UM holds 7th Greater China MOOC Symposium Online Successfully!

 

The Seventh Greater China MOOC Symposium (GCMS), organised by the University of Macau (UM) and hosted by the University’s Centre for Teaching and Learning Enhancement (CTLE) and XuetangX, was held online at UM. Nearly 150 scholars joined the two-day event, which kicked off with keynotes from distinguished speakers from renowned institutions in Beijing, Shanghai, Xi’an and the Greater Bay Area the region. Keynote presentations were followed by concurrent sessions. Day 2 consisted of discussions that showcased recent research and initiatives on online and blended modes of teaching and learning. This online symposium provided a forum for participants to exchange ideas on the opportunities and challenges for online education during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. A live webcast of the event was broadcast on XuetangX and received nearly 1,800 views.

The Rector of the University of Macau, Prof. Yonghua Song, delivered the opening remarks, in which he said that UM was responding to the learning needs of students at different times with different innovative teaching approaches, and that the University was also promoting motivation and creativity among its faculty members through different means. He added that the symposium provided an excellent platform for representatives from universities and experts from the Greater China region to share their wisdom, ideas and experience concerning online teaching and learning during the pandemic.

Prof. Ronghua Zhang, President of University Open Online Courses Alliance of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area / Vice-Chancellor of Jinan University, gave a keynote presentation entitled ‘Thinking on the New Ecological Innovation of Higher Education in the Post-epidemic Era.’ He stressed that universities and colleges should take educational informatisation as the endogenous force for a systemic reform of higher education, and strengthen aspects such as environment construction, resource construction, model innovation, ability cultivation, organization and management mechanism.

In his keynote presentation ‘Online Teaching: From Contingency Plan to Normal Development’, Prof. Hua Sun, Director of Center for Excellent Teaching and Learning, Peking University, stressed that universities and colleges must support teachers in delivering online education to ensure the success of online teaching and learning and foster a sustainable development of online education.

Prof. Wai-yin Poon, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, gave a keynote presentation entitled ‘Strategies on Online Teaching: From COVID-19 to the New Normal’. Prof. Poon observed that universities thatformulated strategic plans, delivered MOOCs and developed blended–learning approaches to teaching would be in a strong position to provide quality education and enhance student learning experiences.

Mr. Shuaiguo Wang, President of XuetangX, gave a keynote presentation entitled ‘The Digital Transformation of Higher Education in the Epidemic and Post-epidemic Era: The Application of XuetangX’. Mr. Wang stated that the pandemic hadmade online education an imperative rather than an option. In addition, he surmised that technological innovations such as Rain Classroom had been a catalyst to the digital transformation of education and that the use of these innovations provided vital lessons for online educators.

Online concurrent sessions featured over 20 presentations on discipline-specific pedagogy, online teaching and learning, pedagogical innovation, assessment, education technology, active/collaborative learning, learning experience, support for instructors, and support for students. A complete listing of all concurrent sessions and most of the presenters’ slides canbe retrieved here.

Prof. Katrine Wong, Director of the Centre of Teaching and Learning Enhancement at UM and chair of the organising committee, concluded the first day of the Symposium. She said that the programme ‘has enabled different stakeholders, from students to leaders of universities and e-learning platforms, to have a chance to discuss what could be learnt from this sudden migration online and what could be adapted for future teaching and learning.’

The second day of the event provided a spotlight on educational practices in Macao. A stimulating panel of leaders focused on what higher education institutions in Macao had learnt from having had to cope with and respond to the pandemic. The panel discussion was moderated by Prof. Chuang Wang, Dean of the Faculty of Education of UM; panelists included Prof. Rico Lam (Registrar, UM), Prof. Shuying Sean Li (Pro-Rector and Dean of Faculty of Education,City University of Macau), the Reverend Stephen Morgan (Rector, University of Saint Joseph), Prof. Jianrong Sun(Associate Rector and Dean of University International College, Macau University of Science and Technology) and Dr.Fanny Vong (President, Macao Institute for Tourism Studies). They shared different challenges and opportunities that emerged during the shift to online learning environments. Panellists also discussed issues related to supporting online teaching and how teachers and students responded to the transformation of teaching practices. Panelists also shared how their institutes responded to the evolving needs of learners who were off campus and online.

A showcase on Blended Learning at UM, moderated by Prof. Katrine Wong, brought together Prof. Raymond Cheng (FST), Prof. Javier Cuervo (FBA), Prof. Letty Kwan (FSS) and Prof. Garry Wong (FHS), who shared their experiences in instructional video production, curriculum reconstruction and teaching activity design.

In her closing remarks, Prof. Katrine Wong reiterated that higher education cannot and should not be the same as pre-pandemic times and stressed that all key players in the ecology of teaching and learning, namely, students, teachers and administrators alike, would need to embrace both online and offline modes and forms of education.

Launched in 2014, GCMS aims to enhance mutual collaboration, improve MOOC research and application in the Greater China region, and promote the innovation of MOOC in teaching and learning. The GCMS2021 organising committee wishes to thank the GCMS committee for entrusting us with this impactful event, and XuetangX for making the live broadcast of this event possible.

  • Video Playback of GCMS2021:

Opening and first part of Keynotes: https://bit.ly/3gLdNJ8

Second part of Keynotes: https://bit.ly/3gK8YQ3

Forum and Showcase: https://bit.ly/3kzbn15

  • des of all keynote speakers, concurrent session speakers and forum panelists:

View and Download here

  • Photos of GCMS2021

View and Download here

為進一步推動慕課的教育教學創新，澳門大學教與學優化中心與慕課平台學堂在線承辦“第七屆大中華區MOOC研討會”，吸引約150位來自北京、上海、西安以及粵港澳大灣區知名高校的專家學者參與，圍繞大會主題“新冠肺炎下在線教育的機遇與挑戰” 一連兩天透過線上會議進行學術對話和交流，線上直播累計近1800人次觀看。

澳大校長宋永華致開幕辭表示，在過去的15個多月以來，高等教育界在疫情衝擊下經歷了前所未有的挑戰；疫情下要維持教學同時確保一定的教學質量，各持份者都必須作出適度的調整。澳大以不同的創新教學方式應對學生在不同時期的學習需要，也在多層面提高教師的積極性和創造性。他指出，是次研討會為關注慕課教育發展的高校代表、專家學者提供了一個極佳的平台，向與會者分享在應對疫情上實行在線教學的智慧、創意與實踐。

在是次跨文化、跨學科的研討會上，與會高校的資深學者及專家回顧、分享及展示他們在疫情下如何快速反應、靈活調整及創新教學。會上，4位來自北京大學、香港中文大學、暨南大學及學堂在線的主講嘉賓以疫情下的教學為題，從不同方面分享了他們所屬單位的思考、策略和實踐方式。在分組報告環節上，超過20位學者發表了主題演講，題目涵蓋線上教學、混合教學、教學設計、慕課構建、學習體驗等。

另外，研討會更以“在線教育從COVID-19危機中的覺悟”為題進行線上討論，來自澳門不同高校代表探討在疫情期間從教室教學走向在線教學的不同挑戰，並交流各自在線教學的方式。另外，研討會更以“在線教育從COVID-19危機中的覺悟”為題進行線上討論，來自澳門不同高校代表探討在疫情期間從教室教學走向在線教學的不同挑戰，並交流各自在線教學的方式。還有澳大教師在混合式課程成果展上分享他們對製作教學影片、課程重構、教學活動設計等課題的心得和經驗。

“大中華區MOOC研討會＂2014年成立，旨在增強高校相互合作關係、提高MOOC （MOOC 即慕課，指“大規模線上開放課程”）研究和應用水準、推動慕課的教育教學創新，至今已成為年度學術界的交流盛事。是次與會的專家學者分別來自北京大學、上海交通大學、西安交通大學、暨南大學、香港大學、香港中文大學、香港理工大學、澳門科技大學、澳門城市大學、聖若瑟大學、澳門旅遊學院和澳門大學。

粵港澳大灣區高校在線開放課程聯盟理事長及暨南大學副校長張榮華、北京大學教師教學發展中心主任孫華、香港中文大學副校長潘偉賢、學堂在線總裁王帥國、澳門科技大學協理副校長兼國際學院院長孫建榮、澳門城市大學協理副校長及教育學院院長李樹英、聖若瑟大學校長麥侍文、澳門旅遊學院院長黃竹君、澳門大學教務長林朗為、澳門大學教育學院院長王闖及澳門大學教與學優化中心主任王嘉祺等出席了本次活動。