The Open University of China (OUC) convened the sixth session of its Fourth Academic Degree Evaluation Committee to review the degree awarding process for the spring semester of 2025. A total of 22 committee members attended the meeting, with heads of relevant academic departments of OUC present as observers. The session was presided over by GU Xiaohua, Secretary-General of the OUC Degree Evaluation Committee.

During the meeting, sub-committees reported on the degree conferral situation. In the Spring 2025 semester, a total of 7,266 students applied for bachelor’s degrees. After deliberation and voting process, the Academic Degree Evaluation Committee decided to award OUC bachelor’s degrees to the 5,765 graduates.

LI Song, Vice-Chairman of the Academic Degree Evaluation Committee, noted that the quality of OUC’s degree-related work has been improving year by year. In the future, the university need to focus on and address four core issues. First, faculty team building is essential. It is necessary to strengthen the training of thesis supervisors and thesis defence moderators and establish a sound training and management mechanism to truly enhance their professional level and awareness of standardisation. Second, the optimisation of working mechanisms is crucial. An efficient linkage mechanism should be established and improved among the headquarters, and its provincial, municipal, and county counterparts. Regional work responsibilities should be clarified to form a well-coordinated and orderly operating work system. Third, the improvement of standards and the response to new technological challenges are important. Each college should further refine the standards for thesis review, strengthen the guidance on the development of thesis guidance manuals, and actively respond to the new challenges posed by the widespread application of artificial intelligence technology. They should also proactively explore solutions. Fourth, attention must be paid to improving thesis quality. In response to the current issues of formulaic and redundant content in theses, the role of thesis supervisors in quality control should be truly strengthened. Students should be guided to ensure the practicality of their theses, while making each thesis practical, professional, and meaningful

Contributed by Academic Affairs Department

Photo by ZHANG Jun