On 21 August 2024, the ASEAN-China Digital Education Alliance (referred to as the Alliance) held its annual conference for the year in Guizhou. Representatives from universities, research institutions, and businesses from China and ASEAN countries came together to explore new avenues for cooperation in digital education under the theme "Connection, Cooperation, and Creation."
The conference aimed to further enhance the integration, intelligence, and internationalisation of digital education collaborations between China and ASEAN.
The meeting announced that Dr. Wang Qiming, secretary of the Party Committee and president of the Open University of China (OUC), would serve as chairman of the Alliance. Fan Xianrui, a member of the Party Committee and vice president of the OUC, will serve as secretary-general of the Alliance. In line with the Alliance's charter, the meeting appointed leading Chinese and foreign members to the working groups and committees, and also unveiled the Alliance's logo and official website.
In his speech, Wang Qiming emphasised that the OUC, serving as the secretariat of the Alliance, places great importance on its construction and development. He highlighted that the OUC actively promotes educational cooperation between China and ASEAN countries, contributing to the digital transformation of education and the innovation of digital education paradigms in these nations. Looking forward, the Alliance will deepen cooperation and research in digital education between China and ASEAN countries, continually fostering the development of a more innovative, inclusive, and sustainable ASEAN-China digital education community. The aim is to create an open, cooperative, and trust-based environment for the development of digital education and to share the benefits of educational digitalisation.
Since its founding, the Alliance has actively promoted the joint contribution and sharing of high-quality international digital education resources. It launched its first international digital course collection event, attracting participation from 264 domestic and international universities. The initial phase of the event featured 300 high-quality courses across categories like traditional culture, practical skills training, and digital literacy. Leveraging artificial intelligence technology, the outcomes of the digital course collection were analysed, leading to the creation of new forms of digital study tours that combine "online learning + field trips." Examples of these courses include "Exploring Music and Cultural Heritage," "Traditional Chinese Architectural Culture," and "Discovering Traditional Chinese Medicine."
Over 120 representatives from domestic and international universities, research institutions, and enterprises participated in the meeting. Attendees included representatives from Open University Malaysia, Hanoi University of Science and Technology in Vietnam, Universitas Terbuka in Indonesia, Tongji University, Beihang University, Dalian University of Technology, China National Institute of Education Sciences, East China Normal University, South China Normal University, and Shenzhen Polytechnic University. Representatives from enterprises such as Vietnam Multimedia Corporation, Huawei, and iFlytek Co. Ltd were also present. The participants engaged in thematic discussions on topics such as digital course design, artificial intelligence technology, education and teaching reforms, and digital study abroad programmes.
The meeting was chaired by Fan Xianrui, with Liu Xuanxuan, the deputy secretary of the Party Committee and secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission of the OUC, also present.
By OUC