On 7 April 2022, the Open University of China (OUC) held a seminar to discuss the construction of its featured disciplines. Fan Xianrui, vice president of the OUC, attended the meeting and gave a speech.

Experts in adult education disciplines from higher education institutions such as Beijing Normal University, East China Normal University, Beijing Foreign Studies University, Southwest University, and Ningbo University attended the seminar. The seminar was presided over by Wang Ying, director of the OUC Life Education Research Institute.

Fan Xianrui noted that the cooperative construction of disciplines should be focused on four aspects. Firstly, lifelong education should be focused on advancing featured discipline construction in order to serve lifelong learning for all. Secondly, feasible plans should be made for the construction in order to aid the high-quality development of the university in the new era. Thirdly, high-level collaborative and innovative platforms should be formed to cultivate professional teaching teams. Fourthly, a series of high-caliber achievements should be fostered from the construction in order to reach a new academic high ground and create a field for practice.

Yue Chuanyong, vice president of Ningbo University; Yuan Dayong, vice dean of the College of International Education of Beijing Foreign Studies University; Ma Lihua, associate researcher from the Faculty of Education of East China University; Zheng Liqun, associate researcher from the Faculty of Education of Beijing Normal University; and Wu Yelin, vice professor of Southwest University, introduced the relevant progress of their cooperative projects and held discussions with the faculty of the OUC Life Education Research Institute on the topics of optimising the cooperation mechanism, fostering cooperative achievements, strengthening faculty exchange, refining featured disciplines, and studying the construction plans of such disciplines.

The OUC will further strengthen cooperation with relevant universities and strive to make new breakthroughs in the theoretical research and practice of adult education.

By OUC