On 3 September 2024, the Open University of China (OUC) convened a special seminar on degree work, focusing on enhancing the quality of thesis writing and guidance, increasing degree attainment rates, and promoting the high-quality development of degree work. Li Song, vice president of the OUC, attended the meeting, along with relevant personnel from the Academic Affairs Department.
Seven academic departments, including the School of Humanities, presented their reports on the basic status, highlights, challenges, and future reform initiatives of their respective degree thesis work. They also offered suggestions on how to improve the quality of degree theses and increase degree attainment rates at the OUC.
Li Song emphasised that, over the years, the OUC has implemented various reforms to promote the high-quality development of degree work, achieving initial success. However, there is still room for improvement in the quality of degree theses and the degree attainment rates. Li Song stressed that in the future, the university's degree work should focus on high-quality development and contribute to the achievement of educational strength, with a particular emphasis on implementing the following four aspects:
1. Streamlining and Enhancing Awareness: Coordinate and simplify the degree application process, and raise students' awareness of degree applications from the outset.
2. Strengthening Training: Solidify the training of thesis advisors and defense committee members, ensuring the achievement of training objectives, and monitoring the implementation and effectiveness of training.
3. Improving Quality Control: Enhance the quality monitoring of degree theses at branch campuses, exploring humane and reasonable reward and penalty mechanisms.
4. Diversifying Thesis Formats: Based on the improvement of job competency, explore diverse thesis formats suitable for adult open education, and optimise the evaluation criteria for OUC degree theses in line with the standards for thesis spot checks in Beijing.
By Academic Affairs Department, OUC