In order to strengthen the construction of the management team of the Experimental School system and enhance the professional ability and level management personnel, a training class, the 1,905th of the kind, was held for heads of the branch schools (study centres) of the Experimental School of the Open University of China (OUC) and enrolment managing staff in Beijing from 20-24 May 2019.
Eighty-three management personnel from more than 30 branches (study centres) of the Experimental School participated in and graduated from the training class. Liu Chen, deputy secretary of the OUC Party Committee, delivered an opening speech to the class. Lin Yu, vice president of the OUC, delivered a closing speech and issued certificates of completion for the trainees.
In his opening speech, deputy secretary Liu Chen put forward four requirements for the Experimental School and its cooperative units: firstly, he hopes that the cooperative units should keep in mind the task and never forget their original intention, and that the cooperation with the Experimental School should not become the only way to expand the scale and improve the efficiency of running a school; secondly, the cooperative units should develop education under the rules and regulations of the Experimental School, closely focus on quality training, setting goals and planning design, the construction of the teaching system, the implementation of the teaching process, and services for students. Importance should be attached to quality and the bottom line and lifeline of quality should be adhered to; thirdly, the principles of unity, integration, concordance, and conformity should be adhered to in order to form consensus and create a joint force for the realisation of the objectives of the pilot projects; fourthly, both sides should be open and inclusive in their cooperation. In addition, he hopes that everyone will cherish the opportunities presented by this class, exchange experiences and knowledge, share difficulties, and solve puzzles together. He hopes that the pilot projects will bear fruit in the near future and contribute to the sustainable development of the OUC.
The week-long seminar included ice-breaking activities, special lectures, experience exchanges, teaching training, and group discussions, with a focus on the routine business content of management of the study centres and enrolment work. Leaders and experts including Zhang Luanqiao, director of the OUC Department of Student and Teacher Development; Li Yanzhong, director of the Office of Reform, Development, and Policy Research; Wang Ying, director of the Education Research Institute; Sun Hongfei, deputy director of the Academic Affairs Department; Sun Fuwan, executive vice dean of the Marxist School; Guo Qingchun, dean of the Experimental School and; vice deans, Li Xinhui, Xu Gang and Qikun; and Wang Ruyan, director of the Centre of Admissions and Student Affairs, gave speeches. During the training, 34 heads of branches (study centres) exchanged experience. A symposium on cooperation and school-running with the theme of "System Construction and Future Development of the Experimental School" was also held.
The special report covers the ideological and political education of students, the fundamental task of fostering morality, the construction of traditional culture and leadership, the construction of the OUC Experimental School system, the management of enrolment and examinations in the OUC, scientific research by OUC teachers, control of the basic norms and key points of educational administration, and the implementation of teaching process and management standards. The rich and colourful learning content included both educational knowledge, such as system construction, enrolment, teaching and administration management, and basic theories, like students' ideological and political education and leadership building. It was closely linked with the actual work and has a positive role in enhancing the professional abilities and management level of the managers in the Experimental School system. During the seminar, Guo Qingchun also gave a lecture on the quality of school running and teaching.
At the graduation ceremony, Fu Huiping and three other representatives shared their learning experience. Vice president Lin Yu and director Zhang Luanqiao jointly issued certificates of graduation to the students.
In his speech at the graduation ceremony, vice president Lin Yu put forward three requirements for the Experimental School: firstly, he hopes that the Experimental School would become an experimental field for the reform of the OUC’s teaching and training model; secondly, he hopes that the Experimental School will supplement the capacity of the OUC in local operation; thirdly, he hopes that the Experimental School would make reform efforts under the premise of following the relevant policies and documents of the Ministry of Education. In addition, he hopes that all cooperative units will be honest and trustworthy in their cooperation with the OUC, so as to achieve win-win cooperation.
At the end of the training, the students said that it not only helped them get familiar with the norms and requirements of the management of open education; it also enhanced the cohesion of the teaching staff in the Experimental School system. They decided to further strengthen the ideological and political education of students in their future work, insist on the basic task of cultivating students and fostering morality, adhere to the norms of school running, stick to the bottom line, ensure quality, promote the high-quality development of the Experimental School, and help to realise the strategic goals of the OUC.
By Tu Chenyang, OUC