China University MOOC

What China University MOOC is

China University MOOC (中国大学MOOC) is a Chinese-language platform for open online university courses, launched jointly by NetEase (网易) and Higher Education Press (高教社). It is a product for learners. The About page says the platform carries out the Ministry of Education's national quality open course task (承接教育部国家精品开放课程任务) and offers the public MOOC courses from well-known Chinese universities. Its core promise is that "每一个有意愿提升自己的人都可以免费获得更优质的高等教育" (anyone who wants to improve themselves can get a better higher education for free).

The site's own description adds that it was built by the iCourse site (爱课程网) together with NetEase Cloud Classroom (网易云课堂), and that learners "学完还能获得认证证书" (can earn a certificate once they finish). It calls itself a quality Chinese-language MOOC platform with university courses from many 985 universities (众多985高校), as the site puts it.

The platform launched in 2014, and the whole site, from the About page to the help center, is written in Chinese.

Where it came from

The About page sets China University MOOC at the end of a line of Ministry of Education programs for sharing university teaching:

• 2003: the Ministry launched the 国家精品课程 (national quality courses) project, to bring modern information technology into teaching and build a first set of model courses.
• 2012: the 精品视频公开课 (quality open video courses) project followed, focused on general courses that raise cultural literacy and showcasing strong university lecturers.
• 2013: the Ministry began building 国家精品资源共享课 (national quality shared resource courses), upgrading the earlier courses and their teaching experience.
• 2014: China University MOOC went live, with what the page calls a complete online teaching model that supports universities in building open online courses and gives students and the wider public personalized learning.

The page also quotes Ding Lei (丁磊) on why the project was started: "我们做在线教育的目的不是赚钱" (our purpose in doing online education is not to make money). He goes on to say that education resources are unequal between East and West and between cities and the countryside, and that he hoped the internet could break down those barriers so everyone can learn on equal terms.

How courses work

China University MOOC runs courses on a schedule rather than as an open video library. The About page describes the teaching model as "定期开课、简短视频，提交作业，和同学老师交流" (courses opening on a regular schedule, short videos, assignments to hand in, and discussion with classmates and teachers), and adds that whether learners study at home or in a café, they set the pace.

Each course runs much like a campus course. The page explains that a MOOC has an assignment assessment system and examination methods similar to offline courses, that every course opens at regular intervals, and that the learning process has several parts: watching videos, taking part in discussions, handing in assignments, answering questions placed through the course, and a final exam. The help center is organized the same way, with sections for my courses, courseware, quizzes and assignments, exams, the discussion forum, certificates and verified learning (认证学习).

Who makes the courses

The About page includes a short explanation, taken from a course on how to make a MOOC (《教你如何做MOOC》) by a 北大 (Peking University) teacher, of how courses reach the platform. Each university's academic affairs office manages and runs its courses. The university creates a course and names the teacher responsible, and the teacher produces and publishes it. Every teacher must have passed real-name verification on Higher Education Press's iCourse site. Making a new MOOC involves 9 stages, from choosing the topic and designing the knowledge points to filming, recording and editing. Once a course is published, the teacher answers questions in the forum and marks assignments as online tutoring until the course ends and certificates are issued.

For a learner, that means the courses are university courses run by the universities and their own teachers, with the platform supplying the teaching model and the certificate.

Certificates

Certificates get the most attention on the About page, under the heading 广泛认可的证书支持 (widely recognized certificate support). On completing a course, a learner can get a certificate signed by the instructor (讲师签名证书).

The rules are set course by course. Each course has an assessment standard set by its teacher, and when a learner's final score reaches that standard, the learner can apply for a certificate in electronic form (认证证书（电子版）). The page says a certificate means the learner has met the course's learning requirements and that their understanding of the material meets the standard of the university that runs it, and that learners can proudly put the fact that they passed the course on their résumé.

The page then sets out three features:

• Certification (认证): official China University MOOC certification, the instructor's electronic signature, and the university's logo on the certificate.
• Verification (验证): each certificate is bound to the learner's real identity, with the uniqueness of the ID number and name checked, and the certificate number and QR code can be entered to check that it is genuine.
• Recognition (认可): the page says certificates show a learner's ability and level and help with further study, job hunting and career progress. It states that certificates are recognized by job and recruitment channels including 猎聘网 (Liepin), Linkedin (领英) and 周伯通招聘, and that a learner can add a certificate to a résumé on those sites in one click.

These are course certificates. The page presents them as proof that a learner passed a university's course, not as a degree or as university credit.

Cost

The About page defines a MOOC as a mode of online education "任何人都能免费注册使用" (that anyone can register for and use free of charge), and repeats that anyone who wants to improve can get higher education for free. Joining and studying are therefore free. The site also has an after-sales policy page (售后政策) linked from the contact section.

Support and the wider service

Support runs through the help center described above, an FAQ, a feedback form (意见反馈) and a contact page. The footer also links School Cloud (学校云) and the related NetEase Cloud Classroom and 智慧高教 sites. A notice on the home page explains that the platform has updated its user service agreement, privacy policy and rules for protecting children's personal information, that users can view, correct and delete their information, and that it offers a way to close an account.

Who it suits

China University MOOC suits Chinese-speaking learners who want to take real university courses, from well-known Chinese universities and their own teachers, without paying tuition. The scheduled format, with assignments, discussion, quizzes and a final exam, suits learners who like the structure of a semester course and want a teacher marking their work. It also suits job seekers in China who want a verifiable certificate they can attach to a profile on recruitment sites.

It suits fewer people who do not read Chinese, since the site and its help pages are entirely in Chinese. Courses run on a schedule, so a learner who finds an interesting course may need to wait for its next opening. And a certificate, however well verified, records a passed course rather than a degree or credit at the university that teaches it.