Glass marble playing, dating psychology, Harry Potter and genetics, life and death ... Chinese universities have started setting up innovative new courses. In these classes, students are able to learn knowledge through vivid examples and group work, making learning fun.

For example, at Tianjin University, the most popular elective course is dating psychology, which is in high demand all the time. Jin Yangbo, 18, enrolled in the course this school year. “This course is very scientific,” said Jin. “It doesn’t straight away start with techniques on how to date, but instead guide s us to learn more about ourselves, our family and our attachment styles.”

What made Jin impressive was the group discussion on the differences between how men and women think. “I hadn’t realized that there were that many differences between men and women in emotional expression,” Jin said.

Wang Xiaoling, the professor of the course, applied to make dating psychology an elective course in 2019. “I do psychological counseling on campus and have noticed a rising need among students to have professional relationship guidance,” said Wang. “I think theoretical knowledge and practice are both essential in relationships,” Wang said. “Many university students haven’t developed a healthy view toward relationships. When they encounter problems, many of them don’t have a good system for handling consequences.”

In the course, Wang has covered topics like “why some people tend to please others in relationships”, “how to handle conflicts” and “how to get over a person after breaking up”. “I also asked them to do group presentations and papers on these topics, so that they can explore themselves in an active way.”

In the future, Wang and the university want to start a video channel on social media so they can help more young people all over China. “We will design the course based on current situations so that the knowledge is more up-to-date,” Wang said.

Three years ago, Jasminka Jost was looking for a place for her young son, Vigo, to be active. She had tried playing soccer, but Vigo, who has autism (孤独症), had trouble focusing on the game. Jost needed a safe space for Vigo with coaches who specialized in meeting his needs. That’s when friends referred Jost and her family to the River City Inclusive Cym (RCIG), which offers workout classes for children, teens and adults with disabilities.

The gym has been in operation since 2016, renting space in a traditional gymnastics gym before moving to its current location on Patterson Avenue in April 2022. There’re six hour —long classes per day from Monday through Saturday, each with a maximum of seven attendees and each featuring one coach per participant.

“Our classes consist of an obstacle course,” says Mike McGrath, the founder of RCIG. “There’re four different sections of the gym, and we spend 15 minutes in each section. There’re monkey bars, swings, ropes for climbing and swinging, slides ropes for climbing and swinging, slides, and more. That can sound frightening, but we start from where they’re comfortable. If they just need to touch the rope at first, that’s OK, but our goal is to gradually build their skill level and participation.”

Vigo, now 6 years old, looks forward to classes every week. There’re classes far older kids and young adults, too. Christine Schwab has been bringing her niece, 20-year-old Brennan, for two years and says that the classes have improved her social and motor skills. “The coaches at RCIG were great at getting her to take the extra step — and to believe that she could,” Schwab says. “As a loved one, it’s amazing to see.”

Jost adds the gym is a good place to meet other people facing similar challenges. “Even beyond the classes, there’s a deep sense of community and belonging.” she says. “Vigo has made a lot of little friends, and it’s an opportunity to meet other parents. It’s a place we can all go and just be ourselves.”

I stood behind the curtain, my hands shaking. As I listened to the crowd laugh at the host's jokes, I thought about why I believed I could do that. Two months earlier, I had signed up for improv（即兴表演）classes at a local theater, along with four other graduate students.

When I first heard about the improv classes, I was torn. I feared getting on stage and performing in front of strangers. However, I knew I wanted to work as a science communicator after finishing my Ph.D., so it seemed like a perfect opportunity to improve my communication ability and gain confidence thinking on my feet.

During our first class, we learned the key concept of improv: “yes, and”. If someone says that rhinos are librarians, for example, then rhinos are librarians. We don't question the logic; we say “yes” and continue with the scene as if nothing is wrong. To do this effectively, we have to avoid second-guessing ourselves. Sometimes scenes go in unexpected directions. The best improv happens when performers stay open to different possibilities. Over time, I started to enjoy our classes. I also became better at listening and communicating clearly in the moment.

That training came in handy 6 months ago, when I was giving a seminar about my science research. An audience member surprised me with a question that didn't grow out of the information I had presented. Instead of getting perplexed, I used that approach, and it helped me find an appropriate answer.

Last year, I used that approach when dealing with confusing data. Instead of getting discouraged, I kept exploring the data and ended up identifying a new type of cell — one that wasn't behaving as expected. If I hadn't stayed open to the possibility that the results were real, I would have missed out on the most exciting finding of my Ph.D. program so far.