From November 30 to December 8, 2015, Li Ming,Chairman of University Coucil of South University of Science and Technology of China (SUSTC), led a delegation to visit a host of universities in Southeast Asia, attend the 2015 Annual Conference of the Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU) and visit the Bangkok Office of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The delegation received warm reception from and reached broad cooperation consensuses with the hosts. Lu Chun, chief operating officer of SUSTC, was on the delegation.

Visiting to the Bangkok Office of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

The 2015 AAOU Annual Conference ran from November 30 to December 2, 2015. Themed “New Frontiers in Open and Distance Learning”, the conference brought together over 60 Asian universities. Prof. Wong Yuk-Shan, president of AAOU and president of Open University of Hong Kong, welcomed the delegation, inviting SUSTC to attend the plenary session of AAOU to learn about the organization mode and operation mechanism of international conference. During its stay in Malaysia, the delegation visited University of Malaya and National University of Malaysia, held talks with heads of departments such as Information Technology Center, Educational Technology Center and Teaching and Learning Promotion Center to find out Malaysia’s national policy and plan for MOOC promotion, listened to the universities’ successful experience in, exploration of and attempts at e-learning, flipped classroom, MOOC production and information management system, and visited their multimedia course production studios.

SUSTC delegation visited University of Malaya

SUSTC delegation visited National University of Malaysia

From December 3 to 4, the delegation visited three renowned universities in Singapore. Freddy Boey, executive vice president of Nanyang Technological University, introduced the university’s practice of innovative education based on the newly-established learning hub, and shared the understanding and practice of university knowledge achievement transformation, thus impressing the delegation deeply. Despite a history of only four years, Singapore University of Technology and Design showed its interdisciplinarity, flexibility and diversification in talent training schemes and course design. By motivating students to learn initiatively, applying educational technologies and renovating course setting, the university has greatly reduced the length of schooling to give students adequate time to explore their personal interests and grow in an all-round manner. Prof. Eng Chye TAN, executive vice president of National University of Singapore, expressed high interest in working with SUSTC, undertaking to lead relevant disciplinary professors to visit SUSTC in the near future; the director of the university’s educational technology center also introduced the university’s progress in e-learning and use of MOOCs.

SUSTC delegation visited Nanyang Technological University

Li Ming, Chairman of University Council of SUSTC, exchanged souvenirs with the vice president of National University of Singapore

SUSTC delegation visited Singapore University of Technology and Design

During its stay in Thailand from December 5 to 8, the delegation visited the Bangkok Office of UNESCO and held talks with all members of the group of the Asia-Pacific Programme of Educational Innovation for Development (APEID). Prof. Wang Libing, senior programme specialist in higher education, UNESCO, congratulated Shenzhen on its successful application for establishing a higher education innovation center based on SUSTC, and expressed the willingness to further deepen cooperation with SUSTC. Li introduced the center’s mission, vision and functional orientation, as well as its great significance to the innovative development of Asia-Pacific higher education in the new technical period, undertaking to work with the Bangkok Office and enhance the international influence of the center and SUSTC in various forms such as joining the programme and hosting international conferences. The delegation exchanged ideas with Korn Dabbaransi, president of the Thai-Chinese Friendship Association and former deputy prime minister of Thailand on the possibility of SUSTC’s cooperation with Thailand’s Technology Incubation Center and National Innovation Center. Also, the delegation visited Asian Institute of Technology and reached the intent on student exchange and other programs with the university.

SUSTC delegation met with Korn Dabbaransi, former deputy prime minister of Thailand