From 16 to 17 November 2023, Professor Paken Pandiangan, vice rector of Universitas Terbuka (UT) Indonesia, led a six-member delegation on a visit to the Open University of China (OUC).
The delegation was received by Wang Qiming, secretary of the Party Committee and president of the OUC. Fan Xianrui, a member of the Party Committee and vice president of the OUC, also participated in the meeting and attended the exchange session. Additionally, heads from the International Department, Information Technology Department, the Engineering Research Centre for Technology Integration and Application of E-Learning (Engineering Research Centre) under the Ministry of Education (MOE), and the Lifelong Education Research Institute were present for the discussions.
Wang Qiming extended a warm welcome to the Indonesian delegation, expressing his appreciation for Universitas Terbuka’s (UT's) participation in the ASEAN-China Digital Education Forum, organised by the OUC this August. He also acknowledged UT's role as one of the founding members of the ASEAN-China Digital Education Alliance. Wang voiced his eagerness for future collaborations and exchanges between the two institutions, highlighting the potential for mutual growth and learning.
Fan Xianrui highlighted the strong economic, cultural, and educational ties between China and Indonesia, which have laid a solid foundation for friendly relations between their respective universities. She reminisced about the decade-long cooperation and exchanges between the OUC and UT, encompassing academic exchanges and research collaborations. She expressed hope that under the ASEAN-China Digital Education Alliance, both institutions could further strengthen their partnership in digital education. This would involve promoting student exchanges and visits, enhancing teacher exchanges and training, jointly organising cultural events, and exploring the development of a broader regional education cooperation network. Such initiatives, she believed, could provide innovative ideas and models for educational collaboration not only in Asia but across the globe.
Paken Pandiangan highlighted that this visit provided a more comprehensive understanding of the OUC’s accomplishments in open and distance education. He noted that the OUC's successful strategies and innovative approaches in areas like information technology, learning resources, academic research, teaching management, and evaluation deserve recognition and could be beneficial for UT to adopt. Pandiangan expressed his hope for both institutions to enhance their collaboration and exchange of best practices in open education. This, he believed, would collectively foster the innovative progress of the educational sector.
Wu Shuping, deputy director of the Information Technology Department, discussed the advancements made by the OUC in the digitalisation of education. This includes the development of a digital platform, the promotion of educational data governance, and the exploration of AIGC (Artificial Intelligence Generated Content) applications. Meirani Harsasi, dean of the UT’s Faculty of Economics and Business, alongside Mery Noviyanti, an expert in information systems, presented their university's online learning platform, teaching and examination systems, and digital learning resources. Both parties engaged in thorough discussions and exchanges on topics concerning the application of information technology and the management of information systems.
Representatives from both universities also participated in a signing ceremony for a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding their cooperation. According to the MOU, the two institutions will enhance their collaboration in various areas, including teaching, research, resource sharing, and scholar exchanges.
The UT delegation visited the OUC's "Internet+ University" Exhibition Centre and proceeded to the Weigongcu
n Campus, where they toured the Experimental School, the School for Older Adults, and the Engineering Research Centre. Additionally, they engaged in discussions with the heads of relevant departments, focusing on topics such as teaching management, student services, learning technology, and experiences and practices in senior education.
Written by Chen Na and Lyu Guangru and photographed by Jiao Qiupeng, Chen Na and Lyu Guangru, OUC