On 10 and 11 May 2021, a delegation of five, including Yang Xiaotang, vice president of the Open University of China (OUC), Wang Ying, director of the OUC’s Lifelong Education Research Institute, and Li Wei, its vice director, visited Guang'an Open University (Guang’an OU) and Sichuan Open University (Sichuan OU) to investigate the education and research work at these grassroots universities.

The trip, aiming to deepen understanding of educational practices and promote high-quality development of research, involved on-the-spot investigations, discussions, and exchanges.

During the trip to Guang'an OU, the team listened to its leaders report on the development of the university and its operations and construction since the restoration of its independence, and visited the site of the new campus to learn about the progress of construction.

Yang Xiaotang praised the planning and initiatives undertaken by Guangan OU. He stressed the uniqueness of open universities in terms of educational objectives and operations, and expressed the hope that the university would integrate the resources of the open-university system with local historical and cultural resources, strengthen promotion of the university, and develop its own unique features. He also noted the importance of remaining true to the original ideal of providing lifelong education to all, and pointed out that research on the current situation of the school’s operations should be strengthened.

During the visit to Sichuan OU, the team mainly listened to reports on the construction of the OUC’s Education-information Management and Information-systems Research Centre being undertaken there, and participated in a meeting on scientific research at the centre in 2021.

Yang Xiaotang praised the research conducted there since its establishment at the end of 2018 in terms of the research team’s rigour and adherence to standards, the support of the university and leadership of the director, and its remarkable results. He expressed the hope that the centre would focus on the practical problems of operating an open university and maintain the quality of its research.

In addition, the team had discussions with the staff of the journals Modern Distance Education Research and Modern Vocational Education.

By Wang Guan, OU