Queen Mary University of London recently co-hosted the 2024 annual Global MOOC & Online Education Conference (GMC) in partnership with Tsinghua University and Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, with whom Queen Mary has 20-year pioneering partnership.
The conference is organised by the Global MOOC and Online Education Alliance and UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education.
The two-day event, which involved over 80 speakers and over 300 delegates, saw global leaders in education come together to discuss the role technology – and in particular artificial intelligence (AI) – plays in higher education, now and in the future.
The conference was officially opened by:
Beyond the opening ceremony, the conference featured insightful panel discussions and inspiring presentations from academics from the UK, China and Europe, exciting poster presentations from Queen Mary students about how technology is supporting their education, and a showcase from the Chinese Higher Education Press, demonstrating how AI can be used easily and effectively in a university lecture or workshop.
Within the conference, Queen Mary was proud to host the China-UK Universities roundtable, which was led by Chinese Ambassador to London Zheng Zeguang, Chinese Vice Minister of Education Wu Yan and the Rt Hon Baroness Jacqui Smith. Over 100 delegates representing 24 renowned universities and educational institutions from the UK and China attended the event, which involved the launch of the UK Young Envoys Scholarship Programme. The programme aims to increase the number of young people from Europe taking part in exchange programmes with China in order to enhance mutual understanding and friendship between Chinese and European youth.
On day two of the conference, Queen Mary announced the launch of an ambitious new Centre for Excellence in AI in education. Based in the Queen Mary Academy, the Centre will provide University staff with resources and professional development to help them deliver impactful teaching with AI and digital literacy at its core and will mean students leave university equipped with leading AI skills employers’ desire.
Professor Colin Bailey CBE, President and Principal of Queen Mary University said:
"It’s clear that AI and technology more broadly will play an ever-increasingly important role in higher education, both for students and staff. Conferences like the GMC are important as they provide the opportunity for those in higher education to come together, listen to and learn from each other and ultimately, work together to integrate technology into pedagogy.
"I am incredibly proud that Queen Mary University was chosen as the venue for the conference, as it demonstrates and recognises our strengths in AI and digital education and our commitment to providing our students with an outstanding educational experience. I would also like to thank everyone involved, especially our partners and colleagues in China and the Department of Education."
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