The first trans-sectoral study tour for outstanding young teacher candidates of the Open University of China (OUC) was launched in Chengdu from 21 to 25 October 2019. Fifty-six outstanding young teacher candidates from the OUC organisation system participated in the tour. Zhang Luanqiao, director of the OUC Department of Student Affairs and Teacher Development, presided over the opening ceremony.
Diao Yuanyuan, vice president of Chengdu Radio and TV University (Chengdu RTVU), attended the meeting and delivered a speech.
The trans-sectoral study tour was hosted by the OUC and organised by Chengdu RTVU. The format was "themed lecture + visits to benchmark enterprises + visit to sister universities + guided workshops,” with the aim of expanding the industrial vision of outstanding young teacher candidates within the OUC school running system and helping them to learn from the advanced experience of OUC branches and schools and online education benchmarking enterprises.
Liu Chen, deputy secretary of the Party committee of the OUC, attended the opening ceremony and gave a keynote lecture titled "Thoughts on Teaching Reform and Teaching Team Construction.” Setting out from the aspects of the study situation and the direction of the exploration of teaching reform and teaching team construction, he led the teachers in learning the important speeches and relevant documents of General Secretary Xi Jinping on the construction of the teaching staff, clarified the goal of the construction of the OUC teaching team in the future, and put forward clear requirements for teachers' literacy, abilities, and moral standards. He hopes that teachers will continue to improve their abilities to teach and educate people, and work together to create a better vision for higher education.
Zhou Jiping, secretary of the Party committee of Chengdu RTVU, gave a report with the theme of “The Mission of Central Cities as Part of the Transformation and Development of RTVUs.” He shared the development process of open universities in China and abroad with the students, reviewed the original intention and mission of teachers in the new era, and encouraged the candidates to think about teaching work within the framework of the current era, and pay attention to self-development and growth. Huang Dafang, director of the learner support service centre of Chengdu RTVU, and teacher Guo Mingquan introduced the current state of learner support services at Chengdu Branch to the participating teachers and shared Chengdu RTVU’s practical experience in teaching, management, resource construction, and support services. As the managing editor of an international academic journal, Professor Xiao Yongbo from the School of Economics and Management of Tsinghua University gave a lecture entitled "Academic Research and Thesis Publishing" from the perspective of teachers' growth, introduced how to write project application letters, carry out academic research, and publish papers, and reminded students to pay attention to the accumulation of personal academic reputation and the cultivation of academic ethics.
During the study tour, the teachers also visited the Chengdu branch of VIPKID, a well-known online English education company, and conducted exchanges with the VIPKID teaching and research team and IT related leaders on the exploration of the in-depth integration of modern information technology and education, and jointly creating an "Internet + Education” platform, while witnessing the signing of a cooperation framework agreement between the OUC’s Overseas Chinese College and the VIPKID Chengdu branch. The teachers also researched the construction of online courses and the operation of the learning network platform in Chengdu Branch. A course inspector account was opened for them to participate in online learning and experience the construction of resources and the operation of the teaching team and learner support services at the Chengdu branch.
Through the guided workshop, the participating teachers systematically established the learning achievements and accumulated contents of this cross-border study tour. They believe that the cross-border study tour not only enabled young teachers to understand the opportunities and challenges faced by the school organisation system, but also taught them high-quality experience from sister colleges and famous online education enterprises. After returning to work, they would fully integrate what they learned, heard, and saw during the tour into their daily teaching and management.
By Liu Ying,OUC