On 14 June 2014, the OUC Experimental School hosted a student speech contest with the theme “The OUC In My Heart”. This contest was carried on simultaneously via the cloud classrooms of the Experimental Schools at Beijing, Nanhai, and Taiyuan, with a total of 15 players taking part. Yan Bing, Vice President of the OUC, acted as head of the judges group.
The aim for the experimental schools to hold the contest was to promote the students’ work at the OUC, showcase the characteristics of the students' work, promote the construction of campus culture within the OUC, and explore new forms of student work. The contest officially started at the end of 2012 with a series of competitions including essay competition, preliminary speech contest, and intermediate contest. 263 copies of essay manuscripts from the Experimental Schools of Beijing, Nanhai, and Taiyuan were received, 45 pieces were selected as excellent manuscripts, and 15 players were picked to participate in the final contest. The contest was jointly planned by three Experimental Schools at Beijing, Nanhai, and Taiyuan, and was simultaneously broadcast to cloud classrooms in all three places, with players, judges, and guests from the three locations taking part in the contest. Distance grading, comments, and awarding were also carried out in the three locations. It was the first time for the OUC to host a large multi-region student activity linking three places via cloud technology, as well as a new innovation in student activities utilizing the Internet and modern information technology. Furthermore, it’s a demonstration of a new way to transform and upgrade the student work of the OUC by the Experimental School.
In the contest, players sincerely illustrated their own experience in seeking knowledge, passionately relating their feelings for the OUC in their own hearts, and expressed their devotion to and expectations of their Alma Mater. Student Xu Ling from the Experimental School of Beijing came to the OUC with her university dream. She worked secularly and pursued her studies at the same time. She overcame the conflict between work and study, rising into the undergraduate programme, after completing her junior college programme at the Experimental School of Beijing. Upon graduation, her professional qualities had been greatly enhanced. Student Cen Ling from the Experimental School of Nanhai tirelessly illustrated her advanced concepts and learning methods at the OUC. She was moved by the teachers’ care and guidance in her studies, thoughts, and daily life. Student Bai Liying from the Experimental School of Taiyuan was a mother, but still came to the OUC to study and to realize her childhood dream of studying literature. The convenient and open teaching ideas and methods of the OUC greatly benefited her. Wonderful speeches made by the players truly impressed the people, and they reflected adult students’ positive, constructive, and persevering mental attitudes, characteristics, and features. Finally, through the evaluation of the content of the speeches and presentations by the judges, Cen Ling from the Experimental School of Nanhai won the gold medal, Xu Ling and Zhang Wei from the Experimental School of Beijing won silver prizes, with the three other students from the Experimental School of Taiyuan and one student from the Experimental School of Nanhai winning bronze prizes, and other players winning excellence awards.
The inspirational spirit shown in the students’ speeches and their deep love for the OUC moved the judges and guests who were on the scene. Professor Hu Jicheng from the School of Arts and Law commented that the students’ speeches expressed their devotion, desires, and expectations for the OUC. They inspired teachers to put their heart into the construction of teaching resources so as to provide better learning support services for students. Liu Zhimin, the Director of the Learner Support Centre, commented on the students’ work, and said that it was not only the winning magic weapon for the OUC to promote students’ cohesion and unity, but that it was also a powerful way to enhance the social image of the university. This contest was an exploration and innovation of student work by means of network technology.
Yan Bing, Vice President of the OUC, summarized the contest. He said that the OUC had organized countless colorful student activities and contests, including math contests in which Professor Hua Luogeng acted as the chair, the case competition for those majoring in law, the accounting simulation contest, and so on. This speech contest, however, adopted cloud technology, embodied the OUC’s modernity, advancement, and internationalization, thus reflecting the uniqueness of OUC student work. It was an effective exploration of the transformation and upgrading of student work and has created a new situation of the OUC student work.
He emphasized that the OUC was in a crucial period of transformation and upgrading of the Radio and TV University system. He hoped that the Experimental School could open up new prospects in the progress of construction and development of the OUC, pioneering innovation, development, and breakthrough, and play a better role in testing, demonstration, and guidance. He expected that the students will not only obtain diplomas in the OUC, but also promote their own quality and abilities, especially the self-directed learning ability, by using information technology. He hoped that they would bring to fruition their own achievements, put into practice what they had learned, accomplish the goals they have set, and expand their own developing space to realize the dreams of their own life.
The competition site
The competition was simultaneously tied-in to cloud classrooms at Experimental Schools in Beijing, Nanhai, and Taiyuan
The competition site of the Experimental School of Taiyuan
Students of the Experimental School of Beijing watched the speech contest online
Awards site at the Experimental School of Nanhai
By Xie Ke, the OUC