To undertake in-depth discussion of the reform and development of the Social Work major of the Open University of China (OUC), and promote the pilot units of the "Coordinated Growth" project, on 6 December 2021 a meeting was held for the OUC Central Teaching and Research Group for the Social Work Major & the online training of the "Coordinated Growth" project.

Over 200 people, including the head of the Faculty of Political Science and Law, and members of the Central Teaching and Research Group and the pilot unit, participated.

Deputy director of the Faculty of Political Science and Law and of the Academic Affairs Department, Gu Xiaohua, said at the meeting that practical results should be expected from the project, and the course of promoting it should involve solving problems with its operations and making use of the experiences gained from it. He also advised the Central Teaching and Research Group to undertake construction of training programmes, reform of majors and disciplines, implementation of teaching processes and research, integration of ideology and politics into courses, and integration of degree and non-degree qualifications. He expressed the hope finally that the joint efforts of teachers would enhance the Social Work major.

The meeting invited well-known social-work experts, Professors Wang Sibin and Sun Ying, to lecture. Professor Wang spoke on "Economic and Social Policies and Social Work in Rural Revitalisation During the Stage of New Development", stating that recent social and economic policy in China has helped promote rural revitalisation and bring about common prosperity. He pointed out the important role of social work in implementing policies, providing services, and promoting prosperity. Meanwhile, Professor Sun spoke on a variety of topics related to community governance, analysing issues of participation, cooperation, and division of labour, and suggesting how these applied to it. The lectures were felt to be instructive in terms of teaching, research, and other capabilities by members of the two groups.

In the end, the Central Teaching and Research Group discussed reform and development of the Social Work major, covering issues such as modular reform of its curriculum, construction and sharing of majors with unique orientations and resources, teaching methods, and training of dissertation instructors.

The meeting was rich in content and led to fruitful exchanges, laying a solid foundation for follow-up work in the reform and development of the OUC Social Work major and the enhancement of teacher capabilities.

By Huang Qiao, OUC