The 2024 International Conference on Building a Learning Society through Digitalization of Open Education aims to address key issues in educatinoal development to the theme of the relevant event. This important event is organized by the Open University of China and Hong Kong Metropolitan University (through its School of Open Learning). It will be held on 12 – 13 June 2024 (Wednesday – Thursday) at the headquarters of the Open University of China (Beijing, China).
The key topics of the Conference include the following:
The target audience are mainly senior academic and administrative staff of open universities in mainland China, Korea, Japan, Hong Kong SAR, etc.
12 June | |
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Whole Day | Registration |
14:00-17:00 | Visiting the Open University of China |
13 June | 8:45 – 9:00 | Registration |
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9:00 – 9:25 | Opening ceremony
Opening remarks: ● Wang Qiming, President of the OUC ● Reggie Kwan, Vice President of HKMU Session Chair: Fan Xianrui, Vice President of the OUC |
9:25 – 9:35 | Group photos of VIP guests and organizer representatives |
9:35 – 10:35 | Keynote 1: Strategy and Trends ●Keynote Speaker 1: Masaya Iwanaga, President of OUJ ●Keynote Speaker 2: Mark Nichols, President of ICDE Session Chair: Fan Xianrui, Vice President of the OUC |
10:35 – 11:00 | Tea Break |
11:00-12:15 | ● Keynote Speaker 3: Li Song, Vice President of the OUC ●Keynote Speaker 4: Kam-cheong Li, Dean, School of Open Learning, HKMU Q&A Session Chair: Fan Xianrui, Vice President of the OUC |
12:15-14:00 | Lunch |
14:00-16:15 | Keynote 2 : Practice and Innovation ● Keynote Speaker 5: Olaf Zawachi-Richter Director of Center for Lifelong Learning\Center for Open Education Research, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg ● Keynote Speaker 6: Cengiz Hakan AYDIN Chair of Open Education Faculty, Director of the Anadolu University's Open Anadolu Project (including AKADEMA MOOCs platform, Anadolu University ● Keynote Speaker 7: Xiao Junhong, Shantou Open University ● Keynote Speaker 8: Wang Li, The Open University of China Q&A Session Chair：Du Ruo, Director, Lifelong Education Institution of the OUC |
16:15-16:45 | Tea Break |
16:45-17:45 | Forum Panelists: Mark Nichols, Cengiz Haka Aydin, Kam-cheong Li, Olaf Zawacki-Richter, (Xiao Junhong, Wang Li) Moderator: TBC |
Dr Mark Nichols is President of the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE), a responsibility he has alongside his work as Executive Director, Learning Design & Development with Open Polytechnic, New Zealand. Mark’s research includes advocacy for open and distance learning (ODL), operating model design for ODL, delivery models, learning design, and improving ODL outcomes. He hosts the podcast Leaders & Legends of Online Learning and is on serval international journal editorial boards. Mark is also co-host for the 2025 ICDE Global Conference being held in Wellington, New Zealand in November 2025. More about Mark can be learned from https://www.linkedin.com/in/mbnichols/
Kam-Cheong Li is the Dean of the School of Open Learning, Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU). He founded HKMU’s Institute for Research in Open and Innovative Education in 2016 and is now leading the research of the institute as its Director. He has devoted to higher education and teaching development for 30 years. He has also been appointed Visiting Professor and Advisor of Doctorate of Professional Studies Programme of Middlesex University in the United Kingdom, and a number of institutions in China, such as Hebei Academy of Social Sciences and Hebei University of Economics and Business. He has earned three bachelor’s degrees, four master’s degrees and a PhD from renowned institutions, including the University of Hong Kong, Peking University and the University of London. He has also been awarded many professional qualifications such as Diploma in Education, Advanced Diploma in Translation, as well as Chartered Linguist and Fellowship of the Chartered Institute of Linguists. His research interests lie in technology in education, pedagogical approaches, and educational innovation. Now, he is also the Editor-in-chief of Asian Association of Open Universities Journal and Guest Editor of several academic journals, such as Interactive Technology and Smart Education and International Journal of Mobile Learning and Organisation.
Olaf Zawacki-Richter is a professor of educational technology at the University of Oldenburg in Germany, and serves as the Dean of the Faculty of Education and Social Sciences. He is also the Director of the Center for Open Education Research (COER). With over 25 years of professional experience in the field of open, distance, and digital education, Dr. Zawacki-Richter has contributed extensively as a consultant and advisor, including roles for the United Nations' International Labour Organization, the Office of Technology Assessment at the German Bundestag, and the German Science and Humanities Council (Wissenschaftsrat). He has authored approximately 200 journal articles and book chapters and edited several books, such as the Handbook of Open, Distance, and Digital Education, Online Distance Education – Towards a Research Agenda, and Systematic Reviews in Educational Research – all published open access. Dr. Zawacki-Richter is the Executive Chief-Editor of the newly founded Journal of Open, Distance, and Digital Education (JODDE), He is also Associate Editor of the Online Learning Journal (OLJ), and a member of the editorial board of the International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning (IRRODL), Open Learning, and the Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education (TOJDE). His publications are accessible on GoogleScholar.
Cengiz Hakan Aydin, PhD, is a professor in Anadolu University of Turkey where he has been offering courses in the field of open and distance learning (ODL) since early 1990s. He is currently the Head of the Distance Education Department, Faculty of Open Education, Anadolu University, and the director of Anadolu University's OpenAnadolu Project. Dr. AYDIN served as an instructional designer in the Open Education System until September 2017 and as the Dean of the Faculty of Economics, one of the three faculties that made up the Open Education System of the University, between 2013 and 2016. His current research interests include the design and development of ODL environments, integration of new technologies (AI, VR, AR, MR, etc.) into ODL, Open Educational Resources (OERs), Open Educational Practices (OEPs), Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and current trends in higher education. Dr. AYDIN has served as the International Chair and Board Member of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT), as a board member of the International Council for Educational Media (ICEM), and as a member of the Open Educational Resources Committee (OER Advocacy Committee) of the International Council for Distance Education (ICDE). He is currently a steering committee member of the OpenupEd initiative of the European Council for Distance Teaching Universities (EADTU), board member of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT), and member of the Centre for Distance Education Research (COER). He is also on the editorial boards of the International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning (IRRODL), Educational Media International (EMI), and Journal of Open, Distance, and Digital Education (JODDE).
