On 2-3 November 2018, the Scientific Research Conference for Radio and TV Universities in Shandong Province was held in Jinan. The conference summed up the scientific research that has been conducted in RTVUs throughout Shandong over the past few years and established and assigned tasks for the future.

The leading role of scientific work has thus been brought into play to accelerate the construction of first-class open universities.

Deputy director-general Zhang Shijun of the Shandong Education Department delivered a speech at the conference. Those present at the conference included vice director Liu Zhongshu from Shandong Education TV Station; deputy director Song Yuli from the Rural Science and Technology Promotion Centre of the Shandong Province Department of Science and Technology; deputy director Zhong Tingkuan from the Development and Research Centre for Military-Civilian Integration and National Defence Mobilisation with China Shipbuilding Industry Group Co., Ltd.; secretary Liu Longhai from the CPC Shandong Radio and TV University (Shandong RTVU) Committee; and vice secretary Xu Wenmou from the CPC Shandong RTVU Committee and president of Shandong RTVU, as well as other members of the CPC Shandong RTVU Committee, leaders and responsible personnel from the scientific research departments of prefectural-level city RTVUs and county RTVUs under direct administration, cadres serving at or above deputy department director positions, and all the teaching staff of Shandong RTVU.

The Note from Shandong Radio and TV University on the Establishment of Research Institutes for Rural Revitalisation was declared at the conference. Xu Wenmou authorised Shandong RTVU research institutes on Rural Revitalisation, Military-Civilian Integration Development, Calligraphy and Painting, Artificial Intelligence Technology, Modern Distance Education, Marxist Theory, and Pre-School Education. He also issued letters of appointment to Zhong Tingkuan, deputy director and senior engineer of the Development and Research Centre for Military-Civilian Integration and National Defence Mobilisation with China Shipbuilding Industry Group Co., Ltd, as honorary director of the Military-Civilian Integration Development Research Institute of Shandong RTVU, and Liu Zhaodong, member of the CPC Shandong RTVU Committee and vice president of Shandong RTVU, as honorary director of the Calligraphy and Painting Research Institute.

According to Liu Longhai, RTVUs all over Shandong Province will further study and implement General Secretary Xi Jinping new concepts, thoughts, and strategies for scientific and technological innovation, thoroughly implement China’s innovation-driven development strategy, and unify our thoughts and action on the deployment of the requirements of the Party Central Committee and the CPC Shandong Provincial Committee. The scientific and technological reform of the Shandong RTVU system will be deepened in order to promote the transformation of its scientific research advantage into an educational advantage by fostering virtue through education. The transformational development strength of the RTVUs should be gained to enhance the building of scientific research platforms, strengthen academic exchanges and cooperation, and promote the integration of colleges and enterprises, and colleges and local development. The RTVUs’ capacity to serve Shandong’s social and economic development should be upgraded in order to support the strategic deployment of the CPC Shandong Provincial Committee and Shandong People’s Government’s major projects by carrying out research into the transformation from old to new energy, the rural revitalisation strategy, strengthening Shandong through the ocean economy, and the military-civilian integration development strategy. He underlined that all RTVUs in Shandong had to grasp the opportunities presented by the current development of scientific research, change the concept of scientific research development, reform the management system of scientific research, and be down-to-the-earth in putting the work in place for the continuous improvement of the scientific research capacity and level.

Xu Wenmou gave a work report entitled “New Era, New Science and Technology, New Development: Make Every Effort to Create New Scientific Research Work in RTVUs in Shandong Province.” The report summarised achievements in provincial RTVU scientific research work and indicated existing problems. An analysis of the new situation faced by RTVU scientific research work and the concepts and major tasks of provincial RTVU scientific research work were put forward. He pointed out that the RTVUs in the province have increased input and vigorously implemented an innovation-driven strategy by focusing on the central work and essential tasks over the past years. The number of scientific projects has increased and scientific research results have increased along with them. The RTVUs have improved their capacity to serve society and played a significant role in leading theory and promoting practice in the reform and development of the RTVUs in the province and in the construction of a learning society. He made the requirement that scientific research work and teaching in provincial RTVUs should benefit each other and that efforts should be stepped up to cultivate scientific research teams, focus on the transfer of scientific research results, and form a strong academic atmosphere based on the reality of the RTVUs. He underlined that RTVUs throughout Shandong should strengthen the construction of research institutes and scientific research and innovation teams, work hard to foster high level scientific research projects and excellent scientific research results, carry out academic exchange and training, and strengthen the construction of scientific research teams. Attention should be paid to the publicity and extension of scientific research achievements with the goal of improving the academic atmosphere, the capacity of scientific research to serve society, and the financial investment. Measures such as these have been taken to try to upgrade the scientific research work to a new level and to make unswerving efforts to build first-class open universities in the new era.

The list of winners and outstanding organisations of excellent scientific research achievements in Shandong’s RTVUs in 2016-2018 was announced at the conference. The individual winners were awarded certificates and bonuses, and the unit winners were awarded medals.

National experts in the fields of military-civil integration, education research, and continuing education were invited to give special lectures at the conference. Doctor Zhong Tingkuan gave a lecture entitled “Discussing the Military-Civilian Integration Development Strategy.” Doctor Chen Mingxin, Director of the Media Development Centre of Shandong Provincial Institute of Education Sciences and chief editor of three magazines — Contemporary Education Science, China Adult Education, and Modern Education — gave a lecture entitled “New Media and the Education Research and Content Specifications of Education Journals.” Doctor Wang Ying, President of the OUC’s Education Research Institute, gave a lecture entitled “Research Path for Teachers in Open Universities." Doctor Wang Xiangxu, research assistant at the OUC’s Education Research Institute, gave a lecture entitled “The Reform of Distance Higher Education and the Sustainable Development of Open Universities: Examples from Open Universities in Four European Countries.”

In his concluding speech at the conference, Mr. Xie Minghao, member of the CPC Shandong RTVU Committee and vice president of Shandong RTVU, expressed his hope that all the RTVUs in the province should adhere to scientific research development in order to assist the construction of first-class open universities and be practical in strengthening the new vision of scientific research by making every effort to build first-class open universities. They should grasp the spirit of the conference, report to education administrations and major leaders of their universities and schools, and through this try to attract more attention, concern, and support from the leaders. They should highlight key research, focus on major projects, promote the holistic development of scientific research, put in the practical work, and serve the real first-class university. They should provide service support, work together with full cooperation to embrace the 40th anniversary of the university, contribute to accelerating the construction of open universities, and formulate powerful support for the economic and social development and the construction of a lifelong education system of Shandong Province.

By Shandong RTVU