To promote the high-quality development of education and sports-related majors, uphold the spirit of educators, and strengthen the cohesion of its education system, the Open University of China (OUC) conducted a teaching workshop in Qingdao City, Shandong Province on 25-26 April 2024.
Attendees included university leaders such as Liu Xuanxuan, deputy secretary of the Party Committee and Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission of the OUC; Huang Xingguo, deputy secretary of the Party Committee and president of Chengdu Open University; and Li Hong, vice president of Qingdao Open University and member of the Party Committee. Participants included Zhang Xia, dean of the OUC’s School of Education, and Liu Caimei, dean of the Seniors College at the Seniors University of China (SUC), along with leaders and educators from education and sports majors, and members of specialised teaching research centres from the headquarters and over 30 branches, totaling approximately 80 attendees. The event featured keynote speeches, case demonstrations, thematic discussions, and experience sharing sessions.
A group photo of the teaching research workshop
Liu Xuanxuan emphasised the critical importance of seizing the digital transformation opportunity for the OUC to deepen its comprehensive educational and teaching reforms. She urged the university to enhance its educational capabilities and level, accelerate the construction of a digital university, and aim to achieve world-class status as an open university. Additionally, she expressed five hopes for the teachers participating in the workshop: to capitalize on the digitalisation of education, integrate high-quality educational resources, adopt a system-wide approach to education, adhere to the principles of open education, and focus on strengthening the development of the teaching staff.
Huang Xingguo discussed the development of parent schools in Chengdu, focusing on several key aspects: the educational landscape in Chengdu, the origins and objectives of parent schools, the strategic implementation of parent school initiatives across Chengdu, and the organisational structure of these schools, which includes the main headquarters, various branches, and affiliated institutions.
Li Hong discussed the development of programmes like Public Service Management (Family and Social Education Guidance) and Public Service Management (School Management), covering aspects such as enrollment, teaching, management, and career prospects.
Keynote speeches by experts and scholars
Furthermore, experts and scholars from the fields of family education and educational technology were invited to deliver keynote speeches at the event. Hong Ming, a research fellow from the China Youth & Children Research Centre, discussed the basic policies of family education in China, the professional development framework for family education instructors, and their training pathways. Zhao Lin, a consultant from Zhihuishu Education Technology Co., Ltd. in Beijing, presented on the policies surrounding "AI + Higher Education", digital courses, and major developments, as well as the application of AI in teaching and student learning. Additionally, knowledge graphs of education-related courses and examples of digital intelligence courses were showcased.
Zhang Xia presented an overview of the new majors introduced in the School of Education and explored teaching reforms over the past three years. Xia Jie, the head of Public Service Management (Family and Social Education Guidance), and Liu Jinglu, deputy director of the Department of Education Management, each outlined the career prospects, specialised teaching features, and enrollment profiles for majors such as Public Service Management (Family and Social Education Guidance), sports-related majors, and Educational Technology (Online Education). Leaders and teacher representatives from the campuses in Shenzhen, Fujian, Shandong, Changchun, Tianjin, Ningbo, and Shenyang shared insights on best practices in course development, team building, integration of courses and certification, and enrollment promotion within education management and sports majors. Teachers across the system engaged in detailed discussions on these topics and the proposed initiative to collect exemplary cases of family education.
The teaching research workshop focused in-depth on two significant propositions of the times: "Building a Leading Country in Education: The Role of the OUC" and "Responding to Open Education and the Building of a Learning-Oriented Society." It gathered the expertise of scholars, experts, and teachers within the open university system. A consensus was reached on the innovative development of majors related to education management and sports, enhancing exchanges among teachers involved in these fields. The workshop also facilitated the sharing of achievements in the development of these majors and teaching reforms, laying a solid foundation for advancing the digital construction and high-quality development of education and sports-related majors at the OUC.
Written by Liu Jinglu and photos by Guo Xinyue, OUC