The Open University of China

The Open University of China (OUC) is a new‑type higher‑education institution directly under the Ministry of Education. Committed to promoting lifelong learning, supported by modern information technologies and characterized by the “Internet Plus” model, it delivers open‑education programmes across the whole country. Under the leadership of the Ministry of Education, the university offers both academic and non‑academic education, coordinates the development of the national open‑education system, guides and serves open‑education operations nationwide, and strives to build a public service platform for lifelong learning. It provides lifelong education and related services for all people to foster an environment where “everyone can learn, learning is accessible everywhere, and learning can take place at any time”.

The predecessor of The Open University of China was the Central Radio and Television University (CRTVU). In February 1978, drawing on successful experience of open universities worldwide, Deng Xiaoping personally advocated for and approved the founding of the Central Radio and Television University, opening a new chapter for the development of distance higher education in China’s educational history. On 6 February 1979, the Central Radio and Television University, together with 28 provincial‑level radio and television universities, commenced classes simultaneously, with the opening ceremony broadcast live nationwide by China Central Television. On 8 February of the same year, the university formally launched its television courses via CCTV; the mathematician Hua Luogeng delivered the first lecture entitled “Introduction to Advanced Mathematics”. The Central Radio and Television University, alongside 44 provincial radio‑and‑television universities successively established across China and their subordinate branch schools and workstations, formed the world’s largest distance‑education system.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, radio‑and‑television universities have entered a new era of transformation and development. On 21 June 2012, the Chinese government decided to establish The Open University of China on the basis of the Central Radio and Television University. On 31 July, The Open University of China was officially inaugurated at the Great Hall of the People. On 31 August 2020, the Ministry of Education issued the Comprehensive Reform Plan for The Open University of China, which addresses institutional positioning, system building and quality assurance for the university, and advances the transformation of The Open University of China and radio‑and‑television universities nationwide in the new era. On 18 November 2021, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council issued the Opinions on Strengthening Work for the Elderly in the New Era, specifying that The Seniors University of China (SUC) should be established relying on The Open University of China to build a national platform for resource‑sharing and public services for elderly education. On 6 September 2022, the Central Organization Commission approved The Open University of China to add the nameplate of The Seniors University of China. On 3 March 2023, The Seniors University of China was officially inaugurated.

The mission of The Open University of China (The Seniors University of China) is to actively serve major national development strategies, improve the quality of the populace, advance educational equity, and coordinate the collaborative innovation of higher education, vocational education and continuing education. It promotes vertical articulation and horizontal connectivity among various types of education at all levels, supports the development of an education system serving lifelong learning for all, and contributes to building a learning‑oriented society and a learning‑oriented country. The Open University of China (The Seniors University of China) functions both as a new‑type higher‑education institution directly under the Ministry of Education and as a directly‑affiliated public institution. Its operational mechanism follows the principle of “two‑level coordination and four‑level school‑running”, and its institutional philosophy is “Openness, Responsibility, Quality, Diversity and Internationalization”. Its development goals are to become China’s key platform for lifelong education, online education, flexible education and international cooperation, to provide solid support for a learning‑oriented society and country, and to build a world‑class open university with Chinese characteristics and an influential new‑type university in global open education. In accordance with the requirement of “layout in Year One, formation in Year Two, and momentum building in Year Three”, The Seniors University of China aims to develop into a new‑type university for older adults with clear positioning, distinctive features, open‑shared resources and flexible learning modes by the end of 2025. Rooted in China’s national conditions, it will lead innovative development in elderly education and enjoy certain international influence, with a nationwide service network basically in place.

Looking ahead, guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and under the strong leadership of the Party Leadership Group of the Ministry of Education, The Open University of China (The Seniors University of China) will take fostering virtue through education as its fundamental task. Centering on two epoch‑making propositions: “What role should OUC play in building an education powerhouse?” and “Open education and the construction of a learning‑oriented society”, it will fully implement the Comprehensive Reform Plan for The Open University of China, the 14th Five‑Year Plan for the Development of The Open University of China, and the Work Plan for Establishing The Seniors University of China. It will “consolidate its fundamental business and explore new frontiers”, and implement the “1‑2‑3‑4” Strategy: taking the development of a learning‑oriented society as the strategic mainline, attaching equal importance to academic and non‑academic education, delivering high‑quality open education, strengthening The Seniors University of China, exploring the construction of a digital university, developing “four major platforms”, and building two core competitive strengths in digital educational resources and innovative application of digital technologies for open education. It will accelerate the construction of a world‑class open university with Chinese characteristics, offer robust support for building a learning‑oriented society and country featuring lifelong learning for all, and make new and greater contributions to building a great modern socialist country and realizing national rejuvenation.

1. Faculty Strength

2. The Open University of China has embarked on a development path featuring "advanced communication tools plus distinguished teachers and educators". The university actively builds a high‑quality faculty team, enforces strict teacher qualification standards, and strengthens the development of "dual‑competency" teachers. It has successively recruited over one thousand professors and experts from more than one hundred universities, research institutes and front‑line industries including Tsinghua University, Peking University and Renmin University of China to participate in the development of its majors and courses. Its faculty covers all disciplinary fields, including world‑renowned mathematician Hua Luogeng, Nobel Prize in Physics laureate Chen‑Ning Yang, dozens of academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, as well as a large number of celebrated scholars and industry experts. This integrates classroom theories with social practice, enabling students to enhance both their practical competence and academic qualifications.

3. Learning Methods

4. The Open University of China adopts a flexible teaching model that combines online learning with face‑to‑face instruction and integrates online and offline approaches, ensuring that students can learn anytime and anywhere. Supported by modern educational technologies and mediated by multi‑media learning resources, the university prioritizes students' self‑directed learning supplemented by teachers' tutoring and guidance. Students can log onto the Open University of China learning website to stream and access online teaching resources for online study. They may communicate and study with peers and teachers via online interactive tools such as forums, webcasts and video systems. They can also attend centralized face‑to‑face classes or group study sessions at learning centers in accordance with teaching arrangements.