XuetangX, the world's first Chinese MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) platform run by Tsinghua University, celebrated its 5th anniversary on Oct 10.

Over 600 university principals, MOOC lecturers and learners, as well as enterprise representatives, congratulate XuetangX on its five years of achievements and exchange ideas on the future of MOOC education.

The main focus of conversation was the application of blended teaching, smart education and online courses. University-enterprise cooperation, online degree programs and the innovative combination of talent cultivation and higher learning were also discussed.

Li Chao, CEO of XuetangX, looks back on XuetangX's milestones over the past five years. MOOCs are in urgent need of upgrades to meet the challenges of the new era, he noted. XuetangX is redefining MOOCs by integrating them with new elements such as education reforms, online degrees and profession skills.

George Siemens, one of the originators and founders of MOOCs, summarizes the history of online courses and the development of MOOC theory. He believes MOOC platforms should strengthen their ties with universities and enterprises while using new technologies to provide a wider array of learning materials.

Jiang Shengyao, deputy president of Tsinghua University, points out that MOOCs have transformed education methodology in Chinese universities and shifted the focus from teachers to students. He hopes Chinese MOOCs can cater to the needs of more learners and help to improve higher education nationwide.

In the forum that followed, Tsinghua University introduced the 3.0 version of Rain Classroom, a mobile app for blended learning, smart classroom management and XuetangX's probes into smart teaching.

Renowned professors and student representatives from China's top universities shared their opinions on the promotion of smart teaching, the sharing and export of Chinese MOOCs and their application in training high-end talents.

The opening ceremony of XuetangX's 5th anniversary celebration

XuetangX signs cooperation agreements with Quora-like Q&A website Zhihu.com and popular online dictionary NetEase Youdao after the anniversary ceremony on Oct 10.