From 17 to 21 November 2024, under the arrangements of the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO, Fan Xianrui, a member of the Party Committee and vice president of the Open University of China (OUC), led a delegation to visit Dubai.
Upon invitation, Fan Xianrui delivered a speech in a special session at the 3rd UNESCO World Open Educational Resources (OER) Congress. Additionally, the delegation conducted working visits to the University of Dubai (UD) and the American University in Dubai (AUD).
Fan Xianrui delivered a speech titled "Promoting Lifelong Learning for All with OER: China Practice and OUC Solution" at the congress.
Fan Xianrui shared the measures and experiences of the OUC in leveraging AI technology for the high-quality development of lifelong educational resources and serving lifelong learning for all. She focused on four key areas: developing high-quality open educational resources for lifelong learning for all, creating three integrated learning platforms for different groups, advancing digital transformation and AI-empowered resource development and application, and exploring more diverse and higher-level international cooperation in open education. Additionally, she proposed initiatives and prospects for seizing opportunities and addressing challenges together with international peers. The report attracted wide attention from participants across various countries. Delegation members Li Wei and Zheng Jipeng actively responded to the hot topics raised by the attendees.
During the congress, the delegation engaged in discussions with Dr. Tawfik Jelassi, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information, as well as experts and scholars such as Peter Scott, CEO of the Commonwealth of Learning, Torunn Gjelsvik, Secretary General of the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE), and Melinda Bandalaria, President of the University of the Philippines Open University.
The delegation also visited the engineering colleges of the University of Dubai and the American University in Dubai and held discussions with the head of Huawei's Dubai operations. Both parties exchanged views on AI education application reforms, talent cultivation in engineering education , and course collaboration. They expressed their intention to strengthen connectivity and promote cooperation in digital education and overseas learning centres.
The World OER Congress, organised by UNESCO, is a regular conference for international exchange and cooperation in promoting the development, access, and utilisation of open educational resources. It aims to expand access to high-quality, free, and publicly available educational resources globally and to promote the implementation of the 2030 Education Goal (SDG4). Since 2012, UNESCO has actively advocated and promoted global practices in the development of open educational resources, issuing recommendations such as the "Recommendation on Open Educational Resources". The theme of this year's congress is "Digital Public Goods: Open Solutions and AI for Inclusive Access to Knowledge". Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi, Minister of Culture of the UAE, and Dr. Tawfik Jelassi, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information, delivered welcome speeches. Over 300 education officials and scholars from around the world attended the event on-site.
By Li Wei, Zheng Jipeng, OUC