Digital learning resources make it possible for learners to study anytime and anywhere. The National E-Learning Resource Centres spread across China make it easy to learn.
Five-Minute Micro-Lectures
The Open University of China (OUC) has launched a five-minute micro-lecture project using modern information technology to adapt to the needs of mobile Internet development. To date, 30,000 courses have been developed as five-minute micro-lectures, divided into 11 categories such as literature and art, economics and management, science and technology. They also include a series of topics such as Chinese traditional culture, regional civilisation, regional economics, natural and cultural heritage, and Chinese musical instruments.
General Education Curriculum
In order to explore the construction of an online general education curriculum with the characteristics of the OUC and that caters to the characteristics of adult learning based on the “Six-Network Integration” learner development model, a batch of universal courses conducive to the improvement of the learners’ general abilities, citizenship, basic professional qualities, and sense of social responsibility need to be completed. For this purpose, the OUC has begun the development of an online general education curriculum in the form of five-minute micro-lectures.
The “General Education 100 Project” has been established with the aim of developing 100 general education curricula in five major areas.
Major Curriculum
Online degree education majors integrating teaching, learning, assessment, evaluation, and management have been developed as part of an innovative model that explores the use of the societal strength of industries, enterprises, and higher education institutions. To date, the OUC has developed 280 quality courses within the OUC educational system and 36 quality courses at the national level.
Open Video Classes
National E-Learning Resource Centre
249 digital e-learning resource sub-centres have been established nationwide, gathering about 51,000 courses from higher education institutions, vocational schools, open universities, and social educational institutions from China and abroad. The National E-Learning Resource Centre has established 249 regional centres and sub-centres for colleges and schools in 31 provinces and municipalities, and built six resource development centres in Shenyang, Tianjin, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangzhou and Jiyuan, forming a preliminary sub-centre system across China.
Digital Library
The OUC digital library, OUC Learning Platform (Learning Network), and OUC Office Administration Platform (OA) have been jointly verified. Teachers and students within the OUC schooling system have access to a digital library service open to “anyone, anytime, anywhere” through apps such as the OUC digital library platform, the distance visiting system, and the mobile library.
“OUC Scholar Search” is a one-stop search platform offered by the OUC digital library. The readers are offered a simpler and more efficient search experience through the integration of the library’s self-developed database and purchased database. At the same time, the platform has an embedded literature delivery service, which enables readers retrieve and receive resources not in the purchased list via mail service.
Readers have access to OUC Scholar Search, a one-stop tool for searching for information, books, periodicals, newspapers, theses, conference papers, patents, standards, and videos.
Written by: Sun Fuwan, Edited by Yan Jinzhen, www.china.org.cn