Online and Open Education in Shanghai Emergency Response and Innovative Practice During COVID-19 Pandemic
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Online and Open Education in Shanghai Emergency Response and Innovative Practice during COVID-19 Pandemic United Nations UNESCO Institute Educational, Scientific and for Information Technologies Cultural Organization in Education Online and Open Education in Shanghai: Emergency Response and Innovative Practice during COVID-19 Pandemic Published in 2020 by the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education 8 Kedrova St. (Bldg. 3), 117292 Moscow, Russian Federation © UNESCO IITE 2020 This publication is available in Open Access under the Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO (CC-BY-SA 3.0 IGO) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igo/). By using the content of this publication, the users accept to be bound by the terms of use of the UNESCO Open Access Repository (http://en.unes- co.org/open-access/terms-use-ccbysa-en). The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The ideas and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors; they are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization. Cover photo: © Graphic Design (cover) – SOU Online and Open Education in Shanghai: Emergency Response and Innovative Practice during COVID-19 Pandemic June 2020 Institute for Information Technologies in Education, UNESCO Shanghai Open University East China Normal University June,2020 Preface Shanghai is a large metropolis in China with a population of over 24 million, including about 2.2 million students at different levels and millions of learners in informal and formal education institutions. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the city, all schools, universities, and various training and learning centers in Shanghai were forced to close for the first time. The city was like all other cities in China and worldwide, shifting from face-to-face learning to home-based online learning as the only option. As a member of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities and a metropolis with a dramatically developing economy and technology, Shanghai has established an outstanding online and open educational system that covers different levels of education. Nevertheless, the COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented challenges and huge pressure related to the prevention of learning disruption in this large city with substantial differences and diversified demands in education across its urban and suburban districts. This Report aims to document the emergency response and innovative experience accumulated by Shanghai in protecting students' safety and ensuring that learning is undisrupted during this challeng- ing period. The aim is to describe the immediate and systematic actions of the local government, the innovative and inspiring practices of teachers, students, parents and education administrators, and the active and passionate engagement of the public, both learners and learning supporters. The most dynamic parts of this Report are the 18 case study examples collected from the different educational categories of preschool education, primary and secondary education, higher education, vocational education, and technical training, and formal and informal learning for parents, the elderly and the public. It is a tiny part of Shanghai's experience in combating the pandemic. However, these exam- ples reflect the collective yet individualized approach in different situations and for different groups of learners, including rural areas, students with special needs, and psychological issues in the times when classes disrupted. The UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (IITE) drafted the Report in partner- ship with Shanghai Open University (SOU) and East China Normal University (ECNU). It presents an overview and summary of emergency response and actions taken by local government, schools, universities, and public engagement, focusing on different levels of education. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education extrapolated to outline lessons learned and recommendations for enhancing the resilience of education in the future from experts' perspectives. 1 June,2020 As the world is still in the pandemic crisis, we hope that this Report would be helpful to municipal authorities and all other education stakeholders, including administrators, school and university teach- ers, students, parents, and general public, facing similar challenges all over the world. We hope that the innovative experience and lessons learned in Shanghai will promote online and open education when the pandemic is over and contribute to the development of more resilient education systems. On behalf of the UNESCO IITE, I would like to thank the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO and Shanghai Municipal Government for their kind support to the preparation of this Report. Our sincere thanks and appreciation go to the two partner universities, Shanghai Open University (SOU) and East China Normal University (ECNU), for their passionate engagement and excellent contribu- tion. Most parts of this Report have been accomplished by the two teams, the SOU team with leader- ship of Professor Wen Yuan, the President of the University, and the professional team of Professor Xiaoqing Gu at ECNU. We are also very thankful to the teachers, students, school and university lead- ership who have inspired us with their innovative experience and helped us collect first-hand materials for the case studies. Without their contribution, this Report could not have been completed in such a short time. Dr. Tao Zhan, Director UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education June,2020 2 Acknowledgment We would like to thank the following individuals and organizations for their valuable contributions to this publication: Shanghai Open University Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Open Distance Education of Shanghai Open University. East China Normal University Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Digital Education Equipment of East China Normal University. Authors Professor Hong Wang, Professor Jun Xiao, Ms. Mengying Cao, Associate Professor Chen Yang, Professor Songhua Wang, Associate Professor Haihong Peng, Associate Professor Jun Fan, Mr. Yongjin Guo, SOU, China Professor Xiaoqing Gu, Dr. Yanyan Sun, Dr. Hua Du, ECNU, China Dr. Li Yuan, Centre for Educational Technology, Interoperability and Standards (Cetis) / Wolearn, UK Dr. Svetlana Knyazeva, Dr. Natalia Amelina, Mr. Denis Kapelyushnik, UNESCO IITE, Russia. Case Study Material Supporters Introduction section: Zhihui Wei, Xiaojuan Yu, Shanghai Open University Preschool Education Section: Aiming Li, Yiye Ying, Shanghai Open University; Hongmei Mao, Preschool Education Information Department of Shanghai Education Commission Information Center; Yi Xin, Shanghai preschool education network; Tianlei Li, Shanghai Education TV Station; Sujing Zhu, Bing Xu, Yu Zhang, Soong Ching Ling Kindergarten. Basic Education Section: Bin Xu, Education Bureau of Jinshan District; Educational Department of Shanghai Municipal Government; Education Bureau of Zunyi; Jun Shen, Qiangwei Primary School;Ping Jin, Jinshan No. 2 Experimental Primary School; Qin Zhang, Dong Li Feng Mei Kang Jian School; Professor Fei Zan, East China Normal University; Weilan, Wang, Shanghai Xuhui Special Education Guidance Center; Yan Li, Education Bureau of Pudong Discrict; Yonghong He, Education Bureau of Minhang Discrict; Yuanyuan Yao, Shanghai Teacher Training Center at SMEC; Yue Zhu, Qibao High School; Xiaoyan Shi, Yuannan Middle School; Xiaodong Chen, Education Bureau of Xuhui Discrict; Weibin Xu, Ziqun Qi, Zhoupu Yucai School. 3 June,2020 Higher Education Section: NYU Shanghai; Hua Liu, Lingxu Yu, Shanghai Open University; East China Normal University. Vocational Education Section: Lei Meng, Yanyun Zhong, Zhenzhi Zhai, Shanghai Open University. Lifelong Education Section: Haizhen, Ding, Shanghai Changning District Community College; Huanxin Zheng, Zhihua Liang, Hongbin Jia, Shanghai Open University; Min Wang, Shanghai University for the Elderly. Contributor for Translation and Revision: Dr.Stephen Powell, Manchester Metropolitan University, U.K. Last but not least, we would also like to thank the following persons/schools for their contribution in the Report Lamei Wang, Minjun Ji, Shanghai Open University; Yingzi Gu, Huan Wang, Shanghai Experimental Kindergarten; Baoqi Shen, Shanghai Songyin Middle School; Changhong Qiao, Minhang High School of Science and Technology affiliated to ECUST; Chaoqun Huang, You Ai Experimental Middle School affiliated to Minhang Education Institute ; Cuiying Sun, Jinshan Zhujing No. 2 Primary School ; Jibiao Guo, Shanghai Qibao No. 2 Middle School; Ping Teng, Shanghai Gao An Road Primary School; Qian Fang, Shanghai Fushan Foreign Language Primary School; Suhua Peng, Shanghai Luoxing Middle School; Shengchun Wang, Nanyang Middle School; Tao Jin, Shanghai Jianshan Middle School; Xuefeng He, Minhang Experimental Primary School; Yong Chen, Shanghai World Foreign Language Middle School; Zhengmin Wang, Shanghai No.2 Secondary School. June,2020 4 Contents Preface 1 Acknowledgment 3 Chapter 1. Shanghai in Action to Ensure Education Continuity 6 1.1 Policy and strategies to ensure the “Disrupted Classes, Undisrupted Learning” in Shanghai 6 1.2 Responses from different levels of education in Shanghai 10 1.3 Innovative educational