STORY: Int'l conference held in London to explore role of AI in shaping future of higher education
SHOOTING TIME: Dec. 12, 2024
DATELINE: Dec. 13, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:59
LOCATION: London
CATEGORY: TECHNOLOGY/EDUCATION

SHOTLIST:
1. STANDUP (English): ZHANG BONING, Xinhua correspondent
2. various of the speeches
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): STEFANIA GIANNINI, UNESCO's assistant director-general for education
4. various of the speeches
5. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): XU KUN, President of Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications
6. various of the conference

STORYLINE:

STANDUP (English): ZHANG BONING, Xinhua correspondent
"An international conference on online education and massive open online courses, or MOOCs, kicked off in London on Thursday. The event has brought together educational professionals from across the world to discuss and explore the future of digital transformation in higher education."

The 2024 Global MOOC and Online Education Conference (GMC), themed "Reimagining the Future of Higher Education in the Intelligence Era," focuses on the opportunities and challenges brought by rapid digital advancements and the emergence of generative AI.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): STEFANIA GIANNINI, UNESCO's assistant director-general for education
"As you all know, MOOCs have expanded dramatically access to higher education on a global scale in recent years. This conference, I'm sure, is a unique opportunity to reflect on how MOOCs and online education can continue to transform higher education alongside the digital transformation, AI-driven, which is offering, for sure, new unexpected opportunities, from expanded access to personalized learning, while raising equally awareness about equity, about ethics and fairness."

During the two-day event, educators, experts and policymakers from over 130 universities, online education platforms, international organizations and government agencies across more than 20 countries and regions are expected to share their insights both online and offline.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): XU KUN, President of Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications
"Artificial intelligence has brought transformative challenges to higher education, particularly reshaping our traditional teaching modes and students' learning approaches. I believe that through exchanges and cooperation among different countries, we can jointly promote the development of AI-empowered higher education and are excited about the prospects."

This year's GMC saw the publication of two reports on the digital development of global higher education, highlighting how AI is accelerating the onset of a new era in smart education.

During the event, a demonstration of smart education showcased a scenario of a future computational biology class using AI, digital twin and virtual reality (VR) technologies. Other projects from global universities were also presented to highlight the achievements and potential of AI in educational practices.

Co-organized by the Global MOOC and Online Education Alliance and the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education, this year's GMC marks its fifth edition. It is co-hosted by Queen Mary University of London, Tsinghua University and Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from London.
(XHTV)