On 22 July 2023, the Open University of China (OUC) convened the second meeting of the fourth session of its Academic Degree Evaluation Committee. The gathering deliberated on matters related to the granting of degrees for the 2023 spring term and approved the conferral of OUC bachelor degrees upon 2,114 graduates.
Li Song, vice chair of the Academic Degree Evaluation Committee, attended the meeting via video link, while Yang Junhui and 21 other members attended in person. The meeting was presided over by Gu Xiaohua, the secretary general of the Committee, and heads of related teaching departments were also present. Matters concerning the awarding of degrees, including non-awarding reports submitted by the sub-committees, were discussed.
In the 2023 spring term, a total of 2,689 undergraduate students applied for bachelor’s degrees. Following thorough deliberations and voting by the Committee, 2,114 graduates were awarded bachelor’s degrees, while 22 graduates were not granted. The applications for bachelor’s degrees from 553 graduates were returned.
During the meeting, members provided valuable advice and suggestions to enhance the quality of OUC’s academic degrees, which received high emphasis and recognition from Li Song. Li proposed three key requirements: firstly, a stringent review process and optimization of the working mechanism should be employed. The requirements for the conferral of degrees should be strictly implemented and controlled, according to the quality of students’ dissertations. The latter should undergo a comprehensive review. Secondly, emphasize full-process management, leveraging each aspect of the dissertation process to enhance supervision and quality control. This includes providing guidance for topic selection, opening reports, mid-stage guidance, and thesis defense. Lastly, ensure the comprehensive implementation of supervisors’ responsibilities. The hiring and management of supervisors should adhere to strict standards, and fundamental requirements for supervisors should be further strengthened.
The meeting also deliberated on and approved the Implementation Details of Conferring OUC’s Bachelor’s Degrees.
Written by Zheng Xubing, photographed by Huang Yuyang