About Us

　　Throughout the world, open universities are a major force for the massification and popularisation of higher education. They play an irreplaceable role in achieving the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”. In China, with the continuous progress of the country’s goal of building a high-quality educational system and the strategic goal of becoming a leading country in the field of education, educational institutions at all levels have made “high-quality development” their goal in the new era, and this includes the Open University of China (OUC). At the same time, the digital transformation of education, the vigorous development of MOOCs, and the participation of many conventional universities and enterprises in open and distance education have not only brought great opportunities but also posed severe challenges to open universities worldwide. How to achieve high quality development has become a common problem facing open universities all over the world.

　　In this context, the OUC has launched a special research project on “Development Indicators for World Open Universities” based on existing research and practices, since 2022. The research targets data collection and construction for the development indicators with the aim of providing a reference for decision-making and guidance based on solid data and empirical analysis for the OUC and open universities around the world to pursue high-quality development and sustainable development. To date, the OUC research team has initially established the development indicators for world open universities, collected index data of nearly 20 open universities worldwide, and built a website for “Development Indicators for World Open Universities”.

　　Invited by the founding members, any open university or any organization/institution dedicated to open education all over the world could apply voluntarily for joining the network of the DIWOU. Members are obliged to make contributions to the construction of the DIWOU and share resources within the network. The current founding members are: Open University of China, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Open University of Madrid (abbreviated as UDIMA in Spanish), National Institute for Digital Learning of Dublin City University, and Open University Malaysia.

　　We are committed to working together to develop and share the database of Development Indicators for World Open Universities through international dialogue and cooperation, to do evidence-based research, to encourage global open universities to accommodate, reshape, and change during the process of education digitalisation, and to promote the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4). Let’s join hands in creating an even better future for open education around the world!