Abstract: open university is the product of practicing the concept of open education and the concept of contemporary university. Under the background of the new era, China’s open universities are facing the mission and challenge of becoming “world-class”. Only by clarifying the characteristic indicators of the world-class open university can we provide practical guidance for their construction. Five theoretical perspectives of the connotation, including comparison, excellence, supplement, construction and synthesis, as well as the original mission and objectives of the construction of the open university, provide theoretical and practical support for the construction of characteristic indicators of the world-class open university. In order to verify the rationality of the characteristic indicators of the world-class open university, Delphi method is used to confirm it through two rounds of expert investigation. The final characteristic indicators system includes five first-class indicators such as openness, quality, technical support, scientific research and management, value and impact, as well as 11 second-class indicators and 25 third-class indicators. Relying on this indicators system, the portrait description of the core logic, connotation characteristics and era characteristics of the world-class open university can reveal the new “iron triangle” relationship built by openness, quality and technology support, which helps to reshape the connotation characteristics of the world-class open university and grasp the main characteristics and rational changes of the open university in different periods from the historical dimension. In order to build a world-class open university, we need to focus on lifelong education, online university, curriculum productization, service optimization, governance modernization and so on.

Abstract: In the process of the establishment and development of open universities all over the world, the policies and regulations play a decisive role, which not only provide theoretical basis and action guide for the establishment and development of open universities, but also determine their development direction and success or failure. Through the comparative study of the policies and regulations in relation to open universities of the UK, the US, Japan and China, it can be found that under the restriction and influence of the policies and regulations, the open universities in the four countries have different characteristics in terms of construction mode, legal status, educational autonomy and degree granting right, and show different development trends. This paper puts forward some policy suggestions, such as perfecting the superior legal system needed for the development of open universities in China, formulating special laws to ensure the status and autonomy of open universities, increasing policy support, and ensuring the source of funds for open universities.

Abstract: The wide application of Internet technology, the vigorous development of OER and MOOCs, and ordinary colleges and universities and enterprises swarming in the online education, have brought great opportunities and serious challenges to open universities all over the world． It has become a common issue facing by open universities about how to deal with the reform of higher education and realize sustainable development． Based on the analysis of the basic information of the open universities in four European countries (namely, Britain, Spain, Germany and Portugal) and their current situation, this paper summarizes the important thoughts and views of the presidents of the four open universities on the reform of higher education and the sustainable development of open universities, including the transformation trends of higher education, MOOCs and its future development, competition and cooperation in distance higher education, etc.． It also analyzes the development strategies of the four open universities including the problems and challenges faced by them respectively and their strategies and future visions in response, the sustainable development and internationalization, and the views on the true or the false of open universities, in order to bring some enlightenments to open universities in China in the process of their development and decision making．

Abstract:  Since the establishment of the Open University UK in 1969, open universities worldwide have been running for half a century. Of course, there are also several institutions that claim to be open universities, such as the University of London External Examination System established in 1858, and the University of South Africa after 1948 (combined with distance education). However, the recognized open university that adopts distance education as a single mode has a history of about 50 years.