In order to further study and implement Xi Jinping's new socialist ideology with Chinese characteristics, uphold and carry forward the fine tradition of "from the masses, to the masses,” and immerse teachers in the grassroots to understand the actual situation of teaching at the front line, the Open University of China (OUC) held an online teacher-student forum on "entering the front line and meeting grassroots-level students and teachers to improve teaching work" on 16 December 2020.
Yang Xiaotang, vice president of the OUC, attended the meeting and engaged in interactions with student representatives. A total of 29 people, including Guo Qingchun, dean of the Experimental School and its vice deans, Qi Kun and Liu Ying, responsible teachers of Business Administration, leaders of the project of "Whole Network Teaching,” teaching management teachers and class counsellors from the School of Education for Enterprise Employees, and 13 student representatives from the civil aviation system, Business Chain-Store & Franchise Association and the OUC’s Weigongcun Study Centre, attended the meeting.
Yang Xiaotang fully affirmed the significance of the cloud student-teacher forum on "entering the front line and meeting grassroots-level students and teachers to improve teaching work,” saying that it is a concrete action to implement general secretary Xi Jinping's important speech and instructions on going down to the grass-roots units and serving the grassroots. It is also an important part of the open education and whole network-based education offered in open universities. He hoped that the students would make requests and put forward any difficulties they faced based on their learning experience and learning needs, and put forward suggestions and opinions for the improvement of education and teaching work at the OUC Experimental School.
Thirteen student representatives from Heilongjiang airport service system, Jiangxi Gome Electric Appliance Co., Ltd., Home Inns Co., Ltd, and McDonald's stores in Shenzhen, shared their learning experiences in terms of the convenient learning methods and appropriate professional course contents. Kang Qinghua, an employee of Home Inns, said that the purpose of applying for admission to the OUC is to upgrade their personal education and develop their abilities. He learned practical professional knowledge and improved his ability to analyse and deal with work emergencies, and has been praised by department leaders many times over the past six months due to these improvements. Zhang Hailong said that after a semester of study, his mental outlook has changed. He is now in the habit of studying every day. He hopes to continue to pursue genuine knowledge, be devoted to the people, and to serve the country in the future. Li Honghua, a student representative who was born in the 1970s and continued his studies in an undergraduate programme after graduating with a junior college degree in the spring of 2020, hopes that he will experience a career transformation after years of learning in the undergraduate program, upgrading from a skilled and service-oriented employee to a manager, and achieving a win-win situation in terms of both personal and organisational development. The student representatives are all grateful to the OUC for enabling them to fulfil their university dreams. They hope that during their study, they will not only obtain a diploma, but also broaden their knowledge, improve their comprehensive abilities and qualities, and become practitioners of lifelong learning and builders helping to realise the Chinese dream.
Yang Xiaotang pointed out that the OUC provides access for students who are willing to study in its open education system. The learning experiences shared by students in different industrial contexts fully reflect the mission of the OUC. He hopes that students will make full use of modern information technology tools and e-teaching materials to engage in learning, in order to realise in-depth learning and thinking. He advocated for the construction of a virtual campus and encouraged student representatives to take the initiative to become a model role of learning and organise teaching activities and cooperative learning programmes in the virtual campus of the Experimental School. He also demanded that students should establish a concept of lifelong education, develop lifelong learning habits, and promote the common development of family and society at the same time as their personal development. Finally, Yang Xiaotang expressed his wish that the students achieve excellent learning results and complete their studies successfully.
By Liu Xiaoqian, OUC