To implement the guiding principles of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the digital strategy action in education, and to advance the building of a digital university, a special seminar on the digital construction of universities was held by the Open University of China (OUC) and Beijing Open University (OU) on 6 March 2023. Vice president Fan Xianrui of the OUC and vice president Cai Dapeng of Beijing OU participated in the exchange.

Fan Xianrui pointed out that the OUC, as a pioneer in the construction of digital universities, should leverage its advantages in scale and the strength of the OUC system, concentrate its efforts on accomplishing great things with advanced technology, continue to solve problems in line with the "application-oriented and service-oriented" principle, promote diversified development of educational services, build an excellent digital university, and serve the construction of a society and country of learning where lifelong learning is pursued by all.

Cai Dapeng provided a detailed introduction to the development of information technology construction at Beijing OU over the past five years, covering their efforts to promote digital business development with the "one network and three platforms" strategy as the pivot, as well as achievements in comprehensive teaching reform, talent development modes, course development, and degree education.

Cheng Gang, the Director of the OUC Information Technology Department, introduced the progress of the university's current core tasks, including system integration, architecture transformation, performance improvement, data integration, and standard formulation. He also shared the OUC's experience in data governance from the aspects of data integration, governance, sharing, and application. The two sides also had extensive discussions on intelligent applications, data sharing, and team building, and expressed their commitment to further strengthen exchanges and cooperation.

Beijing OU expressed their deep appreciation for the significant progress made by the OUC in recent years in digital construction during this seminar. They hope that the implementation of projects related to the digitalisation of the OUC education system can be prioritized at Beijing OU, allowing for piloting in advance and synergistic development to continuously boost the digital transformation of education.

Before the meeting, the delegation from Beijing OU had the opportunity to visit the Internet + University Exhibition Centre and the Seniors University of China exhibition hall.

By Wei Fangfang and Zhou Huiqin, OUC