How can universities help build a learning society in the AI era?
International experts explore the way forward as East China Normal University Hosts the 14th Shanghai Forum on Lifelong Education
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The 14th Shanghai Forum on Lifelong Education opens at East China Normal University.
view moreCredit: East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
Artificial intelligence is transforming how knowledge is produced, shared, and acquired. At the same time, the push to build a learning society is creating new demands for lifelong learning opportunities and promoting universities to rethink their role in serving society. How can universities draw on international experience while staying grounded in Chinese practice? And how can they give full play to their resources and expertise to support learning throughout life?
These questions took center stage at the 14th Shanghai Forum on Lifelong Education, which opened at East China Normal University on October 21. The event brought together renowned scholars and experts from China, the Republic of Korea, Kazakhstan, Austria, the United States and international organizations to explore how universities can contribute to building a learning society in the intelligent era.
Through keynote presentations, thematic sessions, and roundtable discussions, the forum highlighted cutting-edge ideas, practical experience, and innovative approaches from universities in China and abroad. More than 200 participants attended in person, representing universities, research institutes, primary and secondary schools, community (senior) education institutions, hospitals, businesses, and other organizations. The event's livestream attracted more than7,000 views.
The opening ceremony featured remarks by Wang Qinghua, Member of the Standing Committee of the University Council at East China Normal University, and Ye Linlin, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission. Li Jiacheng, Executive Vice President of the Shanghai Municipal Institute for Lifelong Education, hosted the ceremony.
In his speech, Wang Qinghua noted that advances in artificial intelligence are profoundly changing how people create, share, and acquire knowledge. He called on universities to expand their role beyond educating students at particular stages of life and become institutions that support lifelong learning for all. Wang emphasized that East China Normal University has long regarded lifelong learning for all as a core part of its mission. Through the Shanghai Municipal Institute for Lifelong Education, the university has supported the development of community and senior education and in Shanghai and across China. It has also worked to establish lifelong education as an academic discipline and explored ways to connect lifelong education more closely with industrial development. These efforts reflect a broader shift in the university's role, from providing education at specific stages of life to supporting learning throughout the life course.
Wang also highlighted both the opportunities and challenges that emerging technologies present for lifelong learning, including the digital divide and concerns over algorithmic irregularities. He urged universities to reach beyond campus boundaries, open up high-quality educational resources, strengthen collaboration with lifelong education institutions, and develop sound evaluation systems. He also stressed the importance of drawing lessons from international comparisons while constructing an independent Chinese knowledge system for lifelong education.
He expressed hope that the forum would foster deeper cooperation among universities, research institutions, and international organizations, both in China and abroad, contributing to China's goal of becoming of a leading country in education and advancing the building of a learning society.
Ye Linlin, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, observed that the intelligent era is expanding the boundaries of university education—not only in terms of when and where learning takes place, but also in whom universities serve and the responsibilities they assume. He encouraged universities to take a more active role in building a learning society.
Ye outlined Shanghai's ongoing comprehensive reforms in higher education, which emphasize service, institutional contribution, and policies tailored to individual universities. He called on more universities to make lifelong learning an integral part of their development strategies and to become learning organizations that continually adapt and innovate. He also encouraged universities to share more of their high-quality resources and strengthen connections among degree programs, continuing education, and community learning.
Looking beyond Shanghai, Ye expressed the city's willingness to deepen cooperation with learning cities and universities worldwide through platforms such as the Shanghai Forum on Lifelong Education. Potential areas for joint research include support for adult learners, applications of intelligent technologies, recognition of learning outcomes, and learning city governance. By combining international experience with Chinese practice, he said, universities can turn their strengths in knowledge and talent into broader social benefits and help create a future in which lifelong education is more accessible, higher in quality, and more responsive to people's needs.
The keynote session brought together scholars from China, the Republic of Korea, Kazakhstan, the United States, Austria, and other countries to share different approaches to strengthening universities' contributions to a learning society. Presentations addressed a wide range of issues, including senior education at Chinese universities, the building of universities dedicated to lifelong education, the changing role of universities in a learning society, and flexible learning pathways and credit recognition.
International speakers also shared experiences from their respective countries. Topics included lifelong education programs at Korean universities, the use of digital and intelligent technologies to support lifelong foreign language learning in Kazakhstan, a framework for critical AI literacy across American society, and Austria's lifelong education system and distinctive practices. Together, the presentations showcased how universities in different countries and regions draw on their educational resources to expand lifelong learning opportunities. They also raised broader questions about the public responsibilities of universities as intelligent technologies continue to develop, offering insights that could inform future practices in China and beyond.
The forum marked an important step in universities' efforts to contribute more actively to building a learning society and exploring innovative approaches to lifelong education in the intelligent era. By bringing international perspectives into dialogue with experiences from China, it highlighted diverse ways universities can expand lifelong learning opportunities and make high-quality educational resources more widely accessible. The discussions also offered fresh perspectives on how universities can adapt their roles and fulfill their public responsibilities, contributing to efforts to support lifelong learning for all and build a more inclusive learning society.
Contributed by: Shanghai Municipal Institute for Lifelong Education
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