The Learner Support Centre (Student Service Section), as one of the supporting bodies of the Open University of China (OUC), is mainly responsible for coordinating the learning support services of the open and distance education provided by OUs in China, managing student affairs, and providing support services to the teachers of OUC as well as the teachers and students at local OUs in China.
 
Director of the Center is Mr. Kuang Guiqiu, and Deputy Director is Mr. Lei Hongqi, who is responsible for student affairs.

The Center has five sections, namely, General Management Section, Teaching Services Section, Broadcast Management Section, Remote Host Center, and the Student Affairs Section.  It has a total of sixteen staff members.

The Head of the General Management Section is Li Yongji.

    The General Management Section is responsible for:

• The overall planning of the learning support services for OUs throughout the country;
• Formulating and optimizing the management rules and working procedures for the learning support services;
• Planning and organizing the learning support services of OUC;
• Dealing with the routine affairs of the Center.

The Head of the Teaching Services Section is Qi Wenxin.

    The Teaching Services Section is responsible for:

• The overall planning and coordination of the teaching services as well as the on-line teaching of OUs throughout the country;
• Selecting the best on-line teaching and sharing on-line teaching resources;
• Planning, organizing and coordinating the teaching services and on-line teaching of OUC.

The Head of the Broadcast Management Section is Zhang Hu. 

    The Broadcast Management Section is responsible for:

• Arranging the broadcast of TV courses on China Education TV;
• Formulating the broadcast specifications and documents;
• Producing, checking and accepting TV programmes such as theme-based lectures;
• Monitoring the broadcast of TV programmes;
• Establishing and optimizing the transmission channels of OUs in China.

The Head of the Remote Host Center is Hao Heli.

    The Remote Host Center is responsible for:

• Establishing the remote host systems of OUs throughout the country;
• Constructing and maintaining the database of student FAQs;
• Organizing the exchanges among staff members in the remote host sector of the OUs throughout the country, and holding professional workshops for them;
• Providing students and teachers of OUs as well as other interested parties with such services via telephone, BBS, text messaging, and email, as enquiries for information, problem consultation, business handling, as well as taking complaints and suggestions;
• Dealing with the relevant problems submitted by remote host centers of the provincial-level OUs to OUC.

The Deputy Head of the Student Affairs Section is Xu Gang.

    The Student Affairs Section is responsible for:

• Providing open and distance learners with non-academic support services;
• Holding appropriate activities to ease the students' learning difficulties arising from non-academic factors;
• Supervising and organizing the work of student affairs by staff members of the OUs thoughout the country;
• Planning and enforcing operational mechanisms for student affairs that are appropriate for open and distance learners.

Research Projects and Results:

• "Study on the Teaching Quality Assurance of Modern Distance Education—Study on the Online Teaching Information Feedback and Teaching Quality Assessment of Modern Distance Education (August 2006)" 
  This project, which is based on the fundamental principles of distance education, has proposed the key points in constructing the system for on-line teaching quality feedback and assessment.
• "Survey and Study on the Characteristics and Learning Needs of On-line Learners of Open Universities (2006)"
• "Web-based individualized Tutoring and Services"
  This project was initiated in October 2008, and it is one of the key projects of OUC to ensure the teaching quality and provide better learning support services.  It seeks to enhance the teaching team involving both the key teachers and the on-line tutors; to explore the effective means and operational mechanisms to enhance the academic support services for courses lacking sufficient quality teaching; and to improve the services for offering individualized academic services.
• "The Pilot Programme on Remote Host System of OUs"
   The project was initiated in 2007, and it is one of the key projects of OUC to ensure the teaching quality and provide better learning support services. It aims to establish a digital and integrated remote host system that links the remote host centers of OUC and provincial-level OUs in China; to explore the most suitable remote host system and the operational model for OUs; and to provide students with easy, timely and effective information services.

Since the establishment of the Learner Support Centre in 2002, it has promoted the wide application of such modern IT as television, telephone and the Internet by OUs throughout the country; provided learners of OUC with effective support services; and identified the model and mechanisms for open and distance learning support services that have Chinese characteristics. 

The remote host system, which was established in 2004, has provided students of OUs throughout the country with easy and efficient consultation services and learning support.  In 2007, the student affairs function was incorporated into the Center, enhancing the management and services to the students at OUs throughout the country.

Contact Us:

Add: No.160 Fuxingmennei Street, Distance Education Center, Beijing, 100031, P.R.China

Tel: General Management Section: (+86)10 66490565   Fax: (+86)10 66490565
      Teaching Services Section: (+86)10 66490676
      Broadcast Management Section: (+86)10 66490541
      Student Affairs Section: (+86)10 66490064
      Remote Host Center: (+86)10 66490678

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