On 29 September 2022, the Open University of China (OUC) held a seminar on the construction of learning regions via online and offline means. This seminar was jointly organised by the Lifelong Education Research Institute, the Academic Affairs Department, the MOE Research and Training Centre for Vocational Education, and the Department of Reform and Development.

More than 50 personnel attended online, including Zhang Zhupeng, a former researcher for the National Institute of Education Sciences, and responsible personnel from the community education guidance centres for municipalities and central cities.

The seminar focused on the topic of how the OUC system promotes the construction of learning regions and invited experts from the governmental departments of “International Learning Cities” or from open universities to share their experiences and discuss the relevant issues in building learning regions.

Professor Liu Xiping, former vice president of Dalian Open University, pointed out that this year marks the tenth anniversary of the inauguration of the OUC and that this seminar also serves as a review of the achievements made by the OUC in its transformation and development with equal emphasis on both degree and non-degree education. He also gave advice and suggestions on how to strengthen the top-level design of local governments and the construction of learning regions based on the OUC’s advantages. The heads of local community education guidance centres actively participated in the discussion and said that they hoped they would have more opportunities to take such activities in the future in order to strengthen communication and jointly implement work.

By Li Huiqin, Du Ruo, OUC