Page 97 - Open and Distance Education In Asia : Good Practice From AAOU Members

Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU) 77

its approval for 68 regular institutions the need to explore the construction
of higher learning and CCRTVU (now model of open universities. It also
renamed the Open University) to stated that the former China Central
participate in the modern distance Radio and TV University and the local
education pilot project. As a result, two open universities of Beijing, Shanghai,
parallel pilot development systems were Jiangsu, Guangdong, and Yunnan would
established in China’s ODE. One was for be pilot units for reform.The main value
regular institutions of higher learning, orientation of the pilot project is to
and the other was for the RTVU system. promote the transformation of RTVUs
into a new institution of higher learning
With the implementation of the modern that mainly provides open education for
distance education project, a new ODE adults, to accelerate the development
system made up of the RTVU system, of a more open and flexible education
the online education system of regular system oriented towards and suitable for
institutions of higher learning, and the everyone, and to build a learning society
correspondence education system where “anyone can learn at anytime,
took shape. By 2009, a total of 5.0813 and anywhere.” In order to implement
million students graduated from junior this national strategic arrangement, the
college and undergraduate programs Open University of China (OUC) was
via the open education pilot project officially established on the basis of
advanced in the RTVU system, 4.896 the former CCRTVU, and the RTVUs of
million graduates had been trained Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Guangdong,
via online education implemented by and Yunnan were renamed as open
regular institutions of higher learning, universities in 2012.
and 6.4871 million graduates had been
trained via correspondence education. Over the past 10 years, the OUC and the
five local open universities have worked
• Reform and Innovation in the New Era hard to explore the construction of a
(Since 2010). In the new era, the Chinese new type of university and have made
government has accurately grasped the initial achievements in keeping up with
global trends in science, technology, and the rapid development of “Internet
education, and prioritized the advantages +.” Take the OUC as an example. The
of information technology to promote OUC has made major progress in
the construction of open universities shaping the “internet + University”
as one of the major projects of national model, establishing the “simultaneous
education reform and development. development of degree and non-degree
In October 2010, the General Office of education” service model, innovating
the State Council issued the Circular on a talent formation model based on
the Pilot Implementation of National modern information technology, building
Education System Reform and made clear a credit bank system, and exploring an

The Open University of China (OUC)