Recently, the Ministry of Education (MOE) announced the evaluation results of the 2024 Key Research Bases for National Textbook Construction.
Through procedures such as self-application by relevant institutions, qualification review, professional assessment, on-site inspections, 31 "Key Research Bases for the 2024 National Textbook Construction" were recognised. The "Key Research Base for National Textbook Construction (Comprehensive Research on Continuing Education Textbooks)" applied for by the Open University of China (OUC) was selected, and ranked 5th. Wang Qiming, secretary of the Party Committee and president of the OUC, serves as the director of the base, and Li Song, a member of the Party Committee and vice president, acts as the executive director. The base is located at the OUC Press.
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State Council have made it clear that textbook construction is a national responsibility. Key research bases for national textbook construction are professional think tanks dedicated to the study of curricula and textbooks. These bases act as platforms for gathering professional forces from all disciplines and all aspects at the national level to jointly research the construction of curricula and textbooks. The aim is to enhance the support capabilities for textbook construction, improve the supporting systems for textbook construction, and raise the overall quality of curriculum materials.
The OUC has always attached great importance to textbook construction. It has formed an integrated management mode for textbook construction with the university's textbook work leading group as the core, the Learning Resources Department in overall charge of management, each academic school organising the compilation, and the OUC Press handling the editing and publishing. This has resulted in the creation of the largest R&D publishing centre for continuing education textbook in China, with over 2,500 printed textbooks published, serving 25 million learners. Among them, 18 textbooks have won the inaugural National Textbook Construction Award, accounting for as high as 23% of the award-winning textbooks in the continuing education category.
The university attaches great importance to the application for the National Key Research Base for Textbook Construction. A specialised task force was formed to ensure the successful completion of the application, evaluation, and defence processes, ultimately leading to the successful selection. The establishment the National Key Research Base for Textbook Construction is a recognition of the OUC's long-standing dedication and innovation in the field of continuing education textbooks. The university will seize this opportunity to build a national-level research highland for continuing education textbooks, further leveraging its institutional and systemic advantages. By harnessing the collective strength of the education system, aggregating resources from across society, and capitalising on the momentum of digitalisation, the university aims to contribute to the construction of a leading country in education, and the development of a society and country of learning where lifelong education is pursued by all.
By Learning Resources Department, and OUC Press