The Open University of China (OUC) recently hired as senior consultants Professor Hao Keming, member of the National Education Advisory Committee and leader of the Advisory Group for Building Lifelong Education Institutions, and Sir John Daniel, former president of Commonwealth of Learning and former vice chancellor of the Open University UK.
President Yang Zhijian awarded appointment certificates to them during an appointment ceremony on the afternoon of October 26.
Ruan Zhiyong, secretary of the Party Committee and vice president of the OUC, attended the ceremony which was hosted by Deputy Secretary Zhang Shaogang. Representatives of the staff witnessed this important historical moment.
Professor Hao Keming characterized the influence of the OUC as “indomitable, overwhelming”. She said that she hoped the OUC could learn from China's first-class universities and the Open University UK in order to serve the masses and effectively fulfill its role as a leader and a model for others.
After the appointment ceremony, a report called "Developments in Open, Distance and eLearning" was given by Sir John Daniel and Professor Stamenka Uvalić-Trumbić, former chief of the Higher Education Section at UNESCO's Paris headquarters. They analyzed the latest worldwide trends in higher education and the importance of open, distance and e-learning in light of new developments. They focused on the challenges and prospects of Open Educational Resources (OER) and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Furthermore, they spoke highly of the achievements thus far in the construction of the OUC. As a senior consultant of the OUC, Sir John Daniel described his vision for a multi-partner collaboration model, promised to provide constructive suggestions for the OUC's strategic development, and help the OUC and Open University UK lead international cooperation in distance education.
Hao Keming:
1. Member of the National Education Advisory Committee, leader of Advisory Group for Building Lifelong Education Institutions; president of Chinese Society of Educational Development Strategy, director of Expert Advisory Committee for National Center for Education Development Research; part-time professor of Peking University, Beijing Normal University.
2. As the founder of the National Center for Education Development Research and Chinese Society of Educational Development Strategy, Professor Hao Keming has spent many years researching development strategies and major policies of education in China. She is a senior scholar with high academic status and prestige in the domain of educational science.
3. The Columbia University School of Education granted Hao Keming the “Outstanding Contribution to Education and Human Development” award in October 2004. In 2012, she was the first to receive the “National Outstanding Contribution to Research in Educational Science” award from the Ministry of Education.
Sir John Daniel:
1. Sir John Daniel is the former president and CEO of Commonwealth of Learning. Now, he is an education master at Beijing DeTao Masters Academy. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1994 for his contribution to higher education, confirming 30 years of outstanding contribution to the development of university distance education. Sir John Daniel was vice chancellor of the Open University UK from 1990 to 2001. In 1998, he became president of the United States Open University and in 2001 he became UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education in Paris.
2. Sir John Daniel has published more than 300 books and essays. His most famous book Mega-Universities and Knowledge Media: Technology Strategies for Higher Education explores the role of technology in education. In his latest book Mega-Schools, Technology and Teachers: Achieving Education for All, he discusses the role of technology in expanding secondary education.
Yang Zhijian awards appointment certificate to Professor Hao Keming
Yang Zhijian awards appointment certificate to Sir John Daniel
Yang Zhijian, Ruan Zhiyong and the consultants take a group photograph
Sir John Daniel visits the OUC
By Chen Haishan, the OUC