Sub-forum 5: "MOOC and Online Learning in Future Education" - Global MOOC and Online Education Alliance

On December 8, 2021, under the theme of “MOOC and Online Learning in Future Education”, Sub-forum 5 of Global MOOC and Online Education Conference 2021 was successfully co-chaired by UNESCO IITE, XuetangX, CRI, Thai MOOC, and Global MOOC and Online Education Alliance, to explore the future transformation of MOOC and online education, and shape the new normal of higher education in the Post-COVID era. The replay of sub-forum 5 can be viewed in English and in Chinese on XuetangX.

Opening Remarks

Tao Zhan, Director of UNESCO IITE, extended a warm welcome to the guests. He said that the digital transformation of education became the focus of attention, and that the global education system became more resilient after the challenges of the pandemic. The online education and teaching experience gained by universities in recent years has an important role in dealing with future challenges and adhering to innovation and leadership. UNESCO IITE looks forward to further cooperation with universities from all over the world.

YANG Bin, Vice President and Provost of Tsinghua University, pointed out that MOOC and online education were of great significance to the development of higher education in the future. They play a pivotal role in helping students complete their studies, helping teachers teach innovatively, helping alumni enjoy lifelong learning, and helping universities expand academic resource exchanges. We need to think and practice, integrate online methods into our daily teaching, and treat online teaching as a natural part rather than a substitute for traditional teaching. Technological innovation also makes it possible to exchange and share knowledge, and has become a powerful driving force for the equity and quality of education. He called on higher education institutions around the world to gather the wisdom of all parties, carry out more cross-industry cooperation, and promote the continuous update and transformation of higher education teaching concepts and models empowered by information technology.

Keynote Speeches & Panel Discussion

In her keynote speech, Natalia Dneprovskaya, Associate Professor of the Department of Business Informatics, National Research University – Higher School of Economics said that by using MOOC platforms, Russian universities enabled students to make better use of global MOOC resources and promoted the digital transformation of Russian universities. Gaell Mainguy, Director, Development and International Relations, CRI said that the Global MOOC and Online Education Alliance would continue to promote massive online cooperation in the future, bring out the creativity and enthusiasm of students, and provide constructive solutions to future challenges. Wang Shuaiguo, President, XuetangX said that the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the integration of technology and education. MOOC has made online learning and lifelong learning a norm, and the issuance of online certificates has made online education the first choice for many people to improve themselves.

During Presentations and Panel Discussions, Serge Stinckwich, Head of Research at the United Nations University Institute in Macau, Vorasuang Duangchinda, Director of Office of Online Education at Sripatum University, Li Xia, Vice Dean of the College of Foreign Languages at Nankai University, and Xu Yijie, Chief Content Officer of UMOOCs shared their insights and views on the integration of digital and online education, and agreed that the Internet brought opportunities and challenges to the development of online education. In the future, universities will need more profound technological reforms to meet diversified learning needs. Svetlana Knyazeva, Head of Higher Education & Pedagogical Technologies Section at UNESCO IITE, served as the moderator.

Closing Remarks

Thapanee Thammetar, Director of ThaiMOOC, gave closing remarks. She said that in the upcoming Post-COVID era, the traditional teaching model of higher education would undergo fundamental changes, and MOOC and online education would become the new normal of higher education. Universities need to strengthen cooperation, think and practice, and jointly promote the sustainable development of online education.

The replay of sub-forum 5 can be viewed in English and in Chinese on XuetangX.