About the Institute
The Online Confucius Institute at The Open University (OU) was established through a partnership between Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) and The Open University (UK), formally inaugurated on May 13, 2022. It is the world’s first fully online Confucius Institute.
The Institute is based in Milton Keynes, a planned city in England widely recognized as a model “forest city.” The Open University, founded in 1969 and headquartered in Milton Keynes, is the world’s first public research university to successfully deliver distance education at scale—often described as “one of the great innovations in British educational history.” The Institute’s team of eight staff members oversees course development, teaching, and outreach. By the end of 2025, cumulative enrollment across credit-bearing, non-credit, and taster courses had exceeded 5,000.
Programs and Activities
Chinese Language Teaching & Examinations
All instruction is delivered online. Local teachers, overseas volunteers, and distance tutors provide weekly course support via Microsoft Teams, discussion boards, forums, and email. A free Chinese taster course is available on the OU platform to lower the barrier to entry.
The completed Introductory Chinese module and the forthcoming Intermediate Chinese module are rich in multimedia content and extended learning resources, facilitating independent study. Course content extends beyond cultural topics to include business, technology, and law, reflecting an emerging Chinese + approach. From 2026, the Institute offers free weekly online HSK preparation sessions for enrolled students.
Faculty Development & Academic Research
The Institute places strong emphasis on professional development. Since 2024, it has co-organized an annual international Chinese language teaching training program with the Confucius Institute at Lancaster University, covering a range of contemporary themes. On the research front, the Institute supports the academic activities of the Virtual Exchange China Centre and in 2025 launched a new research project on generative AI applications in Chinese language teaching.
Cultural Programs
The Institute hosts multiple online cultural and academic lectures each year, covering topics such as the history of Chinese diaspora communities, artifacts from the Old Summer Palace, mythical creatures in Shanhaijing (Classic of Mountains and Seas), Dunhuang manuscripts, qigong, and cross-cultural communication. Guest speakers have included scholars Huang Yuguo, Professor Wang Chuan, and Dr. Frances Wood, drawing thousands of attendees.
Cultural outreach also includes online Baduanjin sessions (a classical eight-movement qigong exercise), an online reading club, Chinese cultural experience days at local primary schools, traditional festival celebrations, participation in the “Chinese Bridge” summer camp, and the CI Moment global short video competition.
Signature Initiatives
The Institute’s defining model is the application of The Open University’s expertise in open and distance education to Chinese language learning—offering flexible, accessible programs to learners of diverse backgrounds regardless of location.
Key achievements in curriculum development include the accreditation and launch of the Introductory Chinese module in October 2024, with Intermediate Chinese nearing completion. Both modules have been formally integrated into two higher education certificate programs: Business Management & Languages and Law & Languages. In addition, the Institute offers seven non-credit short courses and five free taster courses on the OpenLearn platform, with cumulative enrollment exceeding 2,000—creating a coherent pathway from introductory engagement to structured study.
The Institute reaches its audience through the OU’s digital teaching platform, its own website, WeChat Official Account, Eventbrite, academic and teaching networks, and mailing lists.
Looking Ahead
The Institute will continue to develop its online learning platform and deepen partnerships with schools and community organizations in Milton Keynes and beyond. Priorities include expanding the credit-bearing Chinese curriculum, strengthening HSK preparation services, and broadening the Institute’s research agenda in technology-enhanced language teaching.
Contact
UK Director: KAN Qian
Chinese Director: XU Xin
Email: Online-CI@open.ac.uk
Website: https://confucius-institute.open.ac.uk/
Phone: +44 (0)1908 858874
Address: Walton Hall, The Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA
