The welcoming ceremony for the first cohort of students majoring at Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the Open University of China (OUC) took place on 12 October 2024. It was held both online and offline.
Those attending the event in person included Vice President Fan Xianrui from the OUC, representatives from leading industry companies, faculty and student representatives, as well as heads of relevant departments from the university.
Vice President Fan Xianrui warmly welcomed the first cohort of students majoring in AI at the OUC. She expressed gratitude for their trust in choosing this programme. She highlighted that the setup of the AI major is a significant step for the university in exploring new avenues for lifelong learning and building a new paradigm for digital education. Fan emphasised that the university has meticulously prepared and organised this programme by pooling high-quality resources from well-known domestic universities and leading enterprises. A new education and teaching model has been designed, leveraging AI to enhance education and teaching, and trying to provide students with good learning experience. She encouraged students to actively participate in the teaching process by serving as testers for teaching experience and evaluators for teaching quality. In this way, they can help improve and optimise the teaching quality of courses, thus achieving the goal of teaching and learning promoting each other. Fan expressed her hope that the study of AI would contribute to the students' growth. She hoped that the students will go along with the major of AI for mutual development, aiming to create a promising future for AI education.
Professor Gao Xiaopeng from Beihang University, a representative of the lecturers; and Associate Professor Wang Jiao from the OUC, a representative of the assistant lecturers, shared insights into the characteristics and teaching methods of the AI major. They discussed their teaching experiences and perspectives on the development of the programme, expressing a desire to collaborate with students in exploring new educational models. Shao Yunda, dean of the School of Science and Engineering at the OUC, introduced the courses and resources of the AI programme, and indicated that higher quality course and teaching services would be provided for the students. Yuan Yaxing, chairman of OUC Online Education & Information Technology Co., Ltd, introduced the learning platforms and technological applications associated with the programme, aiming to offer students a more intelligent and personalised learning experience.
Lian Peng, a PhD graduate, and Li Xingheng, a Master's graduate, made respective speeches on behalf of the students from the AI programme. Lian Peng expressed a commitment to leveraging this learning opportunity to explore applications of AI in research, emphasising the importance of integrating theoretical knowledge with practical experience. Li Xingheng shared insights into his professional background and learning plans, expressing hope that studying in the AI programme at the OUC will significantly support his career development.
Li Li, dean of the Higher Education Research Institute at iFLYTEK Co., Ltd., spoke about the company's efforts in applying AI technology to empower education. He emphasised that as a comprehensive strategic partner of the OUC, iFLYTEK will promote the innovation and practice in AI education to provide students with better high-quality educational services.
Professor Gao Xiaopeng from Beihang University, a doctoral supervisor, delivered a special lecture titled "A Brief Discussion on the Impact of Large Models on Developing Technology." He analysed the current status and prospects of the application of AI large model technology in the field of software development, starting from the development trends of large model technology. He also gave advice on learning in this field. His lecture was novel in content, which was highly instructive, cutting-edge, and practical, effectively igniting students' enthusiasm for studying in the AI major.
The welcoming ceremony marked the official launch of the AI programme at the OUC, signaling the beginning of a new learning journey for the students. In the future, the OUC will continue to innovate in education and teaching based on this programme, developing more "AI+X" interdisciplinary courses. The university aims to establish a diverse education mechanism through multi-school cooperation and school-enterprise collaboration, implementing intelligent teaching supported by digital technologies and creating a new paradigm for digital education.
By Experimental College, OUC