OUC’s Information Technology Department (Research and Development Centre for Digital Learning) and the Learning Resources Department (Library) actively explore the application of the cloud classroom model. On May 5, 2016, the OUC used the cloud classroom system to hold the "Open University Lecture" nationwide for the first time, which benefited the branches of the OUC across the nation with its high quality academic resources.

Associate professor Zheng Qinhua, who is the associate dean of School of Educational Technology and the director of Distance Education Research Centre at Beijing Normal University, was invited to be the guest speaker in this lecture. With the theme of Construction and Challenges of MOOCs in China, professor Zheng introduced the current situation of MOOCs in China in five aspects, such as research background, working mode, core contents, construction strategy, and summary based on White Paper on the Development of MOOCs in China published by the R&D team, in which it described ten characteristics and eight trends of MOOCs in China. 12 OUC branches including Hebei RTVU, Gansu RTVU, Shandong RTVU, Hunan RTVU, Hubei RTVU, and Yunnan RTVU, etc. attended the lecture through the cloud classroom. Many tutors from more than 20 municipal local schools within the Gansu RTVU system and Shanghai Open University watched the live broadcast online by logging in to the cloud classroom system website.

During the discussion section, professor Zheng had a lively debate with on-site tutors from OUC headquarters and tutors attending from Hebei, Gansu, and other branches via the cloud classroom. The cloud classroom provided a chance for tutors to share an academic feast, where they experienced a brainstorm of different thoughts. After the lecture, a survey on the cloud classroom experience was conducted among the participants. A total of 57 valid questionnaires were received. According to the survey results, 37.93% of the tutors felt that whether they listened to the lecture through the cloud classroom or were present onsite, there was effectively no difference in terms of effectiveness; 56.9% thought that although there were certain differences, their demands for the lecture can be basically met. 34.48% of the tutors were very satisfied with the live effects of the cloud classroom; 56.9% were quite satisfied.

Since the "Open University Lecture" was opened in 2008, 106 unique lectures have been given. Those lectures have attracted more and more attentions from the school faculty, the tutors, and students of the system. In the past, the "Open University Lecture" was delivered via a recording. On the day of the lecture, only the few people who were present for the actual lecture could participate, and those who were not located near the OUC headquarters could only watch the video after it had been completely recorded. In recent years, OUC’s nationwide cloud classroom system has been completed, which makes it possible to hold live broadcasts of the "Open University Lecture" which include remote interaction.

The OUC launched the cloud classroom construction project in early 2013. By the end of 2015, the OUC had built 297 cloud classrooms across the country. The two-level system architecture was designed based on the principle of "the OUC headquarters guides the branches across the country, and the branches guide the sub-branches". Through the control centre, the cloud classroom system realized centralized management, unified maintenance, and inter-connectivity for the cloud classrooms distributed nationwide. Since the first batch of the cloud classrooms were built in 2013, the cloud classroom system has been widely applied to classroom teaching, research, management, and other fields. This time, the live and interactive "Open University Lecture" held via the cloud classroom added a brand new experience to its applications.

By Wang Lina, Wu Shuping, and Qi Wei, OUC