To examine the actual result of the Pilot Programme for Reform on Talent Cultivation Mode and Open Education, under the supervision of OUC, we conducted a survey on graduates from OUs throughout China from 2004 to 2006 (the Social Assessment Project). Orientation is toward two themes: one is personnel training mode in ODE, and the other is the educational quality. We conducted a sampling of 3-5% of the total population of graduates (300,000 people) from OUs by July 2004. The survey yielded 15,776 effective questionnaires from the graduates and 9,926 from the employers. We also interviewed over 5,000 graduates and 1,600 employers The results of the study are as follows:

• The ODE mode is highly recognized by the graduates. The overall score for general evaluation on the Personnel Training Mode in ODE was 78.45. 69.46% of the graduates thought the mode was "Excellent" or "Good". Among the four primary benchmarks of the mode, the graduates appreciated the delivery of ODE the best (with a score of 78.9), which is followed by the learning support services (with a score of 78.32), the teaching resources (with a score of 76.01), and the curriculum (with a score of 75.92). Judged by the normative score matrix (Excellent≥85; 85> Good >75; 75> Average ≥60; Below Average and Poor<60), all these benchmarks reached the level of "Good".
   
• The quality of the graduates from OUs in China is highly acknowledged by both the graduates themselves and their employers. The overall score on the quality of graduates given by the graduates and the employers was 82.28. Eighty-five percent of the employers thought the quality of the graduates was either "Excellent" or "Good", while 76.38% of the graduates thought the same way. In other words, the evaluation of the employers was better than the self-evaluation of the graduates themselves. Among the four primary benchmarks of the quality of graduates, the highest score is found in the morality and ethics of the graduates (88.89), which is followed by work performance (82.45), professional knowledge (81.49), and business capacity (80.53). In other words, the morality and ethics of the graduates reached the level of "Excellent" while the remaining benchmarks the level of "Good".
   
• We have developed an assessment model and tool for ODE, acquired the expertise in the procedures and methods of organizing a large-scale survey, summarized the major features of ODE, and identified the internal principles of ODE, making significant contributions to the growth of China's ODE.