II． Problems and suggestions
(I) Major problems
After five years of practice, the construction of open universities has faced a lot of problems, most of which are related to understanding, competences, the teaching team, resource development, technology application, and student recruitment, as well as problems originating outside of the universities including government attention, support policies, and problems with the system and mechanism influenced by the related reform and innovation. During the conference, the presidents focused on exchanges on outside problems that they hope can be solved.
1. The orientation of the new type of universities
The Guidance on Operating Open Universities Well issued in 2016 clearly states that open universities are a new type of university. However, no corresponding adjustments to the government’s management system have been made. It is difficult for open universities to get the same policy support as regular universities. President Wu Wenqing of Guangdong OU pointed out that there aren’t even any competent authorities in national, provincial or municipal education departments taking charge of the affairs of open universities. Each work report has to be submitted to several sections and offices. It is very awkward for open universities to be simultaneously managed and ignored by so many different departments. To give another example, so far, it has not been defined whether government departments should manage the open universities as a new type of university by following the management models of regular universities or adult universities. As a result, each province and municipality has their own practice. If the management model of regular universities is used, it may not take into account the peculiarities of open universities; if they are managed as adult universities, then the open universities will lose the opportunity to compete with regular universities and thus be unable to break into the mainstream. Furthermore, if open universities are managed as adult universities, it may have an unfavourable impact on social cognition, the construction of majors and disciplines, teaching team construction, and scientific research. It is also not clear what the government departments in charge think of open universities and what role open universities ultimately play in the public education system. Open universities face a contradiction in that they operate inside the planned system but also have to use market mechanisms outside the system.
2. Lack of appropriate policy support
As pointed out by president Cui Xinyou of Jiangsu OU, though the state attaches great importance to the construction of open universities, since the open universities were renamed the state or the government has not issued appropriate policies. The policies have remained the same as when the open universities were established. The educational policies and systems cannot keep up with the pace of the reform and innovation of open universities. For example, many elderly people cannot register for the open universities as required by Opinions on Operating Open Universities Well because their prior education level fails to meet the requirements of degree education. Furthermore, there is no legislation for lifelong learning, the construction of the open university lacks a guarantee system, there are no appropriate evaluation standards for open universities, and the required learning duration, a minimum of two years, is not flexible enough. In reality, many students can obtain credits from their prior learning results, such as work experience, the courses they have studies, and their certificates.
3. The necessity for coordinated development between the Open University of China and the provincial and municipal open universities
Open universities, as a system, are in great need of coordinated reform and innovation in order to discover an effective model for the sharing of quality majors and teaching resources, and to transform them into policies and systems.
(II) Development suggestions
1. Support the initial trials of open universities. Open university construction, as a pilot project, should conduct initial trials in registration, length of schooling, teaching format, resource sharing, and talent employment. Support should be given measures that benefit lifelong learning for all, benefit the construction of a learning society, and benefit members of society becoming talented professionals through multiple channels.
2. Accelerate the renaming of the 39 provincial level radio and TV universities. President Yang Zhijian of the OUC suggested that the Ministry of Education accelerate the strategic transformation of the 39 provincial radio and TV universities into open universities by building on the MOE’s Opinions on Operating Open Universities Well and the experience of the 5+1 open university construction pilot schemes. The 39 provincial radio and TV universities are an important part of the construction of an open university system with Chinese characteristics. Delaying this will have a negative impact on not only the transformation and development of the entire open university system but also the social recognition, branding, and explorative development of the OUC, as well as the goal of creating China’s open university system by 2020.
3. Clarify the orientation of the new type of universities. It is recommended that the educational authorities break out of the category and identification management systems of traditional universities, and break out of the dual clarification model of traditional regular universities and adult universities to avoid systematic barriers to open universities in terms of policy, operation path, and social recognition, as well as the construction of disciplines, majors, teaching teams, and scientific research.
4. Create a list of policies with issues that we expect to be solved with the assistance of the government or the national educational administrative departments, and transform the reform views and creative thinking of open universities into practical policies.
5. Pay attention to the construction and development of the OUC and give play to its leading role in the transformation and development of other open universities and the radio and TV university system. It is also necessary to include the OUC in the construction plan of key universities and to give it a greater say and influence in the international open university system.
6. Promote lifelong education legislation and design and formulate evaluation standards that are appropriate for open universities. It is also necessary to include the management staff and teaching teams of open universities in the national training plan and to relax the minimum standard of two years of education.
7. Expand the promotion and social influence of open universities. Professor Wang Yibing pointed out that society and even professionals inside the education field lack understanding of open universities and some even have prejudices. Open universities need to promote their value and expand their social influence.