To enhance faculty members’ academic English writing and presentation skills, improve communication capabilities, and support professional development, the Open University of China (OUC) launched the 2024 Academic English Skills Enhancement Programme for faculty.

The opening ceremony took place on 19 July 2024. Fan Xianrui, a member of the Party Committee and vice president of the OUC, attended the event and delivered a speech. Sam McIlroy, director of the Oxford University Language Centre (OULC), addressed the ceremony via an online meeting. Dr. Michael D’Angeli, a faculty member at the OULC, relevant department heads of the OUC, and 30 participants attended the opening ceremony in a hybrid format combining online and onsite participation. The event was hosted by Liu Haiying, vice dean of the College of International Education.

Fan Xianrui highlighted that English is an essential tool for international communication in the modern world, and enhancing academic English proficiency is fundamental for engaging in international academic exchanges. Building on feedback from participants in the 2023 language training, the OUC has refined and improved the programme, ultimately partnering with the OULC. The goal is to enhance faculty members' English communication skills through training and to specifically improve their academic English writing, academic literature reading, and academic report presentation and communication skills, thereby supporting their professional development. She expressed hope that in the future, the OUC and Oxford University would further strengthen their cooperation, expanding into deeper and larger-scale collaborations, particularly in scholar exchanges, course resource development, and online education research, achieving more cooperative outcomes.

Sam McIlroy expressed that the OUC's remarkable achievements and innovative approaches in distance education have greatly inspired him and his team. He is confident that through this collaboration, both parties will explore broader cooperation spaces and opportunities, leading to the implementation of more projects in the future.

Zhao Tingting, deputy director of the Department of Student Affairs and Teacher Development, introduced the OUC’s faculty development initiatives and encouraged participants to use this programme as an opportunity to hone their research skills, broaden their international perspectives, and effectively tell the story of the OUC.

Xiong Ying, vice dean of the School of Foreign Languages, spoke on behalf of the participants.

Contributed by College of International Education, photo by Zhuge Huanyu, OUC