CNU Large Language Model Development Programme

 

Understanding and Working with Generative AI in Research & Teaching
College of Education, Capital Normal University (CNU), Beijing, November 2025

The Programme

The CNU LLM Development Programme is a four-week, research-based initiative designed to strategically integrate the use of Large Language Models (LLMs) into academic research and teaching practices at Capital Normal University, Beijing. Developed in response to the recognized need for institutional guidelines and structured support at CNU, the Programme aims to foster a creative dialogue and balance research-based inputs with participatory exercises.

The Programme is led by Professor Ken Spours, Distinguished Visiting Professor, CNU and University College London, and Professor Liying Rong, College of Education, CNU.
 

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Structure and participants
 

 

• Target Participants: Academic staff from different disciplines and postgraduate students.
   

   

• Duration: Four weeks, comprising two sessions per week (eight sessions total).
   

   

• Format: The sessions combine research-based inputs with the harnessing and amplification of participants' existing knowledge, including participatory exercises, case studies, and structured debates.
   

   

 

Key conceptual frameworks
 

The Programme is grounded in a set of political-economy-ecology-technology concepts, providing an analytical lens for understanding Generative AI (GenAI).  These include:
 

 

• Co-construction and the Extended Mind: Exploring LLMs as cognitive partners that extend human intellect.
   

   

• Progressive Mediation: Moving past a simple binary of acceptance or rejection of new technologies toward a "third path" through educational programmes and ethical frameworks, and the concept of building progressive layers of mediation.
   

   

• Technological General Intellect and Technological Organic Intellectuals: Applying Marxist concepts related to advanced technology and the creation of 'progressive technological organic intellectuals' as key mediators.
   

   

• Geopolitical Dimensions: Critical analysis of the political-economy-ecology of GenAI, particularly the role of geo-political competition between the US and China, the trajectory of China's technological development, and the significance of the open-source movement.
  
   

   

Programme objectives and activities
 

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Week 1. Understanding

Establish foundational knowledge of LLMs, including opportunities, risks, ethical working, prompt/context engineering, and moving from 'black boxes' to 'white boxes'.

 

Week 2. Application

Focus on practical applications of LLMs in the research lifecycle (e.g., literature review, data analysis) and in higher education teaching (e.g., generating content, curriculum design, assessment strategies).
 

Week 3. Conceptual Reflections
 

Deepen understanding through cognitive and political-economy-ecology frameworks, including 

cognitive partnership working and a critical analysis of the US-China competition and the role of the open-source movement. This includes a structured debate on navigating the geopolitical landscape.

Week 4. Creating and Building
 

Focus on developing institutional and personal capabilities, primarily by collaboratively drafting institutional ethical guidelines for CNU and establishing a plan for the ongoing LLM 'community of practice'.

 

​Outcomes and legacy
The Programme aims to result in the creation of a framework of university guidelines for ethical LLM partnership working at CNU. Furthermore, participants will form an ongoing LLM 'community of practice' to serve as a repository for materials and a forum for continued refinement of CNU’s guidelines.

 

The initial Programme is planned to be followed by an online element and may be filmed to become a global online resource, highlighting the innovative practices of CNU.