III. Typical teaching tasks of teachers in open universities
The typical teaching tasks in the research represent all of the teaching tasks undertaken by all of the teachers engaged in the teaching of majors and courses at open universities. They are not divided by role or position. The typical tasks of teachers in open universities are divided into three aspects — teaching preparation, implementation, and development — which are further subdivided into nine secondary tasks and 46 tertiary tasks.
Teaching preparation (see Table 1) refers to preparations made before offering open and distant degree education majors or implementing non-degree education projects, including prophaseargumentation, team building, the design of various schemes and proposals, and the construction of courses (teaching design, development of multi-media resources, online course construction, the building of teaching teams etc.). It is the preparation before organising and implementing teaching process for students.
Teaching implementation (see Table 2) refers to all tasks that are part of the process of organising and implementing teaching for the students, including proficiency tests and entry-level education for new students, various course-based teaching activities, teaching tutorials, learner support, and learning evaluation, as well as the implementation, organisation, and evaluation of practical teaching at the major level, and teaching feedback and examination aimed at improving teaching quality.
Teaching development (see Table 3) refers to tasks that teachers of open universities carry out or participate in in order to improve their teaching ability and level, including analysis of and reflection on teaching tasks, targeted teaching and academic research, and participation in teacher training and further education.
IV. Competency model for teachers in open universities
A competency refers to the specialised knowledge and special skills an individual or a group should possess in order to fulfil certain responsibilities, as well as external expressions such as enthusiasm, emotions, and attitude in completing the activities. It also covers the implicit knowledge and skills that will help the individual or group handle future challenges (Liu Yuan et el, 2001). As a profession, it is natural that teachers in open universities should have qualified competencies to do their job. The competency model in this research refers to the competency structure required for the professional positions assumed by open and distance education teachers in open universities.
The typical teaching tasks defined above form the basis for the research and development of a competency model and standards for teachers in open universities. In combination with the “iceberg model” and TPACK competency model for teachers in the field of human resources, all competencies necessary for teachers to finish each task are identified and combined for the purpose of analysis, adjustment, eliminating duplicates, merging, and classification. In this way, we obtain the competencies and competency model.
The competencies of teachers in open universities lie in three aspects (see Figure 2)
● Ethics and values: This refers to the basic ethics, attitude towards, and values of open and distance education, including basic professional ethics and political accomplishments, professional needs and motivation, and recognition of the core educational philosophy and school running values followed in open universities, and the necessary responsibility and enterprise.
● Professional knowledge: Teachers should have specialised knowledge of their discipline in order to teach their students and impart knowledge to them. They should have basic education and teaching knowledge to teach and impart knowledge, as well as knowledge of how open and distance education is different from traditional face-to-face campus education.
● Skills and abilities: These are the competencies necessary for teachers in open and distance education to teach, including general abilities and distance teaching abilities. General abilities refer to those necessary for various teaching roles in open universities. Distance teaching abilities are related to specific teaching tasks; they are the core skills and abilities necessary to complete professional tasks.