Editor's Notes: The Open University of China (OUC) has initiated a programme to nurture candidates for the inaugural session of "Outstanding Young Teachers," resulting in 104 teachers being bestowed with the esteemed title of "OUC Outstanding Young Teachers."
By sharing the stories of some of these young teachers and highlighting their experiences of learning and personal growth, our aim is to showcase the dedication and enthusiasm of all OUC teachers who are devoted to contributing to the establishment of a lifelong learning society for all.
Chen Xiaomei, a Master of Economics, is a teacher at the School of Humanities and Economics at Fujian Open University. She joined the university in August 2005. She has served as the head of the Finance and Tourism Management programmes and the leader of the curriculum teaching team at Fujian Open University. Chen has received several awards, including the Third Prize in the 5th National RTVU Excellent Paper Competition in the field of economics and management, the Third Prize in the 6th OUC Excellent Paper Competition in the field of economics and management, and the First Prize in the 2nd Micro-lecture Teaching Competition at Fujian Radio and Television University. In 2021, she was honored as an "Outstanding Communist Party Member" at Fujian Open University, and in 2022, she received the title of "Outstanding Individual in Enrollment." She was also recognized as an Excellent Teacher in the provincial education system for the years 2019-2022.
Chen Xiaomei was fortunate to be selected as a candidate for the first OUC Outstanding Young Teacher, participating in a three-year training programme. Looking back on these three years, she has gained many insights, experiences, and personal growth.
1. Adhering to the Passion for Open Education
In 2020, I took on the role of a class teacher, which allowed me to have more frequent and in-depth interactions with students. Through this experience, I truly realized the significance of distance education and the importance of upholding the values of open education.
2. Enhancing the Quality of Distance Teaching Services
(1) Improving Curriculum Resource Development
Over the past three years, I have taken on the teaching and tutoring responsibilities for over ten open education courses. I have worked on optimizing the interface design of the OUC Learning Network platform, developing learning resources, and refining teaching arrangements to provide effective teaching support services to students. The courses I developed were recognized as excellent during the course presentation activity in the autumn of 2021. Additionally, I also served as the director of the Tourism Management program, where I conducted research to understand the current status of the program and adjusted the teaching plan for the spring semester of 2022 based on the latest professional regulations. Furthermore, I undertook the task of developing resources for dual-mode courses and independently completed the recording of over 300 minutes of video resources.
(2) Establishing Course Teaching Teams
After the school initiated the establishment of provincial teaching teams, I took on the task of forming teaching teams for two courses, "Introduction to Insurance" and "Finance," which were part of the provincial teaching team initiative. Despite facing challenges such as a shortage of teaching staff and the impact of the pandemic, I overcame these difficulties and successfully built the course teams. We regularly conducted teaching research activities through professional on-site meetings and online groups. In 2021, I also conducted course research in the Zhangzhou area. Over the course of two and a half years, the "Introduction to Insurance" course team developed a preliminary network-based collaborative teaching organization model across regions. The project was successfully completed in January 2022. Throughout the team-building process, both my organizational and coordination skills and the teaching abilities of the team members significantly improved.
(3) Strengthening Online Education Skills
To enhance my professional expertise, I have enrolled in four courses on the China University MOOC platform. Through these courses, I actively engaged in the learning process and obtained course certificates. Online learning has not only expanded my knowledge in the field but also exposed me to exemplary instructional designs of online courses. Moreover, through role-switching experiences, I gained a practical understanding of the learning needs of distance learners. This has further stimulated my thinking and insights on improving teaching support services for open education courses.
3. Enhancing Research Awareness and Abilities
During the training period, a series of lectures on academic research and paper publication were organized, which not only clarified the key points of academic paper writing and publication but also emphasized the perseverance and focus required for academic research. To enhance my research abilities, I delivered an academic lecture titled "Research on Financing for Small and Micro Enterprises in the Big Data Era" to all economics and management teachers in the province. Through this lecture, I transformed pressure into motivation and effectively facilitated the improvement of my knowledge and skills. I also completed the final report for a research project funded by the Education Department and led three school-level research projects. I actively stayed updated with the latest developments in the field and devoted myself to scientific research, resulting in the publication of academic papers in the school journal.
The three years have passed in the blink of an eye, with both growth and regrets. Only by forging ahead can we live up to the future!
By OUC News Network