To celebrate the 3rd annual Chinese Farmer Harvest Festival on 22 September 2020, the Open University of China (OUC) invited Shen Qun, a scientist with the China Agricultural Research System of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and a professor at China Agricultural University, to give a live-streaming lecture called “Open Discussion of Grain and Food Safety,

” the 6th of its kind, for its "Quality Lectures by Famous Teachers" project. The lecture, covering food safety during the current pandemic, attracted 529,900 live views.

This series of live lectures features scholars from China Agricultural University and experts working for agricultural enterprises. The course covers grain production and trade security, food processing and safety, and other topics, and is a collaboration of the OUC Faculty of Agroforestry and Medicine, the Learning Resources Department (Digital Library), and the OUC Multimedia Press, and is promoted by the Life Channel of Beijing Television (BTV), the Research & Training Centre for Community Education of the Ministry of Education, and the Agricultural Information and Economic Research Institute of the Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences. It is being broadcast on multiple channels simultaneously, and so far, with over 3.1 million views, has been well received both inside and outside the system.

 

 

 

Planning involved extensive discussion with prospective lecturers to ensure that the theme and contents would not only be relevant to the new situation and challenges facing China's agricultural development, but also satisfy the needs of professional education while being suitable for the public. Two episodes a week will be broadcast, with titles such as "How to Say No to Food Waste", "How Can Farmers Increase Revenues?", "The Impact of the Epidemic, Extreme Weather, and Resource Shortages on Food Security", and "How to Ensure a Safe, Nutritious and Healthy Diet during the Epidemic".

The lectures will be presented both live and via pre-recorded video, with the latter providing material for production of "micro courses". To ensure quality, along with accessibility to both students and the general public via the Digital Library and Huixuexi Learning platform, the production team is collaborating with well-known video websites and live-broadcast platforms.

 

By OUC