Xian Junfeng, Senior Engineer, Head of President's Office, Guangxi Open University.
Overseas Based University: Sheffield Hallam University;
Advisor: Alison Hudson
Study Area: Learner Support System and Multimedia Teaching Resources for Distance and E-learning.
Applying the Achievement of My study in UK into The Construction of OU Guangxi
During the period of my study in Sheffield Hallam University( SHU) in 2003, I focused on the research on the learner support system and multimedia Teaching Resources for Distance and E-learning in UK. What impressed me most were several aspects as follows: I. The learner-centered administration-support service system. II. The effective integration and utilization of the textbooks, audio/ videotapes, and Internet. III. The comprehensive application of multimedia teaching resources for distance and E-learning. IV. The rigorous working style and effective management mechanism.
As I stated in my study report in the UK, I hope I am in a position to apply my achievement in the UK into my job, and bring forth good results. After two years’ practice, I have carried out the relevant activities and gained some achievements in several aspects as follows:
I. Devoted to the construction of a technology support system for Distance Education in Guangxi Minority region.
As head of the technologic sector, I took into consideration how to utilize fully Modern technology in technology support system for Distance Education in Guangxi. In 2000, Guangxi TVU established a reaction videoconference study system and teaching administration data transmission system, which has promoted greatly the development of Guangxi's Distance Education. With the implementation of "OUC personnel training mode reform and pilot open education project", it is necessary to extend OU Distance Education to the grass roots, villages and the remote minority areas. Obviously, the web-based technology system cannot meet the needs of this development. Therefore, I sent the relevant technicians to the branch schools of Guangxi OU to do research on the status of the web application and to also make a report. Based on this, I put forward the idea of building the technology support system for Distance Education in Guangxi minority region. With the improvement of the available web-based technology support system, according to different situations of the regions, different technology plans should be adopted to expand the construction of web-based technology at the county level. Through our efforts, currently the web-based teaching environment, which is based on Internet and Satellite facilities and centers around the utilization of the platform and systems integration, has started taking shape. It has lain a sound foundation for reforming the talent cultivation and teaching modes, the management mode and operation mechanism as well as the web-based technology support service for the carrying-out of National Education Ministry's plan of "one village, one college student".
II. The integral utilization of various teaching resources and the comprehensive utilization of multimedia teaching resources.
During the period of my study in UK, I made extensive research on the integral teaching support system of the learning Center of SHU. In order to meet the needs of the changes caused by Internet, based on the principle of "all for students", learning center of SHU integrates the university library, computer facilities, the publishing sectors of the textbooks and audio/ video tapes and the teaching and researching centers and establishes a unique multi-functional learning center which combines the books information service, multi-media teaching resources, Internet, teaching and researching. Its distinguish features lie in the integration of various teaching media and resources, and the learner-centered integrated teaching support.
Undoubtedly, I have benefited from the experience of the integral teaching support system in the learning center of SHU, and try to apply it into developing the Distance Education in OU with Modern Information technology. Since my return to China, I have put this mode into practice according to our real situation, and come up with good results. In 2004, through the organizational restructuring of our university, the educational technology center and library were integrated into teaching resources and technology center. Therefore, the conflict between the basic teaching equipment construction and teaching resources construction can be avoided. The educational support for the teaching resources construction and the application of teaching media resources can be further promoted. Meanwhile, the reform was also conducted in the learners' administration. The tutoring system, where an open education tutor is responsible for the whole process from the learners' enrollment to the completion of the study, is now in place. In doing so, the quality of learner study-support service has been enhanced.
In addition, based on the experience of the construction of the web-based teaching recourses for Distance Education in the UK, I put forward the suggestion for emphasizing the construction of a digital library and realizing the share of information between OU Guangxi and its branch schools. Due to the stratification in the economic development in urban and rural areas of Guangxi minority region, and the learners at various levels, various multimedia-teaching resources should be adopted to construct and develop the relevant teaching resources. In rural areas, it should focus on VCD curriculums supplemented by Internet. In urban areas, Internet and CD-ROM curriculums should be integrated. The non-real-time and real-time on line communication platform should also be established. I have led in developing the new multimedia course wares, among which the web-based courseware of 'future trade practice' won the first prize in the Guangxi higher education teaching computer software competition, and 'Audition principle' won the first prize in Open Universities in China multimedia courseware competition. I also participated in the project of "The research and practice of Guangxi higher educational mode" which won the second prize for Guangxi Teaching Achievement. In addition, my paper The Features of Distance Education in UK and Its Implication on OU was published.
III. Promoting the construction of an effective management mechanism in Guangxi TUV with a rigorous working style.
The high quality of higher education in UK is attributed to its enormous teaching resources, relaxed and free academic environment, and the sound support service for the students as well as its effective management mechanism and the rigorous working styles of its staff. During the period of my visit to the UK, what impressed me most was the high efficiency and punctuality of the staff in SHU, which are worth of learning from.
In 2004, I was promoted head of the president's office. According to the features of the work in the president's office, I came up with the working principle of "serve the leaders, serve the branch schools, and serve the other sectors". In order to establish president's office as an administration and information pivot, I brought forth detailed requirements in order to strengthen the serving awareness of the staff. Also, in order to seek a new way of a highly efficient administration, I took the lead in establishing OU Guangxi office-automation system for teaching administration and the web-based information-releasing platform, which has greatly enhanced the working efficiency and accelerated the process of office-automation in our university.
In general, during 4 months in the UK, apart from doing research on teaching support resources and the construction of teaching resources in web-based learning centers in the UK, I learned a lot from my experience, including a good concept of Distance Education in UK and the experience of teaching administration.