In order to implement the national strategy for digital education and enhance the quality of teaching at the Open University of China (OUC), a mid-term seminar on AI-empowered English smart teaching reform was hosted on 20 September 2024.

Attendees included Wang Tao, vice president of the Sichuan Branch, Ji Wen, director of the Academic Affairs Office of the Hainan Branch, as well as representatives from the Headquarters Experimental College, OUC Online, the Academic Affairs Department, and the Department of Digitalisation. Heads and teaching teams from thirteen pilot branches attended the event online, while all teachers of the Public Foreign Language Centre of the School of Foreign Languages were present on-site. The seminar was chaired by Zheng Jipeng, dean of the School of Foreign Languages.

Wang Tao emphasised that the Sichuan Branch attaches great importance to English teaching. By leveraging AI-empowered reforms, they have established a smart teaching model based on the OUC platform, significantly enhancing students' English proficiency. Ji Wen noted that the smart teaching reform has created a high-quality platform for educational and teaching innovation at the Hainan Branch, providing a broad stage for teachers' development and an interactive platform for students' English-speaking practice.

Sun Hongfei, dean of the Headquarters Experimental College, Yuan Yaxing, chairman of OUC Online, Gao Yuanyuan, deputy director of the Academic Affairs Department, and He Yuanjing, deputy director of the Department of Digitalisation, each elaborated on their respective departments' roles in supporting the smart teaching reform. They expressed their commitment to continuing the coordinated advancement of related work.

On behalf of the Smart Teaching Reform Working Group, Zheng Jipeng provided a detailed report on the progress, achievements, challenges, and future plans of the teaching reform. He stated that the School of Foreign Languages will continue to deepen the integration of AI technology and concepts with foreign language teaching, strengthen personalised learning support, and optimise the teaching evaluation system to lay a solid foundation for the comprehensive promotion of English smart teaching.

Heads from thirteen pilot teaching reform units, including the Experimental College, Beijing Branch, Hebei Branch, Liaoning Branch, Zhejiang Branch, Fujian Branch, Shandong Branch, Hubei Branch, Hainan Branch, Sichuan Branch, Chengdu Branch, Xi'an Branch, and Gansu Branch reported on their respective progress of the smart teaching reform. They exchanged insights on work mechanisms, reform effectiveness, and innovative highlights.

This event marks an important milestone in the AI-empowered English smart teaching reform at the OUC. The English smart teaching program is scheduled to be fully implemented across the OUC system by 2025, further promoting the high-quality development of open education.

Written by Zhao Jianrong, Liu Ning, photo by Miao Miao, OUC