On 24 January 2024, the Open University of China (OUC) convened the third meeting of its fourth Academic Degree Evaluation Committee session.
The agenda focused on matters concerning the awarding of degrees for the Autumn term of 2023.
Wang Qiming, the Party Committee secretary and president of the OUC, as well as the chair of the Academic Degree Evaluation Committee, was present at the meeting along with twenty other Committee members. The meeting was chaired by Li Song, a Party Committee member and vice president of the OUC, who also serves as the vice chair of the Committee. Key personnel from the teaching departments at the headquarters were also in attendance as observers. The agenda focused on matters concerning the awarding and non-awarding of degrees, alongside other related business.
In the autumn term of 2024, a total of 3,608 undergraduate students applied for bachelor's degrees. After careful deliberation and voting by the Committee, 2,972 graduates were awarded their bachelor's degrees.
Wang Qiming stated that open education plays a crucial role in building China's educational strength and in developing a society and nation oriented towards learning. Endowed with significant missions, open education should fully utilize its strengths in system operation and collaborate to overcome challenges. Regarding "advancing high-quality development in the degree-awarding work at the OUC", he proposed three requirements: firstly, to intensify organisation and management to ensure effective implementation of the bachelor's degree regulations. The document "Instruction on the OUC Bachelor's Degree Awarding" should serve as a top-level design and a working guide for the current management of bachelor's degree awarding at the OUC. Each branch should precisely understand the requirements for degree awarding and strengthen refined management. Secondly, to reinforce the responsibilities of teachers in student cultivation and to strengthen the development and management of the teaching team. Efforts should be made to gradually establish a database of thesis guidance teachers and to enhance their training, improving their abilities in guiding students in thesis writing. An incentive mechanism should also be established, while continuing to leverage the exemplary and guiding roles of outstanding teachers. Thirdly, emphasis should be placed on digital empowerment to improve the management of processes and quality of academic theses. Additionally, the development of an academic thesis guidance platform should be facilitated, aiming to achieve "traceable" management throughout the entire process of academic thesis development, utilizing a "digitalisation plus" approach in process management.
During the meeting, the members engaged in thorough discussions and communication on how to further improve the quality of academic degree work at the OUC. Additionally, they offered opinions and suggestions regarding the primary existing issues in thesis writing, and the work plan for the next stage.
By OUC