Faculty and Students of the Institute of Higher Education Attended the “2024 World MOOC and Online Education Conference” Held in the UK
From December 12 to 13, 2024, the “Global MOOC and Online Education Conference 2024” was held at Queen Mary University of London, UK. Dean Professor Bie Dunrong, Vice Dean Professor Wang Shutao, Associate Professor Guo Yirong, Assistant Professor Yu Jingran, doctoral student Chen Chunping, and master’s students Jia Chen and Zhou Ke attended the conference. The conference focused on the theme of “Reimaging the Future of Higher Education in the Intelligence Era” and proposed that global higher education has entered the “Banner Year of Smart Education”.
Dean Bie Dunrong Delivered a Keynote Speech at the Conference
Dean Bie Dunrong delivered a keynote speech titled “Beyond Technology: What Else Should Universities Teach Students in the Age of Artificial Intelligence?”. He opened his speech with the famous quote from Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”. From the two aspects of opportunities and challenges that artificial intelligence (AI) brings to society, he elaborated on the impact of AI on the reconstruction of social systems. He also discussed the role that universities should play in talent cultivation and the development of scientific innovation in the AI era, emphasizing that AI is changing the core links of talent training and reshaping the mode of knowledge production. Universities need to uphold fundamental principles while pursuing innovation, actively respond to the changes brought by AI. While educating and training students in AI technology, they should also play an important role in fostering students’ core humanistic literacy and high-level intelligence.
In his report, Dean Bie pointed out that against the backdrop of artificial intelligence (AI), the triple worlds of the natural, social, and virtual constitute the environment in which we live. He emphasized that universities need to go beyond tradition and cultivate talents in this three-dimensional space. The role of virtual space is no longer limited to a certain aspect of education; instead, it has almost reshaped the entire educational process and become a new lever for promoting educational reform. In the AI era, universities need to cultivate two types of talents: those with excellent capabilities and qualities in AI technology, and those with the ability and quality to engage with AI. To this end, it is necessary to build an educational system that adapts to the development of AI, reconstruct humanities and art education courses that are suitable for the development and application of AI, foster students’ confidence in facing AI, train their human-machine communication skills, and shape their character of respecting truth and upholding the authority of truth.
The conference released two important reports
During the conference, the World MOOC and Online Education Alliance released two important reports, namely Infinite Possibilities - Report on the Digital Development of Global Higher Education (2024) and The Global Digital Education Development Index (2024). The former initiates the “Gateway to Smart Education Initiative”, aiming to fully unlock the enormous potential of artificial intelligence, build a more resilient and sustainable higher education ecosystem, promote the application of technology for the greater good, enable technology to better serve the future of education, and puts forward action strategies to address current challenges. The latter establishes an indicator system composed of four first-level indicators (digital talent , digital school operation, digital management, and digital support) and 17 specific measurement indicators. It collects and analyzes data on the digital development of higher education from 94 countries worldwide, comprehensively presents the global trend of higher education digital development, and provides more scientific and accurate decision-making references for the digital strategic development of higher education in various countries around the world. The research team led by Professor Bie Dunrong from our institute is one of the main teams involved in the development of these two reports.
The “Global MOOC and Online Education Conference 2024” was co-hosted by the World MOOC and Online Education Alliance and the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education, and co-organized by Tsinghua University, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, and Queen Mary University of London. A total of 340 representatives from 135 institutions—including universities, online education platforms, international organizations, and government agencies—across 28 countries worldwide attended the conference. During the event, in-depth discussions were held on key topics such as the reconstruction of university forms, ethical risks of artificial intelligence (AI), the in-depth integration of professional capabilities and digital literacy, and education transformation driven by technological innovation. Additionally, the conference showcased cutting-edge technologies and enormous potential of AI in empowering teachers’ instruction, students’ learning, and virtual simulation experiments.
Faculty and Students of Our Institute Were Invited to Visit and Hold Talks at the UCL Institute of Education
On the afternoon of December 12, Dean Bie Dunrong, Vice Dean Wang Shutao, Associate Professor Guo Yirong, and Assistant Professor Yu Jingran of our institute were invited to visit the UCL Institute of Education (IOE), University College London. They held talks with Professor Wei Li (Dean of the UCL Institute of Education), Professor Hua Zhu, and Professor Rensimer Lee (Deputy Director of the Centre for Global Higher Education, CGHE) respectively.
Talks with Representatives of the UCL Institute of Education
During the talks with representatives of the UCL Institute of Education, Dean Li Wei first introduced the IOE’s development history, key research areas, and future development vision. In response, Dean Bie Dunrong shared an overview of our institute’s development history, the progress of its first-class discipline construction, and its future research directions. The two sides jointly explored potential cooperation opportunities in the field of education and reached a preliminary intention on possible academic exchange programs. Both parties agreed that strengthened cooperation will facilitate the exchange and sharing of educational resources between the two institutions, enhance the quality of education, and provide broader development opportunities for teachers and students of both sides.
Talks with the Deputy Director of the Centre for Global Higher Education
During the talks with Professor Lee, Deputy Director of the Centre for Global Higher Education (CGHE), Professor Lee introduced the development of CGHE at the UCL Institute of Education, its international student education, and recent research outcomes. In response, Dean Bie Dunrong presented an overview of our institute’s organizational structure, research progress in international and comparative education, as well as achievements in international exchange and cooperation. He also sincerely invited Professor Lee to visit our institute for in-depth academic exchanges. The two sides conducted in-depth discussions on potential future cooperation areas, including student exchange programs, joint research initiatives, and co-hosting academic conferences. Both parties expressed strong interest in exchanging and cooperating with each other, and also discussed a number of specific proposals.
Facutly and Students of Our Institute Were Invited to Visit and Exchange at the Department of Education, University of Oxford
On the afternoon of December 13, after the conclusion of the “Global MOOC and Online Education Conference 2024”, Dean Bie Dunrong, Vice Dean Wang Shutao, Associate Professor Guo Yirong, Assistant Professor Yu Jingran, and other members of our institute were invited to visit the University of Oxford. They held in-depth talks with Professor Simon Marginson (Founding Director of the Department of Education and the Centre for Global Higher Education at the University of Oxford), Professor Alis Oancea (Deputy Director), and several doctoral students of the University of Oxford. This visit and exchange received enthusiastic support and assistance from Professor Wang Chuanyi of the Institute of Education, Tsinghua University, who is currently a visiting scholar at the University of Oxford.
Talks with Representatives from the Department of Education, University of Oxford
During the talks, Professor Simon Marginson extended a warm welcome to Dean Bie and his delegation. He expressed his expectation that the exchange and cooperation in higher education between the two institutions would be further deepened and solidified to promote academic development on both sides. Professor Alis Oancea introduced the general situation of the Department of Education at the University of Oxford, the organizational structure of the Centre for Global Higher Education, and the ongoing research projects. Vice Dean Wang Shutao then presented an overview of our institute, covering its development history, organizational structure, key research fields, talent cultivation, and scientific research. He also put forward a preliminary intention for exchange and cooperation with the Centre for Global Higher Education at the University of Oxford, which received a positive response from the Oxford colleagues. Dean Bie expressed sincere gratitude to Professor Simon Marginson and Professor Alis Oancea for their warm reception. He invited Professor Simon Marginson to support and participate in the launch of an English academic journal co-founded by our institute and the Chinese Society of Higher Education. Professor Simon Marginson responded positively, stating that he was willing to contribute to this upcoming journal. The two sides held practical discussions on conducting in-depth exchange and cooperation, and reached a cooperation intention. The two institutions will launch practical cooperation and exchange initiatives such as personnel mutual visits in the coming year.
Our Institute Held a Talent Recruitment Fair at the Department of Education, University of Oxford
After the talks, our institute held a talent recruitment fair at the Department of Education, University of Oxford. Vice Dean Wang Shutao gave the attending doctoral students a comprehensive introduction to our institute’s development status, school-running conditions, talent needs, and future development plans. He also provided an in-depth explanation of our university’s talent recruitment policies, with a particular focus on the corresponding benefits and support for work and living conditions offered to various types of talents. In addition, the teachers from our institute who participated in the fair answered questions raised by the attending doctoral students.
It is reported that this is the first time our institute has held a talent recruitment fair at a prestigious foreign university, and the recruitment received a positive response from the doctoral students studying at the University of Oxford. In the future, our institute will hold more international talent recruitment fairs to promote the building of an international and high-level faculty team.
Image: By Jia Chen, Zhou Ke
Text: By Jia Chen
Translated by:Dai Lan
