In order to strengthen the university’s teacher team, promote inter-school exchange and cooperation of teacher development centres, and learn from advanced experiences in teacher development work, a delegation led by Liu Xuanxuan, deputy secretary of the Party Committee of the Open University of China (OUC), along with the OUC’s Department of Student Affairs and Teacher Development, visited Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) for research and exchanges on 26 March 2024.

BIT’s personnel participating in the exchange activities were Xue Zhenghui, dean of the Academic Affairs Department; Zhang Ji, director of the Teacher Development Centre; Fan Wenhui, deputy dean of the Academic Affairs Department; and Qiu Fang, deputy director of the Teacher Development Centre.

Liu Xuanxuan pointed out that the OUC has a large and specialized teacher team with digital literacy and skills, providing strong support for talent cultivation in open education and promoting lifelong learning for all. The purpose of this research visit is to share and exchange experiences and practices in teacher development work and the Higher Education Teachers’ Pedagogical Innovation Competition, as well as to explore new paths for teacher development.

Xue Zhenghui warmly welcomed the visit of the OUC delegation. Zhang Ji introduced the “Four Completeness” training system, distinctive branding projects, and teacher service system of BIT’s Teacher Development Centre; Qiu Fang shared BIT’s practices in organising the school-level contest of the Higher Education Teachers’ Pedagogical Innovation Competition and their experience in assisting teachers preparing for the contest; Fan Wenhui provided an overview of the organisation of the city-level competition.

Both sides engaged in in-depth communication and discussion on teacher development work, teacher training, teaching team building, departmental collaboration mechanisms, and the Higher Education Teachers’ Pedagogical Innovation Competition, with the hope of further strengthening inter-school exchanges and cooperation in order to jointly advance teacher development work to new heights.

By Zhang Hongrui, OUC