The 2018 seminar on teaching reform and the work of the teaching research central group of the computer science major of the Open University of China (OUC), was held in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, from 28-30 November 2018. During the conference, the construction of key computer science majors was studied, new majors to be launched in spring 2019 were introduced, the work of the teaching research central group was summarised, and the teaching experience of different branches was exchanged.

Chen Xianqiang, vice president of Guangdong Open University (Guangdong OU), Yu Lixin, vice president of Zhuhai Radio & TV University, Yuan Wei, deputy director of the OUC Faculty of Science and Engineering, and 53 members of the teaching research central group and key teachers from the headquarters and branches of the OUC attended the conference.

Yuan Wei talked about the spirit of national education reform, the construction of key computer science majors, summarised the last year of work, and shared future reform ideas. He Guiying, dean of the School of Information and Engineering of Guangdong OU, introduced the university’s experience in the construction of majors and the teaching team. Xiao Yang from the Institute of Data Science, Tsinghua University, introduced the current state of the big data industry and exchanged their experience of major construction and personnel training around big data.

During the conference, the teaching research central group of the computer science major summarised their work in 2018, put forward a work plan for 2019, and introduced the newly launched majors for the 2019 spring term and the reform of the computer application basics course. Representatives from the OUC’s branches shared their teaching experiences: Wang Jie, a teacher from Guangdong OU introduced the “smart teaching practice”; Guiyi, a teacher from the Xinjiang branch, talked about major and curriculum construction; Kong Shaoying, a teacher from the Jilin branch, talked about a teaching support service model based on "six-network integration"; Wang Yi, a teacher from the Wuhan branch, shared their experience of the integrated development of open and vocational education; Li Yan, a teacher from the Liaoning branch, introduced the construction of an online teaching team; and Yang Fan, a teacher from the Chengdu branch, shared theirs teaching achievements over the past few years.

The participants believed that this meeting, held during a key stage in the construction of computer science majors, will play an important role in accumulating system consensus, planning the development direction of the majors, determining concepts of educational reform, upgrading the connotation of disciplines, and building a distinctive brand.

By Wang Ran, OUC