On 16 May 2022, the Open University of China (OUC) held a second seminar to discuss the construction of adult education discipline projects that are entrusted by the OUC to external institutions.

Vice President of the OUC Fan Xianrui 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 online. The seminar was presided over by Wang Ying, director of the OUC Life Education Research Institute.

Fan Xianrui carefully listened to the progress of five projects and praised the positive effects of such joint projects, as well as raising several hopes for future work. Firstly, the projects should focus on relevant themes and serve the OUC. Empirical research should be strengthened in order to formulate more specific and targeted plans. Secondly, the OUC should adhere to the concept of open and sharing for mutual development, and welcome external higher education institutions to carry forward intensified cooperation so that mutual growth can be achieved through such cooperation. Thirdly, quality should always be guaranteed, and efforts should be made to make iconic academic achievements so as to contribute more to adult education disciplines and lifelong education in China.

Experts leading projects at the five cooperative universities gave speeches and talked about their latest achievements with the team from the OUC Lifelong Education Institute. It was unanimously agreed that the success of adult disciplines demands that the OUC should actively participate in the endeavour and take on even greater responsibilities. In terms of next steps, the cooperative universities and the OUC will collaborate to build the adult education discipline into a discipline with higher vitality and a more far-reaching perspective, as well as a major discipline serving lifelong learning for all.

By Liu Shu, OUC