11月21日上午，上海外国语大学与英国慕课（MOOC）平台FutureLearn合作共建签约仪式在上海外国语大学举行，上海外国语大学校长曹德明与FutureLearn行政总裁西蒙·尼尔森（Simon Nelson）代表双方签约。上外副校长冯庆华、英国文化委员会（British Council）文化教育领事Matt Burney、FutureLearn国际事务专员Neil Blakeman等出席签约仪式。
根据协议，上海外国语大学将借助FutureLearn优质的在线平台，推出大规模在线开放课程(MOOCs)，为来自世界各地的学习者提供参与多样化课程的机会。上海外国语大学成为FutureLearn在大中华区开展合作的第3所高校。
曹德明表示，“上海外国语大学很高兴加入FutureLearn平台。我们期待发挥我们在语言和多文化研究领域的优势，将更加优质的课程提供给世界各地的学习者，为全球的学习者提供一个感受中国文化、中国语言、东方思想和智慧的更好的渠道，也让中国学生有机会获取全球多样化的学习资源。这种合作关系将进一步深化中国文化和世界文化之间的沟通与交流，同时也有利于该平台学习资源全球化。”
西蒙·尼尔森说：“我十分欢迎上海外国语大学成为FutureLearn的合作伙伴，这不仅有利于中国学生和世界的联系，也将为我们的学习社区带来语言、文化、文学教育上的创新。我希望FutureLearn可以作为一个渠道，将上海外国语大学的品牌和专业知识带给全球的学习者”。
FutureLearn由著名远程教育大学英国公开大学投资，英国12所大学联合发起，是英国第一个提供免费、高质量的大规模在线开放课程（MOOCs）的服务平台。该平台于2013年9月上线后在全球高等教育界范围内迅速发展，目前已有近75万学生，覆盖190多个国家和地区。
今年6月，国务院总理李克强访英并签署一系列中英合作协议，其中包括了复旦大学、上海交通大学与英国FutureLearn公司建立合作伙伴关系。（新闻传播学院）
Press Release
Shanghai International Studies University joins FutureLearn to forge global partnership in MOOCs
utureLearn, the UK-based social learning platform, has today partnered with Shanghai International Studies University (SISU), a global centre of excellence in foreign language teaching.
SISU becomes the latest leading Chinese university to join the social learning platform, with the aim of creating high quality educational experiences for FutureLearn’s worldwide community of learners through massive open online courses (MOOCs). SISU joins the growing number of prestigious higher and specialist education institutions offering free online courses on futurelearn.com, together with world-renowned cultural bodies like the British Council, British Library and British Museum.
A signing ceremony to seal the partnership took place in Shanghai this morning (Friday 21st November), attended by Professor Cao Deming, President of SISU and Simon Nelson, Chief Executive of FutureLearn.
Speaking of the new partnership, President Cao said, “SISU is glad to join the FutureLearn community. Drawing on our strengths in multilingual and multicultural studies, SISU looks forward to bringing our high-quality courses to learners around the world. This partnership will provide worldwide learners with easier access to oriental thought and wisdom, as well as enable Chinese students to enjoy the diversity of global learning resources on this online platform. This partnership will serve as a bridge between Chinese and world culture and a positive step towards more international resources for FutureLearn.”
Simon Nelson said: “I am delighted to welcome Shanghai International Studies University to the FutureLearn partnership, not only as a positive step towards creating links between Chinese and international students, but for the innovations in teaching language, culture and literature that SISU will bring to our global community of learners. I am pleased that FutureLearn can act as a conduit to take SISU’s brand and expertise to a worldwide audience.”
President Cao shared SISU’s strategic plan of furthering this partnership, “SISU aims to bring more vitality to the world with competitive young talents, high scientific research level and high-quality online courses.”
In response to President Cao’s ambition, Simon Nelson promised FutureLearn would send more key people to China with assured support for SISU regarding product designing, marketing strategy, staff training and technical revolution.
The signing ceremony was followed by a presentation by Chi Ruobin, who introduced to the important members SISU’s first upcoming online course - Intercultural Communication Theory and Practice. This 10-week course is designed for both Chinese and international students to gain a better understanding of communications in a global context.
The ceremony was ended by a promising prospect outlined by Matt Courtney of British Council. He said a campaign called Generation UK had been undergoing, intended to send more young British to China by 2020. President Cao believed this campaign would surely be a success since SISU’s online courses would definitely make great contributions to attracting British students to China.
SISU joins a growing number of Chinese universities signing up to offer free online courses on FutureLearn. In June this year, Fudan University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University become the first institutions from China to partner with FutureLearn, with agreements signed as part of the China-UK Prime Ministerial summit in London, attended by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and British Prime Minister David Cameron.
FutureLearn is wholly owned by The Open University, a world leader in distance and online learning with more than 44 years of experience. The website went live in September 2013 following the rapid development of MOOCs in the global higher education sector. FutureLearn currently reaches close to 750,000 learners in more than 190 countries and territories around the world, studying more that 1.5 million courses between them.
