Recently, the Ministry of Education announced the first batch of 18 case studies showcasing "Artificial Intelligence + Higher Education" application scenarios.

Among them, the Open University of China (OUC) was prominently featured for its “Innovative Practice of Large-Scale Personalized English Teaching Based on AI Technology.”

Xin Ming is an expectant mother and a student in the adult education programme at the OUC. Obtaining a degree in English has long been her goal.

Despite being unable to attend on-campus classes frequently due to health reasons, the OUC's AI-powered English listening and speaking platform has been immensely beneficial for her. The platform not only demonstrates word pronunciations and situational dialogues but also provides comprehensive scoring based on her pronunciation, offering key suggestions. For her English essays, the AI analyses sentences individually to check for grammatical errors and recommends better usages, allowing her to study anytime and anywhere.

Xin Ming, a student at the OUC, said: “We can use our phones for self-study in spoken English, which is very convenient and greatly aids in our speaking and writing.”

Liu Xingkang, a student at the OUC, mentioned, "Previously, if I encountered difficulties with unclear assignments or non-standard pronunciations while studying at home, I had to wait until the next day or until a suitable time to consult with my teacher. But now, using this software is particularly convenient and efficient."

It is reported that the OUC primarily focuses on continuing education for adults, with currently 5 million registered learners, and annually, 3 million learners enrolling in the English programmes.

Zheng Jipeng, dean of the School of Foreign Languages at the OUC, commented: "Adult learners have diverse learning needs, foundations, and habits. A rigid teaching model can hinder their interest and effectiveness in learning. Therefore, we aim to leverage artificial intelligence to meet the personalized learning demands of our large student population."

Fan Xianrui, vice president of the OUC, stated, "In the realm of AI-empowered education, we are exploring how to adapt to students' situations, enabling them to study proactively and efficiently. We are also looking into advancing teacher reforms with the goal of empowering teachers to teach creatively and more effectively, thus achieving mutual growth in teaching and learning."

By CCTV