There is a group of people that live and work in the highest areas of the world, where the oxygen level is only 65% of that of plain areas. They have to travel over mountains and rivers for more than 5kilo meters on foot each day to get to work. Who are they? They are the teachers in primary and secondary schools in the Tibetan region. Despite their efforts, due to a lack of educational resources, the region has no access to new technologies so the professional qualities of these teachers improve very slowly.

At present, the Open University of China (OUC), making use of the“cloud classroom” teaching system, has set up a new digitization pathway to introduce more and better educational resources into the Tibetan plateau and has thus built up a lifelong learning platform for the teachers, students, and citizens in the Tibetan region. 

The Cloud Classroom: A Learning Experience over the Cloud Terminal

On November 23, an eight-treasure auspicious precious vase in a typical Tibetan style created an eye-catching scene in the cloud classroom. This was a 3D printing project designed and finished by Bianbazeren, a teacher from Number One Primary School in Qamdo,Tibet, under the guidance of the OUC team. At the other end of the cloud classroom in Qamdo,thousands of miles away, there stood three 3D printers, donated to three primary and secondary schools in Qamdo by the OUC and 3D printer manufacturers for use in new technology application training in the future.

Last summer, the headquarters of the OUC and the Institute of Education Sciences of the Education Bureau of Qamdo Prefecture of Tibet, along with local electronic teaching centres, used the cloud classroom system to hold the first video class to provide distance training on the “application of new technologies in education” for information technology teachers in primary and secondary schools in Qamdo Prefecture and cadres sent to support Tibet.

As a new type of university, the OUC focuses on providing educational services for disadvantaged areas, as well as the need for higher education in ethnic minority areas. In order to solve these problems, the OUC put forward a strategic plan for cloud classroom construction based on cloud computing technology, with emphasis on central and western areas, and priority given to frontline learning centres in the these areas, which will help deliver excellent educational resources to learners. 

The cloud classroom is a product of the“Internet+classroom” ideal, which can turn“distant”communication into “imminent”communication. On May 21,2012, the first cloud classroom of the OUC was completed and put into use at Beihai Radio and Television University. Later, a group of cloud classrooms were constructed in western border regions and economically backward areas. Today, the first 63 cloud classrooms have been put into use. The second phase of construction is in the debugging phase and will be launched soon. It is expected that the construction of a total of 294 cloud classrooms and 21 control centres will be completed by the end of 2015,with cloud classrooms covering 22 branches of the OUC.

As a model for the application of advanced information technology in the field of distance education, the cloud classroom realizes functions such as online teaching, distance real-time teaching, real time course recording, network based live teaching, video conferencing, distance interview and defense, and online testing and test monitoring. The cloud classroom programme is an important component of the OUC’s digitization construction. Its construction has promoted the sharing of the best educational resources and the balanced development of education in central and western regions.

Data reflects the OUC’s support for Tibet: It has helped with the construction of a range of distance education infrastructure including a remote two-way video conferencing system, a system for receiving IP teaching resources, and computerized online classrooms; donated 637 pieces of courseware and RMB 500,000 in equipment; invested RMB 3 million in helping the School of Tibet build learning centres in Shannan Prefecture and Shigatse Prefecture, and set up five general courses with Tibetan characteristics; assisted in the construction of a cloud classroom sub-control centre and a cloud classroom for the learning centres in Lhasa, Shannan, Shigatse, Nyingchi and Qamdo; and helped with the construction of the Tibetan sub-centre of the National Digital Learning Resources Centre, plus provided it with 400,000 resources for free. 

 “i-3D Printing” Lab: Enjoy Learning 

“Will the 3D printers suffer altitude sickness?” was a question raised by Bianbazeren,a teacher at Qamdo Number One Primary School,one that was returned with a smile by a distance tutor in Beijing. Wei Shunping from the OUC’s i-3D Printing Lab was the main lecturer for the training. The content of his speech was “3D printing technology and its application in education”.

With the organization of the Institute of Education Sciences of the Education Bureau (Sports Bureau) of Qamdo Prefecture, the connection between this area and areas with advanced education was realized through online videos. During a round-table conference, teachers from both sides exchanged views and studied online. Through a series of video exchanges, teachers in Qamdo were able to understand the basics of 3D printing and successfully made a sample model. 

The i-3D Printing Lab is one of the important components of the i-Test for Community Education Programme of the Research and Training Centre for Community Education under the Ministry of Education(MOE). It was undertaken by the OUC Engineering Centre in order to explore an innovative community education model based on information technology. The i-3D Printing Lab, with its three goals of the scientific popularization of 3D printing technology, equipment usage experience, and creativity and innovation in design, is a new experience space integrating interactive teaching, design and creation, operating experience, and work presentation. 

The i-3D Printing Lab includes a physical space and an online space. The physical lab is located at Zhongguancun Institute in Haidian District, Beijing. The online lab has columns on the Internet corresponding to each of the physical lab’s functions, including providing the latest information about 3D printing technology research for learners in order for them to understand the advances and development trends of the technology, obtain learning materials, and download 3D models. The i-3D Printing Lab will become an open platform for community residents to attend training and exchanges about 3D printing technology, so as to meet the diverse learning needs of the citizens and promote the construction of an innovative, learning-oriented city.

Cadres Sent to Support Tibet: Narrow the “Digital Gap” between Urban and Rural Education

Tibetan teachers didn’t care that much about 3D printing in the past. However, now they are able to apply the three-dimensional design knowledge they have learned during their practical teaching. “Previously, few teachers participated in the teacher training organized by the state, the autonomous region of Tibet, and Qamdo, which takes up a lot of teaching time for the teachers.” Zhou Guoxi, a cadre sent to support Tibet by the Organization Department of the Municipal Party Committee in Tianjin and the director of the Institute of Education Sciences of the Education Bureau (Sports Bureau) of Qamdo Prefecture, told the reporter that, “The OUC, a new style of university supported by information technology, became our breakthrough point. When we sought technical support from the OUC, we received a quick response. Although Beijing and Qamdo are far away from each other, online video communication diminishes the distance.”

In recent years, education in Qamdo has undergone rapid development. The mindset of the farmers and herdsmen has changed and their enthusiasm for sending their children to school is rising. However, considering the urbanization of Qamdo, the practical need for long-term peace and order in Qamdo, and the requirement for common people to accept good quality education, education is still lagging behind. In particular, problems such as unbalanced education development, the structural shortage of teaching staff, the low professional level of teaching administrative staff, and the poor conditions for school operation have slowed the development of local education. With the cooperation of cadres supporting Tibet, the OUC used new technology to improve the existing educational model, integrated quality educational resources, and distributed them to remote and ethnic minority areas, which has promoted the development of local education. 

With the advent of the “cloud era”, in order to adapt to the demands of a personnel training model with the characteristics of “six network integration”, the OUC has completed the construction of a core business system that includes a teaching system, educational administration system, admissions system, exam system, digital resources library, remote reception system, and office system as its main components. A digital learning environment with multiple terminal access points that integrates “cloud, pathway, and terminal” is being created. 

School of Tibet: Yak butter tea, a union of tea and salt

There is a Tibetan proverb that says: “Love each other, just like tea and salt.” If there is no tea in buttered tea, it can’t be buttered tea; if there is no salt in buttered tea, it will be tasteless. 

On August 14, 2002, the School of Tibet of the Central China Radio and Television University (CCRTVU) was officially established. In August 2012, along with the unveiling of the OUC, the name of the Institute was officially changed into the School of Tibet of the OUC. Approved by the Education Department of Tibet Autonomous Region, and established with the cooperation of the OUC and Tibet University, the School of Tibet is a public educational institution carrying out modern distance education in Tibet. Furthermore, the School of Tibet is the only educational institution that carries out modern distance education in Tibet. The establishment of the School of Tibet not only fulfills the need for a modern distance education school-operating institution in Tibet, it is an important measure for the OUC to coordinate the strategy of western China’s development and participate in supporting Tibet through education nationwide, setting a precedent for cooperation between the OUC and ordinary universities and colleges. 

Since its establishment, the School of Tibet has launched seven undergraduate programmes including Chinese Language and Literature, Accounting, Public Administration, Law, English, Computer Science and Technology, and Business Administration, and five majors including Nursing, Accounting, Public Administration, Law, and Modern Clergy. As of September 2015, it has enrolled a total of 10,525 students. Currently registered students amount to 4,366, and graduates amount to 4,753. 

At the opening ceremony for new students of the School of Tibet in fall 2015, Vice President of the OUC Yan Bing granted awards to 22 winners of the 2014 OUC scholarship. One of the winners, Zhao Gao, has been engaged in road management at Mozugongka Road Maintenance Division of Nyingchi Road Branch after finishing his military service in the armed police forces in Tibet at the end of 2009. He entered the Lhasa Learning Centre of the Tibet Institute to study Law in Spring2014. “The legal awareness of ordinary people in Tibetan areas is weak. According to the “Highway Law”, the shortest distance between a house and a road is 20m. However many houses were built 15m away from the road. I want to use the legal knowledge I have learned to popularize the laws and work with local governments to deal with the situation.”

The School of Tibet has been expanding in scale since it was established and now has learning centres all over Tibet. After Shannan and Shigatse Learning Centres were established in 2009, the Nyingchi and Qamdo Learning centres 2014. So far, the School of Tibet has covered all areas in Tibet except for the Nagqu and Ngari regions, and it will extend further to counties and villages. By exploring a new learning model that centres on learners and integrates online independent learning, distance learning support services, and face-to-face counselling,the School of Tibet will continue to provide more intellectual support for economic and social development in Tibet. 

By Yu Minsheng and He Jing, China Education Daily