As a response to a call from the Ministry of Education (MOE) to "offer teaching and learning online after the postponement of the spring semester" and in order to serve needs of elderly students for home-based epidemic protection and diversified learning, on 3 February 2020, the Open University for Older Adults of the Open University of China (OUC)issued a proposal for the "Happy Learning and Epidemic Prevention” joint action and launched a public welfare classroom together with other open universities for the elderly in each province and its directly affiliated colleges for the elderly by actively gathering curriculum resources on subjects such as health and epidemic prevention, endeavouring to use the power of knowledge and the spirit of happy learning to control the epidemic.
Following the outbreak of COVID-19, in order to stop the spread of the epidemic and ensure the health and safety of both the teachers and students, the MOE recently issued a notice requiring that places and schools where conditions permit actively provide students with free online learning classes tailored to the local characteristics or features of the school, so that teaching and learning can go on while schools are temporarily closed.
On 31 January, the OUC issued a notice entitled Prevention and Control of the Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia Epidemic, calling for the whole system to give full play to the advantages of the "Internet plus University” model and successfully implement internet-based teaching and examinations.
On 3 February, the OUC Open University for Older Adults launched an initiative to carry out the "Happy Learning and Epidemic Prevention” joint action. Based on the advantages of modern information technology and distance education, the first group of 31 provincial-level open universities for the elderly (including elderly education institutions) and directly affiliated colleges for the elderly collected high-quality public welfare video course resources for elderly education from the OUC system and society through the "National Platform of Resource Sharing and Public Service for Elderly Education.” These resources are shared and used by all elderly education platforms to ensure that the majority of elderly students will not have to stop learning during the epidemic prevention period. All units involved in this joint action will provide free online courses for offline elderly education institutions and elderly care institutions.
The OUC Open University for Older Adults launched the "Happy Learning and Epidemic Prevention" public welfare classroom on its official website (http://lndx.edu.cn/), using 200,000 minutes of digital learning resources across nine categories related to education for the elderly to provide the online students of the OUC Open University for Older Adults with courses including health and epidemic prevention, calligraphy and painting, life and leisure, civic literacy, culture and sports, inter-generational education, investment and financial management, literature and history, and skills learning. The courses will be uploaded daily through the OUC Open University for Older Adults learning network, the official WeChat account, and the WeChat mini programme. At the same time, in order to establish suitable guidance information for middle-aged and elderly people among the massive amount of online epidemic prevention information, the OUC Open University for Older Adults has begun the construction of a new coronavirus prevention course, which will be released on the platform.
Serving the older students through "Continuing Learning While Suspending Classes" is an important mission of the OUC Open University for Older Adults with the characteristics of "Internet plus Elderly Education.” Through the joint action and the introduction of the public welfare classroom, the OUC Open University for Older Adults will strive to deliver courses to the elderly and other elderly education institutions and pension institutions, so as to scientifically arrange home activities and provide learning guidance and help for the elderly in all areas of the country.
By OUC Open University for Older Adults