Editor's Note: Recently, the Open University of China (OUC) awarded 10 teachers, including He Xiaohong, the honourary title of "OUC Ethical-teacher Model", and 84 teachers, including Xie Juan, that of "OUC Advanced Ethical Teacher".
The OUC web portal will report the stories of the 10 "Ethical-teacher Models" in order to advocate for valuing teacher ethics in the OUC system, and to guide faculty and staff to take the advanced individuals and model teachers as examples, in order to help build the OUC into a world-class open university.
He Xiaohong, an associate professor with a bachelor's degree, is director of the administration office of Quzhou Radio and TV University (Quzhou RTVU) in Zhejiang Province. She is also a class counselor, and responsible for teaching and management of Advanced Mathematics and other courses.
- Love Students, and Never Regret Being a Teacher
He Xiaohong firmly believes that only students who feel close to their teachers will believe in their methods, and be willing to follow them. She thinks teachers are duty-bound to love their students. As an adult-education instructor, she deeply understands the challenges her students face balancing their work and studies, and therefore pays close attention to the details of each student’s situation. In the autumn class of 2016, many of her students missed classes and examinations, and because of this she decided to take over student management. After two years of hard work, through individual counseling and personalised plans, she turned the class with the highest dropout rate into the one boasting the highest graduation rate, reaching as high as 96%!
Because adult students only have time to study after work or on weekends, she makes herself available by mobile phone whenever she is needed, sparing her students a special trip to the university. Usually, she is the last to leave the office, and on weekends she can often be found on campus. Her student ratings are excellent, and for the 2019 - 2020 academic year, based on the recommendations of former students, she enrolled more than 150 new students, the top enrollment rate in the university. Her students have also made remarkable achievements. For example, Zheng Feifei, an undergraduate Law student in the autumn class in 2016, was named a "Water-control Pacesetter" by the provincial RTVU; Ni Fangxia, from the same class, came second in the first oral-English contest held by the provincial RTVU; and Liu Yongjun, a student in the Law class for auxiliary police in autumn 2018, came first in a competition of essays related to fighting Covid-19 at the OUC. Several other students have received scholarships and been honoured as excellent graduates at provincial and national levels. She herself has been named an “excellent teacher” and “advanced individual in enrolment” in the provincial RTVU system.
- Loving her Class and Providing Attentive Services to Students
The essence of class management is serving students. Having worked in student management for many years, she has formulated a "3 + 3 + 1" management structure of 3 key categories (course registration, examinations, and graduate evaluations); 3 learner-support tools (teaching support, learner-resource transmission, and communication); and 1 student team dedicated to class management. This structure has proved to be highly useful throughout the university.
At the beginning of every class she holds a class meeting in which she encourages students to take part in orientation via the OUC Learning Guide, enabling them to understand the nature of the university and its learning procedures, requirements, and assessment methods. During meetings, she instructs students to talk about why they are studying at Quzhou RTVU, a university for adults with open admission, and to believe that learning can take place anytime, anywhere, throughout one’s life. Orientation and meetings bring teachers and students closer together, and enhance the understanding students have of what the university does and the purpose of attending it.
Even though many RTVU students have work and family obligations, they can still set aside time for study. Ms. He often has brief informal communications them to chat about work, family matters, and so on. "I constantly see that students can make time for learning if they have enough motivation. As long as they are eager to learn, I do my best to support them."
- Passionate about both Teaching and Research
Advanced Mathematics is a difficult subject, especially for adult students who may have learned to be intimidated by it. However, her way of teaching it has made it the most popular course.
He Xiaohong is an open-minded person who always smiles. She likes singing and reading, and when she teaches mathematical concepts, she often refers to historical events and real-world situations, which her students enjoy. "Mathematics is neither boring nor difficult with Ms. He. When I think back on my time at university, her mathematics class is what I mainly recall."
”To give students a cup of water, a teacher needs a bucket of it”. She herself continues to learn despite her heavy workload, undertaking research and writing papers. One of her projects, related to provincial RTVU ideological and political education, was designated a “key research project” in 2019, while another, on public cultural service at the Open University for Older Adults, was listed among the Social-sciences Planning Projects in Quzhou in 2016. She has also had many papers published in core journals, and was named an “advanced individual in scientific research” by the Zhejiang Modern Distance Education Society from 2011 to 2014.
- Enthusiastic in Promoting Public Welfare with Sincere Service and Love
He Xiaohong is also known as a Party member who is dedicated to volunteering. Over the years, she has been enthusiastic about public welfare and active in setting up groups and associations, educating people to act in a civilised way, providing transportation, and so on. She has also taught in the countryside, and been named an “excellent instructor” in Zhejiang Province. She serves as office director at the university, directing the office of Covid-19 control. She takes on responsibilities wherever she is needed, and in 2020 worked in communities to help fight the pandemic, providing residents with services that included education and provision of supplies.
He Xiaohong has always maintained a passion for her job and stayed true to her ideals. She firmly believes that she "shall never regret working hard as a teacher, helping to cultivate more students” – the motto she has kept as a touchstone of her teaching over the years.
By OUC News Network