Guest Profile
Liu Zhimin, a professor, joined the university in 1984 and has since taught in the School of Economics and Management. She has led courses in Marketing, Sales Strategy and Art, and Marketing Planning. In 2007, she was appointed leader of the nationally recognised course in Marketing and also headed the national ideological and political education demonstration course in Sales Strategy and Art. Throughout her career, she has received numerous awards for her teaching and research achievements. In 2001, she was awarded the Second Prize of the Beijing Education and Teaching Achievement Award (Higher Education). In 2002, she won the First Prize for Outstanding Teaching Materials from the China Central Radio and Television University (CCRTVU). In 2004, she received the First Teaching Innovation Award from the Radio and Television Universities (RTVUs). More recently, in 2021, she earned the Second Prize of the First National Excellent Teaching Materials Award (for Vocational Education and Continuing Education). She was honoured with the title of Beijing Excellent Teacher in 2006, and the title of National Excellent Teacher in 2007.
Q: What do you think are the most significant changes in your teaching career at the OUC?
A: I joined the Radio and TV University (RTVU) in the summer of 1984, and it's been almost four decades since. During this time, I have been deeply committed to the cause of open and distance education and have always been eager to work hard. I have also witnessed the university's growth and evolution. I fully understand the value our university has contributed to the country and society, and I am truly proud of it.
Regarding the question you just asked about my teaching career and its changes, I would say that for the past four decades, I have primarily been engaged in teaching at the Faculty of Economics and Management, also known as the School of Economics and Management. As open education is an emerging educational form, I have observed that our teachers have consistently pursued learning, exploration, and innovation throughout nearly 40 years of my professional career.
For decades, we have been dedicated to serving students, maintaining a steadfast, student-centric philosophy. When it comes to changes, the university's reforms and development have always been closely aligned with shifts in the social and economic landscape, as well as advancements in information technology. Recently, with the rapid growth of the national economy and information technology, these changes have become even more significant.
Q: What is the influence of these changes upon your teaching methods and philosophy?
A: Alongside the development of the university, I can roughly divide the several decades of my professional career into three stages.
The initial stage involved a transformation from newcomer to veteran in open education. During this period, our teaching approach primarily relied on radio and television broadcasts, similar to the traditional university model. It essentially moved the classroom setting to a different medium, using limited and underdeveloped resources, which at the time meant learning support services were mostly provided through letters and telephone. This phase lasted 15 years for me. The university placed a strong emphasis on teacher training during this period, and we continually explored advanced theories in distance education. As graduates from financial and economic backgrounds without prior pedagogical training, we had to constantly acquire knowledge in this area. We also focused on studying the laws and the latest advancements in the development of distance education. Over these decades of teaching, we began to conduct in-depth research and developed profound insights into open education. Gradually, we started to see significant teaching and research outcomes.
The second stage, from the pilot to the establishment of the Open University of China (OUC), began in 1999 when the Ministry of Education approved a pilot project for a new talent formation model in open education. This initiative marked a significant development and brought numerous opportunities for the RTVUs, ushering in a new era for them. A notable shift during this period was the transition from a teaching mode that primarily relied on radio and television to one that leveraged the internet for both teaching and education. The OUC was among the first universities in the country to adopt online education.
At that time, we faced many challenges, such as starting from scratch with computers and training from the ground up. Despite these hurdles, we worked exceptionally hard, learned diligently, explored actively, applied our newfound knowledge to our work, and adapted quickly to the demands of online education. My primary responsibility was in Business Administration.
In terms of specialty development, our team invested significant efforts and achieved notable results. We began developing teaching resources in various media formats, utilising the internet for instruction, and managing questions and answers for students across the nation. We also established teaching teams, evolving from large teaching and research offices to more structured units. With the internet, these teams were able to conduct nationwide teaching across the entire educational system.
During this stage, we also implemented simulated training and organised various activities to cultivate and enhance students' practical abilities. This period was also when teachers experienced the most rapid growth, both in professional achievements and personal capabilities, leading to several substantial accomplishments. Some of my achievements were also recognised with awards at the time.
The third stage marked the inauguration of the OUC in 2012, a period when the national economic environment and information technology were entering a new phase, presenting fresh challenges and demands. At this time, the university underwent a significant transformation; its mission and tasks were redefined. Previously, our focus was primarily on compensatory education, offering educational opportunities to young people who couldn't attend traditional campus-based universities, as well as to older individuals who had missed their chances for degree education. With the inauguration of the OUC, the university committed itself to building "four platforms" to support lifelong education. These efforts included promoting both degree and non-degree education, establishing a credit bank, and launching other initiatives.
In reality, this period posed even greater challenges for teachers. We continued to strive for learning and improvement. During this stage, we made further progress in resource development, the implementation of teaching processes, and innovation in teaching models. The university's optimal technology approaches enabled deeper reforms. The improved network environment allowed us to better leverage our online education teams to provide nationwide teacher training, and guide teaching practices, offering answers and support for students across regions. Under the university's leadership, teachers advanced teaching reforms, and teaching quality was further enhanced.
Q: Please talk about your views of the most notable distinction of teachers between the OUC and traditional universities, and offer the young teachers some advice.
A: Teachers at open universities significantly differ from their counterparts at traditional universities in terms of role positioning, work methods, job content, career paths, and growth environments. Perhaps the most notable distinction is the university's adherence to the principle of "famous teachers with distinguished lectures." This means that the course editors and leaders are renowned professors from traditional universities. Our teachers primarily serve as course leaders, responsible for organisation and coordination. This includes inviting course editors and leaders, designing teaching strategies, and assisting with resource integration and production. The course editors and leaders, usually professors less familiar with online education, rely on our expertise in refining and designing resources. In terms of teaching, we operate within a structured system where our teaching teams are mostly comprised of key tutors from within the system, and lead the team to carry out the teaching process.
The university has set a consistent requirement for teachers to be experts in both their academic disciplines and the area of open and distance education. Teachers at traditional universities are not required to meet this standard; they need only excel academically. Our roles involve more organisation and design tasks behind the scenes. We act as educational designers, organisers, providers, and active participants. In addition to engaging in academic research within our respective fields, we also conduct research in distance education. This dual expertise is perhaps the most distinguishing feature between teachers at open universities and those at traditional universities.
The achievements of the university today owe much to the dedication of the older generations at the OUC. The baton has now been passed to the younger generation. As a senior teacher, I hope our young colleagues will maintain their enthusiasm for work, continue learning, and have the courage to innovate. I encourage them to excel in their teaching roles and make their own contributions to the development of the OUC.