Recently, after evaluation and public comments of the China Central Radio and TV University (CCRTVU, now the OUC) Committee of Evaluation of Excellent Graduates, 429 students were selected to receive the award “Excellent Graduates of CCRTVU - Class of 2013”.
On April 17th, the conference for the evaluation and selection of excellent graduates of CCRTVU for the class of 2013 was held in Beijing, with university authorities of the OUC Li Ling, Zhang Hui, Li Linshu, and Liu Chen, along with leaders of eight other provincial RTVUs, open universities, and other distinguished guests from associated departments, attending as judges in the evaluation of the candidates. 429 candidates passed the evaluation and after one week of public comments, the list was finalized.
44 provincial RTVUs, open universities, the OUC Experimental School, the Bayi College, the General Staff School, the Air Force School, the Tibet School, and School for the Disabled took part in the evaluation and recommendations. The selected excellent graduates stood out with the best academic records, prominent work performances, and active devotion to the good of society. They come from all walks of life, and among them there are workers, farmers, teachers, policemen, soldiers, judges, entrepreneurs, civil servants, and journalists, with the youngest being 21 years old and the oldest 76. They put what they have learned into practice, made distinctive contributions in their own posts, and won the approval and encouragement of the country and society. Among them there are National Labor Models, winners of the May 4th Youth Medal, May 1st Labor Medal, and the title of "National Excellent Migrant Workers”, as well as many winners of provincial and public service awards. Furthermore, among these excellent graduates, there are students who continue to study in RTVUs after getting undergraduate and postgraduate degrees and senior professional titles, such as professors. They have put into practice the philosophy of lifelong learning, showed their pursuit of and desire for knowledge, and embody the appeal of open education.
Li Ling, Vice President of the OUC, emphasized that the evaluation for excellent graduates is very meaningful for the OUC. He pointed out that most of the students in open education are on-the-job adults who are generally faced with a strong working pressure, living burdens, and family responsibilities. To finish their studies, a strong will is needed. This spirit is precious and their courage is admirable. The evaluation for excellent graduates is an important part of the OUC students support services. Seeking out and evaluating excellent graduates can set up role models and examples for all students, reinforce their motivation to persevere, strengthen confidence, and a sense of accomplishment, all of which has the cumulative effect of showcasing the positive energy of open education, creating a fine school spirit and learning style, and promoting the quality of learner cultivation for the OUC.
Vice President of the OUC Li Linshu pointed out that the evaluation for excellent graduates had been carried out continuously for many years and that the work had made significant progress and developments. The evaluation has become a treasure-house for showcasing the achievements of students. It strengthens the emotional communication between students and the university, and promotes connections and communication between the OUC headquarters and its branches and learning centres. The future goal is to value and perfect the evaluation and to study how to use the evaluation to further the growth of the OUC. At the same time, it is essential to perfect the evaluation according to the needs of the growth of the OUC, especially to explore the integration of the evaluation with the credit bank, study the accumulation, accreditation, and ways of presentation of learning outcomes and vocational achievements as the students progress in open education, in order to perfect and refine the "excellent graduates" evaluation criteria in line with the ideal characteristics of open education, and push forward the standardization and normalization of the evaluation process.
The meeting was hosted by Liu Zhimin, Director of the OUC Student Affairs Department. Deputy Director Sun Yanping reported on the general situation and existing questions related to the evaluation work in 2013, and introduced the evaluation criteria, process, and rules. The review experts were divided into five groups, through which both group and centralized evaluation of the candidates was carried out. After the evaluation, the experts also put forward precious opinions on the evaluation work, made suggestions in refining the evaluation criteria, strengthening publicity, and combining the evaluation results with relative business projects in the university so as to promote the development of all kinds of business.
At the beginning of May, the OUC will release a notice commending excellent graduates and announcing the evaluation results. Additionally, the OUC will select some excellent graduates with outstanding achievements and publicize their deeds through the media, including the OUC Weekly News, CRTVU News, dianda.china.com.cn to showcase the presence of these outstanding students to society.
By Sun Hongfei, the OUC