The Open University of China (OUC) hosted a focused seminar event for its Social Work Teaching and Research Central Group and the "Collaborative Growth" Project on 11-12 July 2024.
The event aimed to enhance the quality of social work education, unite the teaching faculty, and elevate the comprehensive quality of the teaching staff. Liu Xuanxuan, deputy secretary of the Party Committee and secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, and Huang Xingguo, president of Chengdu Open University, attended and addressed the event. Yuan Songhe, vice dean of the School of Political Science and Law at the headquarters, presided over the opening ceremony. Thirty-six teachers from the headquarters and 12 branches and colleges across the country participated in the seminar.
At the opening ceremony, Liu Xuanxuan praised the accomplishments of the 'Collaborative Growth' project in social work education and emphasised the Ministry of Education's recognition of the OUC's 45-year educational achievements. She analysed the current challenges and opportunities in educational digitalisation faced by the university and set six expectations for the conference: prioritising the cultivation of practical skills to highlight the distinctive features of social work education; spearheading technology-enhanced education to expedite the digital transformation of education; continually integrating high-quality educational resources to elevate the capability and standard of educational services; capitalising on the strengths of the system's educational model to promote integrated collaborative innovation development; adhering to the principles of open education to reinforce the development of majors and courses; and fostering the spirit of educators to strengthen the faculty team.
Huang Xingguo introduced the new "integrated development and comprehensive education" business model of Chengdu Open University and the basic situation and achievements of social work programme reform. He outlined four key requirements for the social work major seminar: enhancing the integration of theory with practice to create real-world learning environments; advancing educational reforms to improve teaching effectiveness and quality; expanding the scope and intensity of training to bolster the faculty team; and incorporating advanced ideas and resources to facilitate international exchange and collaboration.
The seminar encompassed three sessions: keynote sharing, thematic discussion, and study visits. In the keynote sharing session, teacher representatives from the OUC, Chengdu Open University, Xiamen Open University, the School for the Disabled, and Changchun Open University shared valuable experiences and best practices on innovative teaching models, rural revitalisation talent training, professional practical teaching, comprehensive ability training for disabled students, and teaching reform.
In the thematic discussion, participants delved into the construction of the ability index system for social work professional teachers and the implementation plan for the "Collaborative Growth" project. The discussions distilled valuable experiences and collective wisdom, expanding new ideas and perspectives.
During the study visits, participants visited the Chengdu IYOUSHE Community Development Centre and the Chengdu New Space Social Work Service Centre to learn about advanced experiences and practices in community building and corporate Party building in Chengdu. They also conducted research on social work talent training at Chengdu University.
The event also included a symposium on postgraduate education in social work, attended by representatives from the OUC, Chengdu University of Finance and Economics, Shanghai Open University, and Chengdu Open University. The symposium centered on the feasibility of open universities providing postgraduate education in social work, exploring the foundational aspects of postgraduate education, the findings from international master's course research, and the practices of regular university master's programmes.
Participants expressed high praise for the event, highlighting that it enhanced their teaching abilities, enriched their professional knowledge, improved their practical skills, deepened their communication, and strengthened the team. The participants expressed their commitment to further strengthening the distinctive features of their programmes and courses, advancing practical teaching reforms, and contributing to the response to the contemporary challenge: "A Leading Country in Education, the OUC's Role."
Written by Zhang Yini, photo by Li Yang, OUC