The International Department of the Open University of China (OUC) and the Centre for Online and Distance Education (CODE) of the University of London (UoL) came together on 21 September 2022 to introduce the 2022 - 2023 Online Professional Development Course.

It is to be delivered from 26 September 2022 to 9 June 2023, and aims to help OUC teachers and managerial staff with distance teaching, design of online classes, evaluation, and other areas, as well as providing a platform for their collaboration. 100 teachers and managerial staff selected from the OUC and 44 regional open universities participated.

Fan Xianrui, OUC vice president, and Professor Mary Stiasny, Pro-Vice Chancellor of UoL, recorded a video for attendees, and personnel from the OUC International Department and CODE, as well as UoL lecturers, students, and tutors attended via video link.

Fan Xianrui, OUC vice president, speaking at the meeting

Fan Xianrui reviewed the decade-long partnership between the OUC and UoL, praising the success of the first session of the programme and the foundation it laid for success in the present, with hope for full student participation and continued strengthening of the collaboration.

Professor Mary Stiasny, Pro-Vice Chancellor of UoL, giving a speech

Mary Stiasny stated that, while the OUC is the larger of the two, both it and the UoL have rich experience in open and distance education. She also extended her congratulations to the OUC for receiving the UNESCO Prize for the Use of ICT in Education for its “One College Student Per Village” programme. She expressed her pleasure at being able to continue to collaborate with the OUC on this programme, and praised its high quality, its focus on the practical needs of students, and the innovative nature of its delivery, hoping that it would contribute to the development of the OUC system.

Online interaction between instructors and students

During the meeting, the UoL instructors introduced the basics of the course, such as an overview of its content and learning activities, the operations of the platform, assessment methods, and so on, with discussion undertaken on how to achieve success as a student. Xu Hang and Zhang Hongli from the OUC and Tao Jia from Shenzhen Open University shared their learning experiences as representatives of the first session of the programme. The meeting helped the students gain an in-depth understanding of the programme and its methods, preparing them for their upcoming studies.

Written by Chen Na; photos by Zhang Yi and Li Sihan