On March 25, Dr Hang Pan, from the University of Southampton, was invited to visit the International College(IC), Xiamen University(XMU), to conduct one-on-one portfolio reviews. The event provided students with a valuable platform to engage directly with an expert from a leading UK university and enhance their portfolios. Dr Pan teaches Graphic Communication at Southampton and specialises in graphic design, UX/UI design, as well as sustainable and inclusive design, bringing strong expertise and extensive teaching and research experience.

During the event, Dr Pan provided a comprehensive overview of the curriculum and programme objectives of relevant disciplines at the University of Southampton, with a particular focus on the institution's core portfolio requirements. She emphasised that the true value of a portfolio lies in presenting the student's creative thinking process, scientific research methods, and iterative experimentation. In its admissions review, the University of Southampton places greater emphasis on the logical thinking and innovative ability demonstrated throughout the creative process, rather than pursuing the perfection of the final outcome. Drawing on her years of teaching and practical experience, Dr Pan also shared practical portfolio optimisation tips with the students, encouraging them to push boundaries and fully showcase diverse, cross-disciplinary creative attempts in their portfolios, making their work a vivid reflection of their professional competence and intellectual potential.

During the one-on-one review session, Dr Pan patiently attended to each student, carefully evaluating their portfolios from multiple perspectives, including narrative coherence, structural logic, and professional presentation, offering targeted and constructive feedback. She spoke highly of the students' unique creativity and strong execution, while reminding them to preserve more authentic traces of their creative process—such as iterative thinking and trial and error—to enhance the depth and persuasiveness of their work. Drawing on outstanding portfolio examples from international students at the University of Southampton, Dr Pan also demonstrated how to build a logically coherent and distinctive portfolio through research and precise user persona development.

At the conclusion of the event, Dr Pan engaged in friendly and in-depth discussions with the college's art faculty, exchanging views on talent cultivation models and portfolio guidance methods. She spoke highly of the solid academic foundation and positive learning attitude of IC students, and expressed sincere recognition of the college's rigorous teaching management and outstanding educational outcomes. This portfolio guidance event not only enhanced students' understanding of how to build a competitive portfolio for admission to prestigious overseas universities and clarified directions for improvement, but also strengthened institutional communication between the IC, XMU and the University of Southampton, laying a solid foundation for future collaboration in teaching exchange and joint talent cultivation.