From 12 to 23 December 2022, the Open University of China (OUC) and the Open University UK (OUUK) jointly held their 2022 international online teacher-training workshops.
Fifty learners from 41 OUC branches and the Experimental School participated, completing two sessions, “Learning Design and Course Creation” and “Tutoring Skills”.
On the afternoon of 23 December, the closing ceremony was attended by OUC vice president Fan Xianrui, personnel from the OUC and OUUK international departments, workshop facilitators, representatives in China, interpreters, eight OUC tutors, and all learners.
In the ceremony, Fan Xianrui congratulated the participants on completing their studies, and expressed the hope that they would apply the advanced concepts, knowledge and skills they had learned during the two weeks of workshops, contributing to the cause of open education in China. She also encouraged them to strive to be respected, and adhere to the student-centred approach. She stated that the workshops aimed to implement the requirement of the 20th National CPC Congress to “promote higher-standard opening-up”. The friendly 30-year partnership of the OUC and OUUK has established a solid foundation for deeper exchanges and cooperation.
Chris Hogan, director of Proposition and International OUW, mentioned that the OUC and OUUK launched the “Joint Development of English as a Public Course” (“This is English”) project thirty years ago. They have also cooperated in the development of three courses - Online Course Design, Learner Support and Online Learning Tutoring, promoting the development of Chinese online education. Over the past decade, the OUC headquarters, as well as branches in western areas, have sent 11 visiting scholars to study and conduct research at the OUUK, with three visiting scholars from the OUC system expected in 2023. He hopes that progress will continue in relation to programmes, mutual recognition of credits, use of information technology, cooperation in training of postgraduates, and other areas. He finished by commending the learners for completing their studies in spite of the difficulties posed by the pandemic.
At the closing ceremony, representatives of the tutors and learners also gave speeches, stating that the workshops offered valuable opportunities to learn cutting-edge international teaching approaches, as well as course design and creation, in a systematic manner. They said that their online-teaching skills and IT literacy had been enhanced, along with their grasp of student-centred teaching. Finally, the workshops built platforms enabling OUC teachers to discuss their teaching experiences.
By Dai Jing, OUC