To promote JSOU’s research efforts in the humanities and social sciences and to support the development of a digitally intelligent and innovative university, a symposium on the research project, “Indigenous Knowledge System of Lifelong Education in China”, was held on March 6 at Jiangsu Open University. President Ding Rongyu and Vice President Hang Zhuhong attended the meeting. The symposium was chaired by Luo Yin, Dean of the Institute of Educational Science.
President Ding emphasized that the project must be problem-oriented, practice-based, and innovation-driven. He offered four key tips: First, to build an academic discourse system by introducing original concepts such as “modernization of lifelong education” and “the construction of a ubiquitous and accessible learning ecosystem”; second, to begin with high-frequency needs and real-world challenges, conducting analyses of internal demand and strategies for future responses; third, to avoid the pitfalls of forced interdisciplinarity and pseudo-propositions; and fourth, to integrate teams, tools, and empirical researches, promoting the transition from “ideation” to “outcomes”.
Vice President Hang affirmed the significance and academic value of the project. He deconstructed the connotation of lifelong education through a spatiotemporal lens and innovatively proposed expanding the research by considering both internal and external changes in individual needs, reconstructing a three-dimensional model for lifelong education. To support the advancement of the research, he also provided specific guidance on the platform development of a digital lifelong education research center.
During the symposium, scholars belonging to the project team from different departments and schools exchanged their research insights, while invited experts engaged in discussions from multiple dimensions. They shared perspectives on the relationship between technology and lifelong education and on public receptiveness to lifelong learning, providing valuable input for advancing the project.
