From 25 to 29 November 2019, a special teacher training targeted at supporting the Xinjiang branch of the Open University of China (OUC) was held in Urumqi. One hundred and seventy-one teachers and managerial staff from radio and TV universities at prefecture and city level, and colleges directly under the OUC’s Xinjiang Branch participated in the training, which was the first of its kind.

The training event was sponsored by the OUC and organised by the OUC Xinjiang branch. Its main aim was to implement the work of the "Talent Training and Intelligence Assistance for Xinjiang" plan for Xinjiang Radio and TV University (Xinjiang RTVU) during the “13th Five Year Plan” period of the OUC. It also aimed to carry out customised personnel training according to the needs of the Xinjiang Branch, strengthen the construction of the branch’s teaching staff, improve the school running ability of organisations at all levels, and enhance the professional level of teachers and managerial staff in Xinjiang RTVU and its divisions in all prefectures. The president of Xinjiang branch, Patiguli Maimaiti, and Liu Ying, deputy director of the OUC Department of Student Affairs and Teacher Development, attended the meeting and delivered speeches. Ru Pengxin, director of the Department of Scientific Research and Resource Construction Management of the Xinjiang Branch, presided over the opening ceremony. Huang Chaohua, secretary of the Party committee of the Xinjiang branch, gave a special report on the reform and development of teaching at the Xinjiang Branch.

During the five-day long training, responsible people from the OUC online and relevant departments of the Xinjiang Branch were invited to carry out vocational study, through combined lecture and practice, on the application of the OUC learning network and the use of the integrated platform of the Xinjiang Branch. During the training, the participating teachers carefully studied the materials, actively exchanged their experiences, and shared their learning results. They believe that the content of the training fit with their actual work and that it generated genuine results. They pledged to apply what they have learnt and understood in the training to their future teaching, management, and service work, and strive to improve their personal comprehensive qualities and information-based education and teaching abilities, so as to make due contributions to serving the smooth implementation of the OUC’s "1233 project" and help make the OUC into a world-class open university.

By Li Chao,OUC