisis.

In a bustling hall designed exclusively for the education sector, a variety of high-tech solutions are being showcased, aiming to better facilitate teaching in the post-COVID-19 era.

GO ONLINE

The futuristic space of a smart interactive online classroom drew many visitors, as a huge electronic whiteboard replaced the blackboard, and mobile electronic devices, such as cell phones and tablets, took the place of notebooks.

Developed by a Chinese company founded in 2014, the interactive online classroom system, called "ClassIn," can provide interactive livestreaming courses, allowing teachers to assign and correct homework online, as well as apply face-to-face teaching methods, such as organizing group discussions and offering quick-response quizzes.

This online platform was well-received after the COVID-19 epidemic outbreak due to the stagnation in offline education, said Xing Yuyu, a marketing director of the company.

"At present, we have users from more than 150 countries and regions, such as the United Kingdom, Australia and Singapore," said Xing, adding that their latest version highlights the idea of online merging with offline in the hope that teachers and students can continue using the smart teaching platforms after their return to schools.

AI-BASED

Removing restrictions on teaching space is just the tip of the iceberg. Artificial intelligence (AI) clicked into focus as the core technology of many advanced educational tools.

An AI-based teaching assessment system, which can analyze teachers' gesture, facial expressions, and teaching skills, was promoted by TAL Education Group, a Chinese education and technology enterprise.

Using AI technologies like speech recognition, they have also developed an AI teaching system for Chinese learning.

The system not only targets Chinese children but also has several versions in other languages to help promote Chinese teaching abroad.

The company has a broad potential overseas market since more than 4,000 universities, as well as over 30,000 primary and secondary schools around the world, are offering Chinese courses. Besides, a total of 200 million people outside China have learned and use Chinese, according to China's Ministry of Education.

LEARNING ALGORITHM

While making classes smarter, AI technology turns itself into the major content of education.

Chinese tech firm iFlytek has brought its AI course system for students from primary schools to senior high schools to the trade fair.

Browsing the catalog of textbooks, machine learning, face recognition, speech synthesis, and other key technologies are included as major chapters, aiming to lay a solid foundation for artificial intelligence talent reserves.

Ruan Kai, a marketing director for the company's AI education products, said that their courses have already been adopted by about 1,000 domestic schools and exported to places including Malaysia.

He added that they are aiming for a wider overseas market in the next stage.

"This is the point where we are most likely to overtake in corners," said Yu Lizhong, chancellor emeritus of New York University Shanghai on the sidelines of the trade fair.

Yu is optimistic about AI technology learning among young people.

While stressing education's public benefits, Yu said AI will not only strengthen China's education but also provide an impetus for reform in the education sector.