Editor's Note: In order to further study Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC); carry out the spirit of the speeches of the general secretary at the National Conference on Ideological and Political Education and China's National Education Conference;
implement the fundamental task of ethical education, further strengthen the construction of university teaching, enhance the abilities of head teachers, and give play to their role in the implementation of teaching processes, the Open University of China (OUC) has selected 618 head teachers who have made outstanding contributions to the cause of education at the OUC for this purpose.
A head teacher disseminates the OUC's teaching principles and learner-development model, facilitates the implementation of teaching processes, organises student activities, and provides comprehensive learning services, making up part of the teacher team that keeps the closest contacts with OUC students. The OUC website and its official WeChat account will present the accomplishments of some of the top head teachers in order to publicise their roles as pacesetters, promote respect for teachers and their work within the OUC, enhance their feelings of responsibility and mission, and improve the quality of the management and services provided by teacher teams at the OUC.
Wang Yinfeng has been a learner guide for the Accounting major since transferring to the Miyun School of the OUC’s Beijing branch in September 1996. She has served as head teacher for nearly 20 classes. A variety of forms of enrollment exist: students can be admitted after having taken the unified entrance examination; they can be admitted without having taken it, as students studying remotely and independently via audio-visual resources; or they can take online courses while also receiving face-to-face tutoring. Class sizes vary between 50 and 100 students.
Among her honours, in 2017, she was allowed to host the OUC Accounting major thesis defense; in 2015, she was recognised for "Excellent Online Teaching Activities ", and in 2013 and 2014 as “Excellent Teacher of Beijing Agricultural Radio and TV System”. In 2009, she came second in the “Excellent Course of the Beijing Agricultural RTVU System” competition; she has been recognised numerous times in the university's learner-guide assessments; and she was rated “excellent” for seven consecutive years, from 2011 to 2019, in the annual employee assessment. The Economics teaching and research office she belongs to has many times been named a "Learning-oriented Team" and "Advanced Unit in Teaching and Research" by the university, and her classes have been named “Excellent Class” many times as well.
Wang Yinfeng cares for her students. She puts their interests first, befriends them, and works on their behalf without asking for recognition, helping them feel welcome at the university.
Interpreting "Management" as "Service"
A teacher should aim to serve students in order to manage them well. On the one hand, Wang Yinfeng strictly implements university regulations and strives to safeguard the legitimate interests of the students. On the other hand, following the requirements of open education, she helps students learn how to study online and familiarises them with modern teaching methods to ensure their smooth progress.
A head teacher should not be misled into thinking of students as difficult to deal with, tutors as poor at managing students. Besides managing well, a head teacher should provide high-quality services to his or her classes, and be detail-oriented. At the beginning of each semester, Wang Yinfeng works out a timetable for each class based on the university syllabus, noting all the matters that need attention. She also compiles class email-address lists as the basis of the class QQ and WeChat groups, facilitating communications among students, harmonious relationships between them and their teachers, and enhanced motivation among the students to study. Before each class, she posts course-related information on WeChat or QQ to further help and motivate the students, and at the end of each semester summarises the key knowledge points for them to review, asking the class leaders to give out notices in the groups, and organising group reviews, which help create a studious atmosphere. She also often takes time to visit students between classes to enhance her relationships with and understanding of them. Adult students have work commitments, and Wang Yinfeng is always willing to take time from her lunch breaks or after work hours to allow them to drop off or pick up whatever they need.
All Matters, Big or Small, Need Full Attention from the Class Manager
Each time she takes over a new class, Wang Yinfeng reads the information she is given to gain an overall view of the situation of each student, and then contacts each student in turn. To facilitate contact and management, she establishes class WeChat and QQ groups, and sends the Admissions and Education Handbook for Freshmen and Notes to Freshmen publications to these, giving students a clear overview of the courses to be taken over the following 3 years, covering learning methods, assessment requirements, supplementary courses, applications for students’ academic degrees, honour-roll criteria, and so on. She always uses the first class meeting to explain the key points, helping the students develop study plans and set up clear objectives.
Learner guidance in open education deals stepwise with most day-to-day management tasks, and needs to be strict about timelines, especially when it comes to enrollment, examination registration, assignments required for formative assessment, final examinations, and so on. In January it is time to release the examination results; in February, to check the information of the graduates-to-be and determine the list; in March, to undertake freshman enrollment and the new semester's syllabi; in April, to register students for courses; in May, to register them for examinations; and in June, to collect assignments, submit applications for formative assessments, and issue examination results. A great deal of informal effort is required as well, such as urging students to turn in online homework, reminding them to pay the fees for the make-up examinations, applying for undergraduate online and CET-3 examinations, filling in the graduate-registration forms (if they are graduating), and so on. To stay on top of her duties, Wang Yinfeng drafts a work plan at the beginning of each semester based on the nature of each class, and schedules accordingly.
Extending Love and Equal Treatment to All Students
Wang Yinfeng not only treats all her students impartially, but also helps target their studies to their characteristics. In cases of absenteeism, Wang Yinfeng contacts students to find out the reasons, and even makes personal visits to encourage participation in face-to-face tutoring and online studies while meeting their other day-to-day obligations. She is patient with students who fall back in their studies, and is never impatient with their inquiries. Most Accounting majors are female, and demands on their time such as marriage, pregnancy, childbirth, childcare, and aging parents are all common. Nevertheless, most students are able to overcome their difficulties and attend classes, and some female class monitors have been especially important in taking the lead. In order to make students feel welcome at the university, remind them of safety issues, and help remedy absenteeism, Wang Yinfeng often sends holiday greetings via SMS, WeChat or QQ.
Over her years as head teacher, Wang Yinfeng has found that even students with a clear purpose and definite interest can begin to feel overwhelmed by their studies, doubt their intelligence and ability, and think of giving up. Wang Yinfeng suggests to these students to take a deep breath, relax, and set about analyzing their problems with their classmates and teachers. She helps connect them with peers, and alerts their subject teachers to the difficulties they are having. In addition, Wang Yinfeng asks students to participate in online Q & A sessions if they are having problems. Most students can get through difficulties with hard work, and bring their studies back on track, often with enhanced self-confidence and learning ability, and a solid foundation for their future studies.
In view of the complex situations of individual students, Wang Yinfeng keeps a complete profile for each student to help with management and prevent mistakes. Each profile includes the student’s phone number, the class groups to which he or she belongs, the registration and formative-assessment forms, course schedule, supplementary examination results, results of survey papers, test results, and so on. In this way, the learning situation of every student is available to her for easy reference, allowing her to provide targeted guidance and other services based on the specific situation of each student.
Career-minded and responsible, as well as understanding of the characteristics of adult students, Wang Yinfeng has been an outstanding learner guide. Through her unremitting efforts, the management of the classes under her oversight has greatly improved, with low drop-out rates, high graduation rates, and numerous students obtaining undergraduate degrees. Some of her students have won OUC and Yanjing Beer scholarships, and many have been honoured for their excellence by the OUC’s Beijing branch. Numerous others have been named “excellent students” of the Miyun School at this branch, and in recent years her classes have been named “Excellent Class” many times.
Wang Yinfeng has been working as a head teacher for 23 years. She considers loving, being a model for, and serving as family and friend to her students to be her duty. She educates and influences them, fulfilling the role expected of an educator of adults.
By OUC News Network