The institution where the author works is quite unique; the municipal open university is managed by a provincial undergraduate institution, and it operates in conjunction with the continuing education college of the undergraduate institution. It undertakes the educational type and functions of an open university through the operational structure and model of a higher education institution, which we refer to as an embedded university or a managed open university. Open education is a segment or function of continuing education in higher education. On one hand, this model makes it possible for universities to deeply engage in social education; on the other hand, it can easily weaken or marginalize the functions of the open university. When universities take on the social education functions of open universities, they often feel confused due to unclear positioning.
This is a整理 of the author’s speech at a seminar.
Answering what social education in embedded universities is actually involves addressing three questions: What is the role of social education in embedded universities? Why is it necessary? How should it be implemented?
These three questions are discussed from the perspective of the operational essence of embedded universities—higher education institutions.
1. The First Question: What is the Role?
We need to clarify legally why an undergraduate institution should engage in social education. The logical starting point for our social education efforts is the leadership responsibility assigned to open universities by the party committee and government. In 2016, the “1+6” reform of open universities was initiated, and in the same year, nine national departments issued opinions to accelerate community education. The guiding document titled “Opinions from the Ministry of Education and Nine Other Departments on Further Promoting Community Education Development” clearly states that open universities should take the lead in developing social education. Subsequently, in 2017, the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education and 11 other departments issued a document that explicitly required the open university system to assume leadership responsibilities for community education, leading to the later establishment of the Jiangsu Open University system through the construction of a “five-level community education network system” and the “5N” education model.
The leadership function assigned to open universities by the party committee and government is the logical starting point for our social education efforts and the legal basis for establishing a social education service guidance center. Of course, undergraduate institutions can also engage in social education, but it is optional. However, open universities must engage in it and lead the way, as this is the function assigned to them by the party committee and government.
2. The Second Question: Why is it Necessary?
This addresses the grounding and starting point for social education. From a policy perspective, higher continuing education has been redefined. After the release of the outline for building a strong educational nation, the “ubiquitous and accessible lifelong education system” has replaced continuing education, and the lifelong education system is defined as the underlying operating system for a strong educational nation. It requires continuing education to **actively undertake responsibilities that other types of education cannot fulfill, both “vertically extending” and “horizontally covering,** whether in degree education or non-degree education. Internally, we need a good continuing education ecosystem, and externally, we need a platform that can connect with the ultimate audience. Systematic education is the most important characteristic of social education. The systematic approach to social education is what attracts ordinary higher continuing education.
**What is the most valuable asset of open education embedded universities?** Firstly, they are backed by undergraduate institutions, having the support of the undergraduate institution as their foundation; secondly, there is the system itself, where we are part of the national open education system, and we lead 146 community education centers across the city. **Therefore, the natural grounding and starting point for social education in embedded universities is: how** to leverage the advantages of systematic education in social education to serve the essence of higher education institutions.
3. The Third Question: How Should It Be Implemented?
From the perspective of continuing education, it is essential to correctly understand the relationship between social education and other types of continuing education. This is not an academic definition: social education is not a type of continuing education, unlike degree education, which is represented by graduating classes; or non-degree education, which is represented by various training courses. Social education is a platform that bridges degree education and non-degree education. Social education is an educational model. We must approach social education systematically from the perspective of building platforms and ecosystems.
4. Our Basic Judgments on Social Education
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Social education can, should, and must be done.
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The starting point of social education is to empower our foundational institution.
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The direction of social education is systematic education; the platform and ecosystem of social education constitute social education itself.
5. Building Ecosystems and Platforms
Therefore, everything we have done in recent years revolves around the system, platform, and ecosystem of social education. Upwards, we need to actively integrate into the provincial open social education system, into the entire provincial social education system, and into the national open university education system. Here, we must effectively utilize the policy tools provided by the system.
Within the city, we aim to be the leader in social education, fulfilling the leadership responsibilities assigned to us by the provincial party committee and government. **We must build a good ecosystem for social education within the city.** This year, our most important task is to connect all 146 community education centers in the city. It sounds simple, but there are many preliminary issues involved: for example, why should community education centers listen to you? You need to have something to offer. Where does what you have come from? Authorization from the education administration department. Then the question arises, why would the education administration department grant you authorization? What justifies granting you authorization? How will you receive authorization?