Shanghai Open University is pleased to announce that applications for its 2023 International Visiting Scholar Program is now being accepted. Shanghai Open University (SOU), sponsored by the Shanghai Municipal Government, approved by China’s Ministry of Education and subject to the administration of the Shanghai Education Commission, is a new type of higher education institution. It was formerly known as Shanghai TV University, which was founded in 1960. SOU provides open and distance ICT-supported education to adults at undergraduate and junior college level. SOU has had more than 470,000 graduates since its foundation. Adapting to the needs of Shanghai’s economic and social developments, SOU carries out large-scale non-academic education and training programs for about half a million people each year. SOU established several schools with appropriate features for those who have special learning needs. SOU has currently the largest number of college students in Shanghai. It also serves as an important lifelong learning platform in Shanghai. In addition, SOU is the coordinating institution of the UNESCO UNITWIN Network in Open and Distance Learning, and received the UNESCO King Hamad Bin Isa Alkhalifa Prize for the use of ICT in education. SOU was awarded an “Excellence Group Work Award” by the International Council of Open and Distance Education (ICDE) and an “Excellent Support Organization Award” by the African Council of Distance Education (ACDE). SOU strategically cooperates with the Open Universities of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and ACDE. SOU passed ICDE’s education quality audit. In order to promote global cooperation between universities, institutions and interested scholars through academic exchange and to enhance the quality of teaching and research in the field of open and distance learning, SOU has successfully conducted the International Visiting Scholar Program each spring and/or autumn since 2013, with participation by the member universities and institutes of African Council for Distance Education (ACDE),Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU), as well as other universities and institutes that currently provide or are developing open and distance education all over the world.     SizeSOU is offering up to 15 fellowships for the 2023 International Visiting Scholar Program. We have found that offering the program on this scale promotes excellent collaboration and exchange among the visiting scholars and their SOU colleagues, not only for the duration of the on-site program, but for years to follow. Our International Visiting Scholar Program is unique in that we use the same 'blended model' as we do in our courses to combine both face-to-face and mobile distance education to create global communities of scholarship for our Visiting Scholars.  Duration of the ProgramOn-site in Shanghai: 2 weeks from 16 to 27 October2023. SOU also maintains Wechat (Weixin) social network groups for Visiting Scholars to foster and maintain professional collaboration and support before, during and after the on-site program.  Important DatesDeadline for application: September 8th, 2023Notification of acceptance: September 15th, 2023Requirements for CandidatesThe candidates for the programØMust have relevant teaching and/or research experience in open & distance learning. ØMust possess a post-graduate degree and have held the position of instructor or above in the home institution.ØMust have fluent written and oral English ability (the working language for all official activities is English).ØMust be in good health.ØBesides the above requirements, applicants who have administrative management experience, or who have been engaged in collaborative research with SOU, will be given priority.  Required Materials for Application (Written in English)ØCurriculum Vitae (candidates should have advanced English skills and hold a M.A degree or above)ØA research proposal for the fellowship program: it could be a study on SOU practices, a comparative study between SOU and the applicant’s home institution, a proposal for future collaboration, etc. Topics may include but are not restricted to：(1)The new opportunities and challenges in the pandemic era(2)Specialty construction and curriculum development in open and distance educationThe specialty includes：preschool education, elderly care, public safety emergency management, art design, international Chinese language education and cultural dissemination.(3) Promoting lifelong learning in higher education:from institutional strategies to practical implementation(4) The application of AI in education (5) Quality assurance and evaluation of open and distance learning (ODL)(6) Teachers’ professional development related to ODL(7) Personalized service design for online learning in open and distance learning(8) The learning analysis in open and distance learning.ØA professional letter of recommendation from the head of the home institution (President, Rector, Chancellor or Vice Chancellor) ØA recent photo (passport size) of the applicant.ØA scanned photo of the passport (for VISA application)  Financial InformationSOU will provide the following for the fellowship:ØHotel accommodationØLiving expense allowance & transportation within Shanghai (during the two weeks), which is 250 RMB per day for the allowance (before tax). ØWorkspace with Wi-Fi, telephone and internet accessVisiting Scholars or their Home institutions will be expected to cover：ØA round-trip air ticket between their home country and Shanghai, ChinaPlease be noticed that all the financial support comes from governmental program funds, and therefore, depends on government’s confirmation.  Required Health InsuranceAll fellows are required to show proof of health insurance for the entire length of their stay. This health insurance must meet specified minimum levels of coverage (Please send us the copy via email when you apply or bring it in person when you attend the program). Fellows who bring health insurance from their home country must bring a copy of the complete policy in English. If these conditions are not met, they must purchase health insurance in China.  Fellows’ Activities and ResponsibilitiesØThe nominated candidates should keep regular electronic contact with SOU to inform the visa application process and travel plans. SOU reserves the right to cancel any fellowship offer if full visa and travel plans have not been successfully completed. SOU has to be notified of all required details at least two weeks prior to the start date of the program.ØThe fellows will visit and meet with relevant departments and facilities (Shanghai Education Resources Center, SOU Library, Department of Research and Development, Information & Network Management Center, Teaching Affairs Office, Student Affairs Office, SOU branch schools, etc.).ØThe fellows must conduct their proposed research.ØThe fellows are to give a presentation based on their research conducted during their stay at SOU. This presentation will also include an introduction of their own institution.ØThe fellows will submit a final report (minimum 3000 words) on the outcome of the research to SOU within 30 days at the conclusion of the program.ØThe fellows will also be required to complete a feedback form on the quality of the Visiting Scholar Program. How to Apply?Please refer to the following link: https://lowcode-0g0lid1w4bab76d8-1259223015.tcloudbaseapp.com/app-ffhvlait/production/to complete the online application.   We very much look forward to hearing from you and would also appreciate you sharing this invitation with others in your professional networks who might be interested in applying. Everyone will receive a warm welcome in Shanghai and at SOU!Contact details:Ms. Dorothy Tang Email: tanghf@sou.edu.cn, or tanghf0901@163.comTelephone: +86 21 2565 3412Fax: +86 21 25653267Mobile: +86 13671627400Mail Address: The Institute of International Exchange of SOURoom 402, Building No.1 288 Guoshun RoadShanghai China, 200433  

On June 5th, UNESCO Institute of Lifelong learning (UIL) and Shanghai Open University (SOU) launched two publications on the important role of higher education institutions in lifelong learning during an international webinar. Borene Chakrun, Director a.i. of the UIL, and Jia Wei, President of the SOU, delivered welcome messages. Hilligje van't Land, Secretary General of the International Association of Universities (IAU), made a presentation. During the webinar, UIL introduced the main research results of the publications. Representatives from higher education institutions and the university association also shared various institutional practices and perspectives.“To empower learners for the challenges of our times, higher education institutions must become vibrant hubs that radiate knowledge, embracing individuals from every age group and diverse backgrounds and needs. From working individuals in need of upskilling and reskilling to older learners, vulnerable groups and non-traditional learners, including early school leavers, unemployed persons, migrants and refugees, and people with disabilities – targeted learning opportunities are essential for all. While significant progress has been made in the implementation of lifelong learning by higher education institutions worldwide, a more comprehensive and institution-wide approach is needed to fully transform these institutions into lifelong learning hubs,” underlines Borhene Chakroun.“The transformation of higher education institutions into lifelong learning institutions is key to advancing SDG4. Higher education institutions in different countries and regions show richness and diversity in terms of content, approaches and focus areas for promoting lifelong learning. Based on the analysis of the survey data, the reports provide some specific recommendations for action and some cases on how higher education institutions in Member States can effectively promote lifelong learning policies and implementation. We hope that the release of the reports will help higher education institutions transform themselves into lifelong education institutions, provide lifelong learning opportunities for a wider segment of society, and contribute to the realization of a new social contract for education”, added JIA Wei.“In the face of rapid technological advancements, amplified by the acceleration of Generative-AI, the climate crisis, labour market volatility, and dynamic demographic change, a paradigm shift is needed in learning and education systems to equip individuals of all ages with the necessary knowledge and skills for live and work. In this context, higher education institutions must transcend their traditional roles and emerge as unwavering beacons of lifelong learning,” said Hilligje van’t Land.Two publications have been launched as outcomes of an extensive research project conducted by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) and Shanghai Open University (SOU) from 2020-2022, based on a survey among almost 400 universities worldwide. The project explores the role of universities and higher education institutions in lifelong learning through various components, including a literature review, international surveys, case studies, interviews and thematic studies. The publications provide valuable insights into lifelong learning within universities and serve as a resource for policy-makers and educators. The English version could be found on the UNESCO website.Download link:International trends of lifelong learning in higher education（https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000385339）Institutional practices of implementing lifelong learning in higher education（https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000385434）

On the morning of May 17, Mr. Matthias Afting, CEO, Mr. Timo Tekhaus, Director of Academy International and Ms. Chen Liwei, Head of China Office of Cognos International Group, visited SOU. Mr. Jia Wei, President , Ms. Xue Wei, Director of the Personnel Office, Ms. Weng Zhuhua, Director of the Institute of International Exchange, and relevant staff of SOU, attended the meeting.  President Jia extended a warm welcome to the delegation and introduced the current development of the university, the development of specialties, the exploration of dual system in educational programmes and development of the faculty.   Mr. Afting introduced the development of Cognos International Education Group in higher education, vocational education, continuing education and international cooperation. The two sides discussed the further cooperation in the development of industrial colleges, programmes for public well-being, and the opportunities of faculty and staff exchange.  Cognos International Education Group is the largest independent private education institution in Germany, with the largest education network and training institutions in Europe. Since the two sides signed the strategic cooperation agreement in 2015, they have continued to cooperate in the introduction of series of video courses, series of teacher training and the development of Chinese-German Open Online Course (CG-OOC) platform, etc, and carry out collaborative projects together.

From 20 to 21 April 2023, more than 20 Permanent Representatives and officials from different countries to UNESCO, heads of several UNESCO's Category I Institutes, as well as experts and scholars from China and abroad, gathered in Shanghai to participate in the International Seminar on Digital Transformation Reshaping Lifelong Learning for All. In the context of the global education revolution, especially digital transformation, they exchanged on how to develop a more inclusive and fairer mechanism to promote lifelong learning for all with more diversified approaches, richer resources, and more convenient learning, shared first-hand experiences and vivid practices, and discussed future collaboration.This seminar is co-organized by the Secretariat of the National Commission of China for UNESCO, the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education,the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning and Shanghai Open University.Digital technology is rapidly changing the way knowledge is created, acquired, disseminated, verified, and used, enabling people in different scenarios to have equal access to educational resources and channels and expediting the realization of “learning by all, learning at all times and learning everywhere”. The report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposes to “promote educational digitization and nurture a learning-oriented society and nation characterized by learning for all people”. Last year, the United Nations Transforming Education Summit also issued a visionary initiative to promote education transformation, especially emphasizing the essential role of lifelong learning and calling for including thelifelong learning concept in the education system.Chen Jie, Vice Minister of Education of China and Director of the National Commission of China for UNESCO, said in a speech at the opening ceremony that lifelong learning for all is a vital engine for sustainable development. China is actively building and continuously optimizing a lifelong learning system for all andestablishing a national smart education platform, accessible to thewhole society, to provide high-quality digital learning resources. Advocating the cultivation of learning-oriented government organs, enterprises, communities and cities, China has established a national university for the elderly to help them learn and takes an active part ininternational exchange and cooperation on lifelong learning. Chen Jie called on countries to join hands to propel the digital transformation of education and build a learningsociety of lifelong learning for all.Liu Duo, Vice Mayor of Shanghai, pointed out in his speech that Shanghai vigorously participates in international exchange and cooperation in building learning cities. As the coordinating city of the Education for Sustainable Development group, Shanghai actively assists more than 100 cities worldwide to carry out educational practices and research and supports Shanghai Open University as the host of the UNESCO UNITWIN Network in Distance and Open Learning (East Asia) to facilitate knowledge dissemination, resource sharing and academic development in open and distance education.In the view of Zhan Tao, Director of the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education, we shall ensure that people in all countries have equal access to the benefits of technology applications. “Technology cannot replace teachers and educators, especially their ability to guide, support and motivate learners. While embracing the benefits of digital learning, we need to ensure that learners also have access to authentic human interaction.”David Atchoarena, Director of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, focused on how to avoid digital technologies exacerbating educational injustices while promoting knowledge sharing. The data he cited showed that 34% of the global population had yet connected to the Internet. In the speech, he said that lifelong learning is undergoing a digital transformation and that we should prioritize on availability of learningtechnologies in the future, focus on the disadvantaged group and support lifelong learning as a common benefit.Qin Changwei, Secretary General of the National Commission of China for UNESCO, moderated the opening ceremony, pointing out that as the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation gains further momentum, the wide application of digital education in various sectors has generated far-reaching impact on global socio-economic development, including education. This seminar is organized to emphasize the importance of lifelong learning, discuss how to drive the development of a comprehensive lifelong learning mechanism in the context of digital education transformation, share effective and practical experiences and explore future cooperation.In the following “Sub-Forum: Policy and planning on reshaping lifelong learning for all through digital”, Permanent Delegates and officials from Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Argentina, Kenya, Palestine, Angola and Senegal shared their visions of lifelong learning for all and their policies and plans for promoting digital education.Chen Ziji, Director-General of the Department of Vocational and Adult Education at the Ministry of Education, pointed out that China will respond to the international initiative and launch the learning society cultivation promotion project in line with the national education digitalization strategy. China will, first, take innovative action indeveloping learning cities; second, expedite the development of the national university for the elderly; third, continuously promote the reform and innovation of continuing education; fourth, carry out diversified lifelong learning activities for all; fifth, actively promotethe construction of digital universities; and sixth, strengthen international exchanges and cooperation.Asha S. Kanwar, President and CEO of the Commonwealth of Learning and Chairman of the Board of the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education, said that the differences in the current state of global education are not entirely due to the digital divide but partly due to the gap in the learning power of different groups.According to Jia Wei, President of Shanghai Open University, digital transformation has brought three major challenges to contemporary people: survival skills, life quality improvement and self-development. Through digital transformation, the value of digital learning tools, learning styles, teachers’ roles and certification systems should be reshaped to create a learning community participated by the government, society, educational institutions, market and citizens.In the Sub-Forum: Open education and open educational resources and Sub-Forum: Inclusiveness of lifelong learning for all and ethics and security of digital learning held on the afternoon of April 20, the participants offered their views on how to promote the sharing and exchange of lifelong learning educational resources and achieve equity of lifelong learning education in different countries and regions worldwide.In the “Sub-Forum: International cooperation on lifelong learning for all”held on the morning of April 21, the participants reached a consensus on promoting educational cooperation, equity and opportunities, establishing a wider alliance of open learning communities, strengthening the cultivation of learning cities, providing more programs and training, enhancing the development capacity of teachers and the public, and promoting the development of information technology.During the seminar, Shanghai Open University and UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education launched the jointly developed Data and AI-driven Smart Teaching Design Guide, emphasizing teaching interaction, including teaching motivation, teaching model, teaching design (e.g., pre-course preparation, in-course immersion and post-course enhancement) and teaching evaluation. It links theories to classroom teaching, designs teaching implementation steps andoffers diagnostic methods and suggestions to improve teaching effectiveness.

On 28th February, the seminar on  ChatGPT's Innovative Application in Education, sponsored by SOU Distance Education Engineering Technology Research Center and Intelligent Education Technology Alliance, was held at SOU. Keynote speeches were delivered by experts from Shanghai Open University, Shanghai Advanced Research Institute Chinese Academy of Sciences, East China Normal University, China Telecom, China Unicom, and other universities, organizations and enterprises. The seminar gathered about 300 participants from universities and enterprises online and on-site.   XIAO Jun, Director of the SOU Information Office, shared about teachers' A.I. ability and ChatGPT’s educational applications. He proposed that the education industry should strengthen research and development of generative A.I. tools in the field of education, enhance the ability to integrate tools into teaching, and strengthen the formulation and guidance of relevant education application specifications.  NING Dejun, Director of the Smart City Research Center of the Shanghai Advanced Research Institute Chinese Academy of Sciences focused on some ChatGPT applications such as AI code generation (AI algorithm scientist training course and programmer training course), automatic document generation (literary and artistic creation training course), intelligent judge (legal training course) and so on.  XIAO Qing, Deputy Chief Engineer of China Telecom Shanghai Branch Chief Engineer Office, mentioned how China Telecom supported innovative applications based on ChatGPT. ZHAO Wanpeng, CTO of China Unicom Shanghai Industrial Internet Co., Ltd., noted the solution of ChatGPT enabling smart education.  The seminar gave participants a more rational understanding of ChatGPT's technology and its applying fields, and discussed its innovative application potential and practical prospects in the field of education from multiple perspectives. It provided valuable reference for ChatGPT and other AI technologies in promoting innovation, development and improvement of education.  

On the afternoon of December 5, the UK-China Conference on the Development of Science Literacy for All jointly organized by Shanghai Open University, Shanghai Teacher Institute (The Teaching Research Section of Shanghai Municipal Education Commission) and The Open University, UK，was held in Guoshun Road Campus of Shanghai Open University. The theme of this conference was Development of Science Literacy for All , and two roundtable forums were set up under the framework of the theme: Practice and Development of the Science Literacy System for All, and UK-China Collaboration- Build A High-quality Science Education System at the Basic Education Level in China. The conferencewas held in a hybrid format and lasted for half a day. The conference was chaired by Ms. Zhang Jin, Vice President of Shanghai Open University.Jia Wei, President of Shanghai Open University, delivered a welcome speech on behalf of the organizing institutions. Li Yongzhi, Deputy Director of Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, and Andrew McAllister, Acting Consul General of the British Consulate General in Shanghai attended the conference and delivered speeches in the Opening Ceremony.Jia Wei mentioned in his speech that the improvement of science literacy cannot be separated from the power of science education and popularization. As a university within reach for every learner, Shanghai Open University carries the important mission of serving urban development, improving citizens' literacy, and building a learning society 'learning truly happen to every person, at any time and in any place'. He hoped that this conference would become an academic feast for the science education dialogue between China and the UK, deepening mutual learning, strengthening the ties of cooperation, incubating more two-way education exchanges and cooperation projects, and further promoting cultural exchanges between China and the UK.  Li Yongzhi said in his speech that this conference was an important measure of practical cooperation in education between China and the UK. He hoped that the holding of the conference would enrich bilateral exchanges and cooperation in science popularization, build a bilateral dialogue platform for science popularization education expanding from basic education to lifelong education, continuously improve the science literacy for all the citizens in Shanghai, and promote the in-depth development of education cooperation between the two countries.Andrew McAllister mentioned that Shanghai had always been at the forefront of international education cooperation between the UK and China, and he looked forward to seeing the UK-China's communication and cooperation as well as fruitful exchanges in the future.More than 50 representatives from Shanghai Education Commission, British Consulate General in Shanghai, Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, Shanghai Open University, Shanghai Teacher Institute, community colleges in Shanghai, Oxford University Press, Pearson Education Group and other units participated the conference on the site. Nearly 550 participants, including the personnel from Shanghai basic education, Shanghai science education, Shanghai higher education and community education, British primary and secondary school, British science education institutions and other related areas, attended the conference online. Jia Wei made a keynote speech entitled Science Education Empowers the Elderly for A High-quality Life in the conference. In his speech, he released the survey on science literacy and science education of the elderly in the scale of 10,000 people, and found that the overall level of science literacy of the elderly in Shanghai is relatively high, but there are still improving potentials in health knowledge and information technology application ability; the science literacy level of the elderly is related to their learning and working experience, living conditions, lifestyle, learning motivation, etc.; participating in various forms of education activities for the elderly is an important way to improve the science literacy. To improve the science literacy of the elderly, it is urgent to further expand the supply of geriatric science education, improve the curriculum system, increase the construction of online resources, and innovate educational methods.Professor Michael J. Reiss from University College London, UK, delivered a keynote speech entitled UK Science Education: Science Literacy for All . He introduced the problems faced by science education in schools around the world and the characteristics of science education in schools, and shared an evaluation report from the British Awarding Bodies setting school examinations, which showed the characteristics of the British national curriculum system compared with those of schools in other countries. In his speech, he also proposed and discussed the profound connotation of science literacy for all  through three different science education situations.The roundtable panel on Practice and Development of the Science Literacy System for All was hosted by Sun Xiangtong, Vice President of Shanghai Open University. Ms.Janice Ansine and Dr. Yoseph Araya from the Faculty of STEM of the Open University UK, Mr.Ni Minjing, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, Wang Xiaoming, Director-General of the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, and Peter Gallivan, an expert from the Royal Institution of the UK, launched a series of discussions and dialogues around the theme.The roundtable panel on UK-China Collaboration – Build a High-quality Science Education System at the Basic Education Level in China was hosted by Ji Mingze, Vice President of Shanghai Teacher Institute. Yang Zhenfeng, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, Marc Neesam, Head of Professional Development Solutions at Cambridge Partnership for Education, Jane Turner, associate professor of the University of Hertfordshire,and Wang Yang, President of Shanghai Teacher Institute, conducted a series of discussions and dialogues on the theme.  

From 26 to 27 October 2022, the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) celebrated its 70th anniversary and held the symposium on Harnessing the Power of Lifelong Learning. High-level guests, key partners, scholars and experts from around the world attended the event and celebrated the70th anniversary of the UIL both in Hamburg and online.   Stefania Giannini, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education, participated the event. As one of the key partners of the UIL, President Jia Wei and Vice-President Zhang Jin of the Shanghai Open University (SOU) were invited to attend the symposium, signed the new contract with UIL and unveiled the plague for “SOU-UIL Campus for International Capacity Development and Research in Lifelong Learning”.In his speech, Jia Wei said, “as pointed out in UNESCO's very important recent published report Reimagining Our Futures Together: A New Social Contract for Education, ensuring that citizens receive quality education throughout life is a common social cause and common interest of all mankind, and the creativity and innovation of higher education institutions, from supporting research and advancing scientific progress to serving their communities and global educational institutions as partners, can make a unique contribution to fulfilling the social contract of lifelong learning. To this end, in the next three years, SOU will deepen its cooperation with the UIL, upgrade from the first phase of the Project Cooperation Office to the Campus for International Capacity Development and Research in Lifelong Learning, jointly carry out capacity-building activities, research and consultation, knowledge production and dissemination, personnel exchanges and internships, we expect this SOU-UIL Campus to become an innovative, leading and iconic new platform for global cooperation.”David Atchoarena, Director of the UIL, said the collaboration between the UIL and SOU would write a new chapter. He looked forward to the signing of the new cooperation agreement and the greater achievements of cooperation with SOU, and the establishment of the SOU-UIL Campus in the next three years (2023-2025) would mark a strengthened cooperation between the two sides, which was expected to be a great success. Together, both sides would foster capacity building and lifelong learning policy development. Both sides would promote knowledge production and dissemination through thematic research in the field of higher education institutions’ engagement with lifelong. Both sides would work together to advance lifelong learning for all through this remarkable partnership.

The 15th German-Chinese Symposium on Application-oriented Higher Education (Deutsch-Chinesische Symposium zur anwendungsorientierten Hochschulausbildung 2022) was launched in Hefei of Anhui Province and Osnabrueck of Germany on September 28, 2022. With the theme of “Innovation and Quality-oriented Development”, the Symposium ran in a hybrid mode and attracted about 500 delegates from universities and enterprises both at home and abroad to participate.   Wan Gang, Vice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and President of the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) delivered a speech via video, while Christian Wulff, former President of Germany, Wang Qingxian, Governor of Anhui Province, and Stefan Weil, Governor of Lower Saxony, attended the Symposium and delivered speeches respectively.  In his speech, Wan Gang pointed out that the Chinese-German Open Online Learning Platform (CG-OOC), which has attracted many universities and enterprises to participate together and is open to the public, has provided a model and leadership to overcome the impact of the epidemic and created a never-ending Chinese-German online education. The CG-OOC is a pragmatic cooperation project of the 2019 Chinese-German Dialogue Forum in Qingdao and goes live on a trial basis in early 2021. The Platform aims to promote humanities exchanges and the development of online education between China and Germany. Shanghai Open University, as the founding institution and secretary-general of the Platform, spares no effort to promote the development of the platform.The Symposium set up a sub-forum on “Chinese-German Open Online Learning Platform Development”. Vice President of SOU Zhang Jin gave a presentation at the sub-forum on Building an Open Online Learning Platform in China and Germany. She introduced the CG-OOC from four aspects: background, development status, characteristics and future plan. Zhang also hoped that Chinese and German universities and enterprises could join the platform alliance and participate in its construction, so as to jointly promote the joint cultivation of international and applied talents between China and Germany and deepen the cooperation between Chinese and German higher online education. The report was well received by the delegates. In the discussion session, Zhang discussed with the delegates on the quality of the platform's resource supply, teaching organization and mutual recognition of learning outcomes.The Chinese-German Symposium on Application-oriented Higher Education was co-sponsored by the Department of Education of Anhui Province and the Ministry of Science and Culture (Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur, MWK) of the State of Lower Saxony of Germany.  The Symposium has been held alternately in China and Germany since 2008.  

On September 2, 2022, SOU successfully held the international forum themed on “AI leads a new era of open learning and lifelong learning”, which took place as part of the 5th World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC 2022). The event was organized by SOU, supported by the WAIC 2022 Organizing Committee, and assisted by the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (UNESCO IITE).The forum brought together experts and scholars in the field of open learning, lifelong learning, and artificial intelligence technology. It demonstrated novel ideas, technologies and scenarios of artificial intelligence to promote open learning and lifelong learning under the background of the current digital transformation of education, and explored new models of open learning and lifelong learning for the future.The event has provided an opportunity to discuss the implications and the transformative potential of AI on education. It has further added research experience and application scenarios to the application of digital intelligence in open learning. Through the exchange and discussion of research results, the event has sought to solve the problems encountered during the application of AI in open learning, and broadened research ideas; moreover, in accordance with the technical results and application cases, it has searched for new educational application scenarios, and enhanced the convenience and ubiquity of artificial intelligence and other technologies in the field of open learning.

In order to inherit and carry forward the craftsman spirit, improve the craftsman’s abilities, urge more workers, especially young people to carry forward craftsmanship and strive for excellence to serve the country, and cultivate more craftsmen, the press conference of "Craftsman Academic Degree Class" and " Ingenuity School " of Shanghai Craftsman College was held in Shanghai Open University on 21 July, 2022. The press conference was held in a hybrid manner.ZHANG Jin, Vice President of Shanghai Open University, BAO Qifan, Dean of Shanghai Craftsman College, WANG Shuqun, Vice Chairman of Shanghai Federation of Trade Unions, QIAN Songnian, Director of the Enterprise Education Professional Committee of Shanghai Adult Education Association, ZHANG Chengying, Deputy Secretary General of Shanghai Technician Association attended the conference. Representatives of Shanghai Open Universities, Shanghai Workers' Technical Association, relevant enterprises, and media representatives also attended the conference. QIAN Chuandong, Director of the Service Center of Shanghai workers' Technical Association chaired the conference. ZHANG Jin emphasized the importance of cultivating more high-quality technical professionals in building China into a strong manufacturing country. Cultivating more technical workers is also the responsibility of Shanghai Craftsman College. This year, on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the founding of Shanghai Craftsman College, in order to effectively unblock the growth channel for employees to improve their academic qualifications and technical skills, the "Craftsman Academic Degree Class" is launched to provide industrial workers with opportunities for higher education with the characteristics of "dual system".WANG Shuqun said, the "Craftsman Academic Degree Class" of Shanghai Craftsman College provides a large number of craftsmen with opportunities for further study, to learn skills and broaden their horizons.    BAO Qifan introduced in detail the projects of “Craftsman Academic Degree Class” and “Ingenuity School”. LI Jie, Deputy Dean of College of Science and Engineering and YI Xiaoting, Deputy Dean of Public Administration introduced the talent training programs for mechanical and electrical majors and administrative management majors. WENG Zhuhua, Dean of Institute of International Exchange introduced the international courses. XU Hongzhuo, Deputy Director of Academic Education Department and YANG Hong, Director of Cooperation Department made a detailed introduction and explanation about registration, enrollment and management of “Craftsman Academic Degree Class” and “Ingenuity School”.

More than 40 student representatives and teachers attended the closing ceremony of 2022 Shanghai Open University (SOU) “Immersion Hub” Program at 8:00 p.m. on July 15, Beijing time.At the closing ceremony, teachers and students reviewed the learning process in the past two weeks. The teachers specially designed online interactive games and experiencing activities on Chinese elements for the closing ceremony. The students shared their achievements and learning experience through videos, photos and short essays. Their love for Chinese language and Chinese culture was beyond the words.Dr. WENG Zhuhua, Dean of the Institute of International Exchange (IIE）, congratulated the students who obtained the program certificates and issued them the certificates online. She also showed her expectation for the international students to come to SOU for exchanges and further study. Student representatives from the Philippines, Ghana, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Panama shared their learning experience for the program, expressed their love for the course, and showed their gratitude to SOU. The closing ceremony concluded by waving goodbye among teachers and students reluctantly.The SOU “Immersion Hub” Program started in 2013, and this year is the first year of holding the online program. In the passing two weeks, facilitated by CG-OOC learning platform, more than 90 international students have participated in the both synchronous and pre-recorded courses on Chinese Language, Shanghai Cloud Travel, Chinese Culture and Intangible Culture Heritage.

The UNESCO World Higher Education Conference (WHEC2022) was held in Barcelona on 18-20 May. The conference brought together all relevant stakeholders, including international organisations, policy makers, university authorities, to define and prepare their roadmap for a new era of higher education systems and institutions.As a hybrid conference, WHEC2022 aimed at reshaping ideas and practices in higher education to ensure sustainable development for the planet and humanity. Invited by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL), Mr. Wei JIA, President of Shanghai Open University (SOU), participated in the conference online, and made a keynote speech on 18 May.As a representative of UIL’s important partners, JIA Wei delivered a keynote speech entitled A Platform University for Lifelong Learning at the roundtable discussing strategic reflections of how can higher education institutions (HEIs) be transformed into lifelong learning institutions. In his speech, he introduced the concept of ‘Platform University’, and shared the experience and practice of SOU to make lifelong learning accessible to the citizens.   Dr. Budd Hall, from University of Victoria, who is also the Co-Chair of the UNESCO Chair in Community Based Research and Social Responsibility in Higher Education, said SOU was an excellent model in the transformation of higher education institutions to lifelong learning institutions. Mr. Michael Gaebel, Director of Higher Education Policy Unit of European University Association (EUA), thought SOU has been in the forefront of transformation, and lifelong learning has become an important part of the work of the University. Dr. David Atchoarena, Director of UIL, fully affirmed the innovative exploration made by SOU in the transformation of higher education institutions, and SOU’s efforts in making lifelong learning accessible to all citizens. He also highlighted SOU’s contribution to the collaborative research project between UIL and SOU.  The topic of roundtable is based on a collaborative research project between UIL and SOU entitled ‘The Contribution of Higher Education Institutions to Lifelong Learning’, which was launched in 2020, supported by the International Association of Universities (IAU), the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP), and the UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (IESALC). The Global Survey Report of the research project, released during the conference, analysed the policy environments, structures and mechanisms, as well as access and participation in lifelong learning. Another Policy Brief was also released, which provided insights on principal areas of action for policymakers and other key stakeholders.WHEC2022 is the third World Conference on Higher Education, after the first one in 1998, and the second in 2009. With the theme ‘Reinventing Higher Education for a Sustainable Future’, the conference aims at breaking away from the traditional models of higher education and opening doors to new, innovative, creative, and visionary conceptions that not only serve current agendas for sustainable development, but also pave the way for future learning communities that overcome barriers, speak to all and are inclusive of all lifelong learners.  

On January 13th, 2022, the Intelligent Education Under the Digital Transformation of China Forum was co-held by Shanghai Open University (SOU) and EqualOcean, UNESCO Institute of educational information technology (UNESCO IITE) was the cooperation unit of the forum. The Forum was held in a hybrid format, focusing on the changes brought by intelligent education technology to traditional education against the backdrop of China's digital transformation of education, and promoting the in-depth integration, promotion and application of information technologies and education.ZHAN Tao, the Director of UNESCO IITE, said in his speech that the cooperation project between SOU and UNESCO IITE has provided an opportunity to introduce China's experience of promoting digital transformation of education to the international community.At the Forum, Xiao Jun, the Director of Information Construction and Management Office and the Deputy Director of Shanghai Open Distance Education Engineering Technology Research Center, introduced the trend and industry changes of intelligent education. The Report on Innovative Practices of China's Intelligent Education was released at the Forum, which was based on the background of the three-year cooperation project named ‘Promoting Digital Transformation of Education Through ICT and AI Enhancement Mode’ between SOU and UNESCO. The report outlined the development of global intelligent education and China's intelligent education, summarized the paths and methods of intelligent education construction, and shared innovative practice cases in key areas of intelligent education in China.At the Forum, attendees from SOU, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Tongji University, Shanghai University, East China Normal University, Naval Medical University, Shanghai International Studies University, New York University Shanghai, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Tencent Cloud Computing and NETCLASS shared cases of intelligent education practices, and had a heated discussion on the topic of the Forum.

On the morning of January 11th, 2022, the first oversea Chinese Language Center of Shanghai Open University was officially inaugurated at National Textile University (NTU) in Pakistan. President of Shanghai Open University, Mr. Jia Wei, made a video speech. Dr. Tanveer Hussain, President of Pakistan National Textile University, Dr. Ian Benton, Chairman of the Advisory Committee of Southern Cross School of Business (SCSB), and Professor Asif Iqbal of SCSB attended the inauguration ceremony and delivered speeches. President Jia Wei has mentioned in his video speech that the founding of the Chinese Language Center is a milestone for the university to contribute to the Belt and Road Initiative promoting cultural exchanges between China and Pakistan. He congratulated the launch of SOU’s Chinese Language Center at NTU, and expressed his hope that the center would emerge as a multi-function platform and play an outstanding role, which can be as a classroom for learning Chinese, as a window to learn about China, and as a bridge for the younger generation of China and Pakistan to strengthen understanding and friendship. He wished the Center much success, many students and thousands of hours of fun learning together. Dr. Tanville Hussein mentioned in his speech that the establishment of SOU’s Chinese Language Center at NTU was the first and an important step for cooperation between the two universities. He sincerely hoped that the establishment of the Center would promote cooperation and exchanges in more fields between the two universities and even between the two countries.In his speech, Professor Asif Iqbal reviewed the history of the establishment of the Chinese Language Center of SOU at NTU, thanked SOU for the efforts, and hoped to set up more training projects through tripartite cooperation as well as create more cooperation opportunities in international education and academic exchanges.During the inauguration ceremony, all the attendees of IIE also made an online tour to the facilities of Chinese Language Center and the computer classroom.After the inauguration of the Chinese Langue Center, SOU will provide online international Chinese education resources, teachers’ online training and necessary learning support services for the Center. Students who pass the examinations will get the completion certificate issued by SOU and can obtain the credits from NTU accordingly.

On November 8, 2021, a capacity-building workshop on ‘Strengthening education systems from a lifelong learning perspective’ kicked off. Co-organized by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) and Shanghai Open University (SOU), the workshop brings together more than 50 stakeholders, comprising government representatives, policy-makers and representatives of lifelong learning institutions from Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mongolia, the Republic of Kazakhstan and Uganda, as well as a team of representatives of open universities in the People’s Republic of China.This is our third workshop, but our first in an online setting. Although we are not together in person, we are together in our eagerness to take what the past two years have taught us and transform it into policy that strengthens education systems from a lifelong learning perspective.David Atchoarena, Director of UILThis is our first online workshop, due to the pandemic. With this online platform, we hope to gather the wisdom of global outstanding lifelong learning experts, exchange ideas, share experiences, create a blueprint for lifelong learning, and promote the implementation of SDG4.Mr JIA Wei , President of Shanghai Open UniversityDuring 50 years in UNESCO, we have cooperated on a series of initiatives and activities together, including our cooperation with UIL. In 2013, we co-organized the first International Conference on Learning Cities with UIL, where the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities was established.Mr QIN Changwei , Secretary General of the Chinese National Commission for UNESCOOver the course of three weeks, from 8 to 26 November 2021, they will develop measures to promote lifelong learning, through education, at the national level.Participants will build a rationale for policy development by exploring and contextualizing overarching themes affecting education and lifelong learning, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, digitalization, and active and global citizenship. They will then select a series of key topics requiring policy prioritization. Possible topics include flexible learning pathways, learning cities, and lifelong learning through formal, non-formal and informal learning.Each team will draft a national policy, an implementation strategy or a targeted action plan for lifelong learning. They will develop concrete timelines for advancing the policy, strategy or action plan following the workshop to ensure timely follow-up. Teams will build on the political will in their countries to embrace lifelong learning, as demonstrated by video testimony from H.E. Phout Simmalavong, Minister of Education, Lao PDR.

n October 28th, 2021, the 14th German-Chinese Applied Higher Education Symposium online was co-held by Hefei University and Hochschule Osnabrück University Of Applied Sciences. JIA Wei, president of Shanghai Open University, made a keynote speech, named “Educational  Openness and Cooperation in the Digital Era：The Development of the Chinese-German Online Open Learning Platform”, introducing the context, development status, features and futures thinking of the CG-OOC. JIA Wei also warmly welcomed universities and enterprises attending the Symposium to actively participate in the construction of the CG-OOC, jointly promote the cultivation of international and applicable talents in China and Germany and deepen the cooperation in higher education online.The theme of the Symposium this year is “Future-oriented Sino-German Cooperation -Dual System Higher Education”. Professor Christian Wulff, former President of Germany, attended and presided over the opening ceremony. WAN Gang, Vice Chairman of the CPPCC National Committee and Chairman of the China Association for Science and Technology, attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech. There are more than 200 participants from 69 Chinese and German universities. Since 2008, the Symposium has been held alternately in China and Germany every year.

Recently, Shanghai Open University has formally requested the renewal of the Agreement between UNESCO and Network in Distance and Open Learning (East Asia) in January 1997, and UNESCO agrees to renew the Agreement for an additional period of four years to September 2024. Prof. YUAN Wen, President of Shanghai Open University is the Network Coordinator.In a formal reply, UNESCO fully affirmed the work done by Shanghai Open University as the host institution. “The thematic area covered by the network is of crucial significance for higher education and has been given renewed priority due to the crisis caused by the global pandemic. The expertise that this network can bring to other universities and education systems is of great value and should be capitalized on. The cooperation programme is going beyond the original East Asia focus with outreach to partner with universities in Africa and South Asia,” they said.The UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme was established in 1992 and every four years, the university hosting a UNESCO Chair or assuring the coordination of a network party to a UNITWIN Cooperation Programme shall submit to UNESCO a report on the activities carried out by the Chair/network, their development prospects and the financial resources secured. In 1997, the UNESCO UNITWIN Network in Distance and Open Learning (East Asia) was approved by UNESCO and then established, Shanghai Open University is the host institution. The Network has a history of 24 years and is committed to building an exchange platform, promoting knowledge transmission, resource sharing and academic development in the field of ODL. Up to now, the Network has 20 member institutions, including The Open University UK and The Open University of China.

An open online learning platform jointly launched by Shanghai Open University and FernUniversität in Hagen in Germany started its pilot run on Friday.The project was approved at the Sino-German Dialogue Forum 2019 to create a communication portal between the two institutions, promote cooperation in online education and talent cultivation between the two countries, and support development of both Chinese and German enterprises.The platform, Chinese-German OOC, has pooled expertise and resources from 10 educational institutions and companies, including Shanghai International Studies University, Tongji University, Shanghai University for the Elderly, the Open University of China’s Huaqiao College, Alibaba, Shanghai East Radio Station Classical Music Radio 947, World Urban Planning Education Network and COGNOS International. Over 30 courses in Chinese, German and English covering five domains, such as languages, commerce and cultures, are currently available on the platform for free.More courses will be developed by the platform partners and more institutions will join the platform.It will offer high-quality online educational resources and learning services for people in both countries, bridging the gap between higher education and talent demand by enterprises,” said Yuan Wen, principal of Shanghai Open University.“The move will accelerate cultural exchanges, business growth and online education development in both countries as well,” she said.Ada Pellert, principal of FernUniversität in Hagen, said: “the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly accelerated the digitization of the higher education sector, in terms of administrative procedures, teaching and training. It also drives the internationalization of digital learning.”Under such circumstances, Pellert highlighted the significant role of the cooperative platform to enhance multicultural teaching and learning experience for talent.“We expect to deepen our cooperation and work together for the cause of online education and lifelong learning,” she added.

On January 3rd ,2021, supported by Shanghai Municipal Education Commission and National Center for Educational Technology, co-organized by Shanghai Society of Education, Shanghai Educational Technology Center and Shanghai Education Press, the press conference and theme forum of The Blue Book on the Development of Basic Education Informatization in Shanghai in 2020 was held in Shanghai Open University,The Blue Book, with the theme of Creating a New Home for Education of Ubiquitous Wisdom, focuses on the exploration and practice of educational informatization in Shanghai, focusing on updating educational concepts, building a new learner-centered education ecology, paying attention to the change of educational paradigm, expanding the application scenarios, leading the popularity of technology, and opening the prelude to the future.At the forum, YUAN Wen, President of Shanghai Open University, delivered a keynote speech entitled ‘The Expectation of Future Education Determines the Future of Education’.

On December 4, 2020, “Online Education Development Forum in the Era of AI” was held in the Intelligent Learning Center of SOU. The forum was co-organized by the Engineering Technology Research Center of Open Distance Education of SOU, Shanghai Library and Shanghai Association for Artificial Intelligence Networking Systems of AI. The Survey Report on Post-epidemic Shanghai Online Learners’ Portraits’ was released at the forum.The report is a phased research result of a national level project, which is jointly released by the Engineering Technology Research Center of Open Distance Education of SOU, Shanghai Library and Shanghai Association for Artificial Intelligence Networking Systems of AI. The report shows that the learning needs and willingness of Shanghai adult online learners are stable in the post-epidemic period, and they pay attention to the improvement of personal value when making longer-term plans. Dr. Xiao Jun said, based on the portrait analysis of Shanghai adult online learners, the online and offline integrated learning mode in the post-epidemic period will promote the inclusive, fair and ubiquitous development of lifelong learning, artificial intelligence, together with teachers and students, will build a learning community to promote the quality and optional development of learner-centered lifelong learning, online learning, intelligent teaching, integrated with related industries will accelerate the development of smart learning environment.Through continuous tracking research on adult online learners in Shanghai, the research group compared the latest survey data with the data in 2018 and 2019 to create this portrait of online learners in post-epidemic period. The report has considerable reference value for the development of education, the improvement of teaching quality and the research on learning efficiency.

The 60th anniversary event of Shanghai Open University (SOU) was held on October 21, 2020. Chen Qun, Vice Mayor of Shanghai, Chairman of the University Council, and Zhang Endi, the Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Political Consultative Conference attended the event. Stefania Giannini, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education sent a congratulatory letter.Jing Degang, secretary of the Party Committee and president of the Open University of China (OUC), delivered a speech. He said, over the past six decades, driven by its commitment of “For All Learners, All for Learners”, SOU has made great contributions to the increase of the education level of the labor force in Shanghai, as well as the improvement of the comprehensive quality of the citizens. SOU has played the key role in building a learning city. OUC, together with SOU, will actively adapt to the development trend of intelligent, lifelong and integrated education. According to the requirements of the Ministry of Education, OUC and SOU will build a main platform for lifelong education and online education, and a platform for flexible education and international cooperation.Lou Junjiang, secretary of the Party Committee of SOU, delivered a welcoming address. He said, in the future, SOU will keep in mind the urban development concept of “the city is built by the people and also serves the people”, and will build a lifelong education system with more flexible methods, more abundant resources and more convenient ways of learning. Yuan Wen, president of SOU, delivered a speech. She said, SOU will provide more inclusive education services with a more open attitude in the new era, to enable more Shanghai citizens to pursue a better life. SOU will also strive to establish itself as a first-class open university in the world with Shanghai characteristics and China’s identity.Shanghai Open University also held the opening ceremony of the Intelligent Learning Center and the unveiling ceremony of High School Affiliated to Shanghai Open University.

The online MoU signing ceremony between Shanghai Open University (SOU) and St. Jude College Dasmarinas Cavite Inc. (SJCDC) was held on October 12, 2020. Zhang Jin, vice president of SOU and Evangeline A. Del Rosario, president and CEO of SJCDC delivered speeches on behalf of the University.SJCDC is located at Cavite, the Philippines, which offers education from preschool to graduate level. It also has a St. Jude General Hospital& Medical Center. The signing of the MoU is a good start for the cooperation between the two universities. It is hoped that the two sides will give play to their respective advantages, carry out the cooperation of substantive projects, strengthen the communication between teachers and students, and promote academic development, especially the cooperation in the field of home economics and other feature specialties, so as to promote the improvement of the international running level of the two universities.

The delegation of California State University-Long Beach (CSULB) came to visit Shanghai Open University (SOU) on June 11. Members of the delegation include professors from College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, College of Liberal Arts, College of Education, and College of Health and Human Services at California State Univeristy-Long Beach. ZHANG Jin, Vice President of SOU and other related faculties attended the meeting.ZHANG Jin introduced the development history and features of SOU, and proposed suggestions for further cooperation between SOU and CSULB. After that, the delegation visited the Digital Laboratory for Open Education to get a deeper understanding of SOU’s degree education, the construction of community education resources, and the application of ICT in education. The delegation felt it’s admirable that SOU fully applied modern information technology to teaching and practicing, and provided inclusive and flexible education for citizens.Later, the two sides had further discussion into the fields they were both interested in, including training programs for faculties, student exchange, the construction of department of Urban Public Safety Management, and possible ways of developing the cooperation.

On the morning of July 5, Yu Yunfeng, Deputy Director-general and Deputy Director of the Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban), came to SOU to study the progress of the construction of SOU’s overseas Chinese language teaching center. Li Yongzhi, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, and Ge Jingyi, Deputy Director of the International Exchange Division of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, accompanied the delegation. The meeting was attended by President Yuan Wei, Vice President Zhang Wei, and the colleagues of the Institute of International Exchange.Vice President Zhang introduced the work of international cooperation and exchange, the progress of the development of overseas Chinese language teaching centers, and the partner enterprise. Deputy Director-General Yu Yunfeng appreciated SOU’s efforts in promoting the construction of overseas Chinese language teaching centers and the promotion of Chinese language education, and expressed strong support for the new model of overseas online Chinese language center that is co-developed by the University and the enterprise, and expressed the hope that the Djibouti Overseas Chinese Language Teaching Center, which SOU has applied to open, should adapt to the local economic and social development in addition to providing Chinese language teaching. The functions of such a language center should include equipping professional and skilled workers with Chinese language capabilities and providing training to local Chinese teachers for their professional development.

On June 15th morning, 2018 International Visiting Scholar Program of UniTWIN Network in Distance & Open Learning and Shanghai Open University has been concluded successfully. Ms. Zhang Jin—-the vice president of SOU, and Mr. Robert Parua—-the Program Specialist for Education from UNESCO Beijing Office have attended the closing ceremony and delivered addresses. Dr. Weng Zhuhua, the executive dean of the Institute of International Exchanges of SOU chaired the closing ceremony.Ms. Zhang Jin has summarized the activities that the international visiting scholars have participated in, and also expressed the wishes of the future collaboration between SOU and the international visiting scholars’ home institutions. Mr. Robert Parua has also given his affirmation and praise to the success of this program from the perspective of its influence on the development of education of UNESCO. They both awarded the certificates of the program to the international visiting scholars.During the passing two weeks, the 19 International Visiting Scholars from 18 countries has successfully completed the program. They have had an in-depth discussion with the Research and Development Department, the Teaching Affairs Department, the Institute of International Exchanges, Teacher’s Resource Center, Course Resource Center, and Quality Assurance and Evaluation Center. They also have exchanged ideas and views with teachers from School of Public Administration, School of Economics and Management, School of Science and Engineering, as well as School of Humanity and Arts. They also paid an on-site visit to Yangpu Branch School, Qingpu Branch School, Fashion Design School and Xuhui Branch School of SOU. They have also shared best practices and presentations through four seminars, with the theme of the Application of ICT in ODL (Open & Distance Learning), Teachers’ Professional Development & Team Teaching in ODL, Program Development & Course Development in ODL, Inclusive Education in Lifelong Learning Society, and Quality Assurance in ODL. Through both face-to-face and online interaction, they had full exchanges and communications with SOU teachers and students, the former SOU International Visiting Scholars, the member institutions of the Unitwin network in ODL.This is the 11th session of SOU International Visiting Scholar Program since 2013. Up to now, SOU has received 104 International Visiting Scholars from 44 different countries. It is the first time for the scholars from Australia, Azerbaijan, Botswana, Germany, Ghana, Maldives, Papua New Genuine and Singapore to participate in SOU International Visiting Scholar Program. Through this program, inter-university understanding and trust has been enhanced, and the opportunities of international exchanges in many aspects have also been explored.

On the morning of March 30, Mrs. Carmen Polledo and Mrs. Paula Oliveto Lago,  the members of the Argentine National Congress, visited SOU. President Yuan Wen received the guests.President Yuan introduced the development history and university profile of SOU. As a university without walls, Shanghai Open University takes advantage of its branch school system and learning platform and provides citizens with opportunities for higher education and lifelong learning. SOU has played an important role in supporting regional industry development, promoting higher education equity and enhancing the quality of urban population’s lives. At the same time, as the host institute of the UNESCO UNITWIN Network, SOU actively promotes international cooperation in the field of open distance education and has achieved remarkable results.Carmen Polledo said that she felt the tremendous advantages of open distance education after the visit. Like China, education has always been the focus of the Argentine government. Buenos Aires, the capital city of Argentina, has a number of open educational institutions. The municipal government is also exploring the establishment of a municipal university like Shanghai Open University. Both sides can explore resources cooperation in the field of culture, language, and academic disciplines on this basis, and expand this form of cooperation to other universities in Argentina.The meeting enhanced the mutual understanding between the higher education fields in Shanghai and Buenos Aires, and the two sides will carry out practical cooperation projects in order to enhance Sino-Argentine education exchanges and cooperation.Director of the Foreign Affairs Division of the Shanghai Municipal CPPCC Office, Mr. Wang Junwei, accompanied the delegation. Representatives from the Foreign Affairs Office, Development and Research Department, Institute of International Exchange of SOU participated in the meeting.

Between November 20-24th, 17 teachers and students from the Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University（STOU）,Thailand, visited SOU for cultural exchange. This event was the first time that SOU and overseas UNITWIN Network member institutions to carry out cultural exchange activities between teachers and students.At the welcoming ceremony on November 21, President of the SOU Yuan Wen welcomed the delegation and introduced the “One Belt and One Road” programs of SOU. She hoped for exchanges and cooperation in more fields between SOU and STOU to achieve common progress; President of the STOU Panumas Kudgnaogarm gave an address afterwards, then they exchanged souvenirs on behalf of two universities.The Institute of International Exchange prepared various activities for visitors of the STOU, including Shanghai Culture lecture, Chinese language lecture, calligraphy class, historical and cultural search, city development tour and art performance. Through the activities, the delegation of STOU had better understanding about Chinese culture, society and education.At the closing ceremony, delegation of STOU and teachers and students of SOU brought wonderful art performances. Dr. Weng Zhuhua, the Executive Dean of IIE, then awarded certificates of completion to the teachers and students of STOU.The exchange and communication between SOU and STOU has enhanced the mutual understanding and trust, has further enhanced the cooperation field between SOU and STOU, and has fostered the friendship between the Chinese and Thai people.

The fifth session of Immersion Hub Short Term International Student Program was officially started on the morning of June 12 at Shanghai Open University. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Vice President ZHANG Jin expressed a warm welcome to all international students, hoping that 25 students from 8 countries could learn from the two-week program and experience the Chinese culture by themselves.After visiting the Digital Lab of Open Learning at Shanghai Open University, the students had their first Chinese language class – Coding Chinese. SOU’s foreign expert Zhao used a unique teaching method to help students to learn Chinese characters, verbs and sentences in a relatively short period of time.In the afternoon, students experienced a classical Chinese dance lesson instructed by Zhou Yuqi. Ms. Zhou is good at Chinese classical dance, she taught international student a few fundamental dance movement and proper postures in Chinese classical dance. In order to show students diverse styles of Chinese dance, Ms. Zhou also performed Xinjiang folk dance and taught international students a short piece of it. After the class, international students from Brazil and Russia also demonstrated the dance from their countries.The dance class was followed by team building activities organized by David James, the specially invited visiting scholar of SOU. The activities have made students to understand each other’s cultural backgrounds, cultural identities, personal interests through ice-breaking games and small group Q and A. At the end of the event, the students said that they hoped to learn Chinese, to exercise their English skills, to build network and to understand the Chinese food and culture better through the two-week program. Anja, one participant from Belgium, said that “cultural integration is very important in international communication, and everyone with cultural identity should not confine themselves to the cultural circle in which they are located, but should be more tolerant, receptive and integrated into a multicultural culture. The easiest way to achieve this goal is to take the chance to communicate with students from different countries, which is also a rare and valuable opportunity offered to us by the Immersion Hub Program.”The first Immersion Hub Short Term International Student Program was held in 2013. So far it has attracted 239 international students from 27 countries for the past four years. It features Chinese language and culture classes and activities, facilitates communication and exchanges among students from Open Universities around the world and conventional Universities.

16-19 December 2014, Professor Ye Yaoqiang, Vice-President of the Open University of Hong Kong, Dr. Zeng Wanmei, Vice-Director of the Education Technology Publishing Department, Senior Instructional Design Director Dr. Cai Minghui and Ms. Lu Huihui from the Open University of Hong Kong hosted a training on teaching and quality management. The training was organized by the International Exchange Institute, the Teaching Affairs Management Office as well as the Education and Teaching Management Office. Teachers, Administrators, Heads of respective functional departments and branch schools attended the four-day training.During the training, experts introduced the teaching mode, teaching and administration resource arrangements, as well as program design and implementation of the Open University of Hong Kong. At the same time, they also made presentations on the topics of teaching resource management, learning materials design and teaching management, course and textbook, quality management and assurance of teaching faculty and teaching outcomes, etc. The attendees of this training program actively interacted with the experts, and they all agreed that the excellent practice and experience of the Open University of Hong Kong were worth learning.

October 28, 32 delegates of UNESCO Seminar on Education for Rural Development visited SOU to enhance ties, 13 were from African Countries including Ethiopia and Cameroon, 4 were from Asian countries such as Bangladesh and Laos. The seminar was co-organized by Academy of International Business Officials, MOFCOM and UNESCO International Research and Training Centre for Rural Education. The delegates were mainly officials and scholars from the education sector of Africa and developing countries.Professor Gu Xiaomin, the Vice President of SOU, introduced to the guests about SOU and its cooperation and exchanges on distance education with African open universities and international organizations in the past and expressed the hope of promoting the academic cooperation between SOU and universities of other countries. The delegates also learnt about the rural area education program of SOU and its development. After the meeting, the delegates paid visit to Digital Lab of Open Learning of SOU and Community Education I-digital Experience center, the digital educational resources environment with cloud computing technology, the open learning tests and analysis and its innovative mode left them deep impression.

After receiving oversea visiting scholars from Brazil and Africa last year, nine oversea visiting scholars from South Africa, Zambia, Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, Brazil and the Netherlands have carried out a two-week research and study from May 26th to June 6th this year.During the two weeks of research and studies, the visiting scholars have not only participated in meetings with related academic departments, administrative departments, as well as staff from branch schools and information technology center, so as to have a deep understanding of the education concept and specialty of Shanghai Open University, but also participated in 2014 International Conference on Ubiquitous Learning. In addition, the visiting scholars have also made presentations on the practice, experience and development trends of distance education in their own countries through panel discussions and symposia.

202 representatives from 20 countries including 41 overseas participants met at Shanghai Open University to share their views and expertise on the ubiquitous learning between May 30-31th. The two-day conference was co-organized by National Commission of The People’s Republic of China for UNESCO and Shanghai Open University.Deputy Director of Shanghai Municipal Education Commission Yuan Wen and Secretary General of Chinese National Commission for UNESCO Du Yue presented and addressed at the conference’s opening ceremony. During the conference, professor of Graduate School of Education of Harvard University Christopher Dede, professor for Advanced Learning Technologies of Open University of the Netherlands Marcus Specht, President of the Open University of China Yang Zhijian, professor of Institute of Education of Tsinghua University Cheng Jiangang and President of Shanghai Open University Jiang Hong delivered keynote speeches. The conference, themed “Ubiquitous Learning: Opportunities, Challenges and Strategies” , had four parallel sessions on “Moocs and Ubiquitous Learning”, “Big Data, Cloud Computing and Ubiquitous Learning”, “Micro-Course and Mobile Learning” and “ODL Engineering Technology and Ubiquitous Learning”. The conference theme firmly grasp the forefront of ODL issues and hot topics, including the ubiquitous mobile learning environment, achieving seamless learning technology theory and practice cases, big data, Moocs, etc.. 98 conference papers were received with 18 papers submitted by overseas participants and 80 were submitted by Chinese participants.The chairman of World Committee for Lifelong Learning Yves Attou gave a speech at the closing ceremony. President Jiang Hong concluded the conference with a brief speech.

Shanghai Open University (SOU) and University of Maine (Fort Kent) (UMFK) met for the first time via video conference between Shanghai and Fort Kent on May 29th to discuss issues in regard to collaborations between two universities. Professor Gu Xiaomin, Vice President of SOU, Dean and staff of Institute of International Exchange and School of Public Administration of SOU, Professor Wilson Hess, President of UMFK, Dr. Robert Dixon and Dr. Thomas Enerva from UMFK attended the virtual meeting.Vice President of SOU gave a brief introduction of SOU and School of Public Administration and proposed ways of possible collaboration in the future that would benefit both universities, which then received positive response from UMFK. President of UMFK added that SOU and UMFK could collaborate in such areas as program development, courses development, mutual academic credit transfer and recognition and teachers’ training. Both side agreed to form an agreement of collaboration by the end of May.

April 15, under the leadership of Shanghai Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, the delegation of Australian Xin Jin Shan Chinese School, head by Mr. Sun Haoliang, visited Shanghai Open University to discuss cooperation with the Institute of International Exchange.During the meeting of discussing cooperation, Professor Liu Wenfu, dean of the Institute of International Exchange, introduced the progress and outcomes on teaching Chinese as a foreign language and web-resource development of SOU in four aspects. Mr. Sun Haoliang showed his intention in cooperation with SOU in the field of the re-development of resource pool and the development of Chinese culture courses. He also pointed out that Shanghai Open University has the unparallel advantages in terms of technology and resources, and he hoped to produce a serial of courses, DVDs and courseware on Chinese culture through cooperation in order to promote the development of both parties. In the afternoon, Xin Jin Shan delegation visited Shanghai Education Resource Centre.Xin Jin Shan Chinese School is located in Melbourne, Australia, and has many branch schools with a history of 20 years, which is a well-known Chinese School in Australia.

November 25, six African experts and scholars on Distance Education from South Africa, Swaziland, Kenya, Tanzania and Nigeria came to our university for research and exchanges. The exchange activity is not only a concrete implementation to the proposal of enhancing the communication and cooperation of education between Africa and China, since our president Mr. Jiang Hong has attended the UNESCO – China – Africa three party coordination meeting, but also part of the Visiting Scholars Project of Shanghai Open University.Our Vice President, Gu Xiaomin, attended the welcome ceremony, and made a speech. During her speech, she wished to enhance the mutual understanding of distance education between African countries and Shanghai Open University, as to lay a good foundation for jointly exploring a new mode of distance education, strengthening the monitoring and quality assurance, and promoting the inner-school cooperation on distance education between China and African countries. During the following two weeks of research and studies, meetings will be arranged between the six visiting scholars and related academic departments, administrative departments, as well as staff from branch schools and information technology center, in order to have a deep understanding of the education concept and specialty of Shanghai Open University. In addition, the visiting scholars will also make presentations on the practice, experience and development trends of distance education in their own countries through panel discussions and symposia.