Those having obtained teacher-qualification, nurse-practitioner, or new-media editor certification, among others, are eligible for accreditation by the Credit Bank of the Open University of China (OUC). The Credit Bank platform enables credit transfer for eight categories of professional certification and learning outcomes with no fixed forms, making repetition of coursework unnecessary.

These eight categories cover programmes in five industries and seven majors. The regulations of related institutions allow credits already gained to be transferred among open-education degree programmes.

In 2012 the OUC established the Credit Bank (Learning Outcomes Accreditation Centre) for the accreditation, accumulation, and transfer of learning outcomes. It has been expanding the scope of learning outcomes to cover professional qualifications, occupational certification, and learning outcomes with no fixed forms, aiming to allow learners to have learning outcomes (credits) of varying kinds to be transferred for credits of degree programmes. To date, four types of occupational skill level certification (X certification,) have been recognised, with 982 transferable learning outcomes listed, which serves as criteria for of learning-outcome transfer for relevant institutions and training or evaluation organistions. The Credit Bank has also guided pilot institutions to release 463 learning-outcome transfer methods and 4,278 transfer rules, with credits for 9,000 courses already transferred.

Reprinted by OUC News Network from Xinhua News Agency