The 2025 Global MOOC and Online Education Conference, themed "Breaking Boundaries and Reshaping Futures: Open and Intelligent Global Education," was held at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) from December 2 to 4, local time. The opening ceremony was attended by Li Luming, president of Tsinghua University and chair of the board of the Global MOOC and Online Education Alliance; Patricia D¨¢vila Aranda, general secretary of National Autonomous University of Mexico; and Asha Kanwar, chair of the UNESCO IITE Governing Board. Stefania Giannini, UNESCO assistant director-general for education, delivered a video address to the conference.
The meeting brought together 180 participants from 76 leading institutions, including Tsinghua University, Peking University, Cornell University, and the University of Auckland, among others. These representatives hailed from renowned universities, online education platforms, international organizations, and government agencies across 34 countries and regions worldwide. Li Luming extended a warm welcome and thanked distinguished guests in attendance. He reviewed the Alliance's work over the past year across four key areas: Quality, Equity, Community, and Wisdom, and announced the official inclusion of Vietnam National University, Hanoi, and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, as new members of the Global MOOC and Online Education Alliance. In his keynote address titled "Dissolving Boundaries: Educational Innovation for a Future Learning Ecosystem," he provided an in-depth analysis of the practical pathways for universities in the AI era to break down disciplinary barriers, overcome temporal and spatial constraints, and redefine institutional roles. He introduced Tsinghua University¡¯s explorations in building an "AI-native" educational model and advancing the transformation of educational paradigms. Furthermore, he called upon universities worldwide to join forces in leveraging intelligent technologies to transcend the boundaries of time, space, disciplines, and traditional teacher-student roles, thereby collaboratively shaping a more inclusive and resilient future learning ecosystem.
The 2025 Global MOOC and Online Education Conference, held at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) from Dec 2 to 4, local time.
Giannini highly commended the Global MOOC and Online Education Alliance for its contributions to promoting equity and inclusive development in global education. She called upon the international community to strengthen cooperation to ensure that the outcomes of educational transformation benefit every learner.
D¨¢vila expressed her hope that universities worldwide would seize the opportunity presented by this conference to work together in building a more inclusive, intelligent, and human-centered educational ecosystem.
Infinite Possibilities: Report on the Digital Development of Global Higher Education (2025) and The Digital Development Index of Global Higher Education (2025) are released.
Li Luming, D¨¢vila, Kanwar, and Anabel de la Rosa G¨®mez, Anabel de la Rosa G¨®mez, coordinator of coordination of Open University and digital education of National Autonomous University of Mexico, jointly released the Infinite Possibilities: Report on the Digital Development of Global Higher Education (2025) and The Digital Development Index of Global Higher Education (2025).
The Alliance releases the Mexico City Declaration.
The conference also featured the release of the Mexico City Declaration and proposed the new concept of "Intelligent MOOCs" for the first time globally. In addition, it debuted a series of Intelligent MOOCs, including Tsinghua University¡¯s Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics.
The event featured four plenary sessions, a Special Global Workshop titled ¡°AI for Futures,¡± and a dedicated Intelligent Higher Education Exhibition, showcasing innovative AI-empowered teaching outcomes across multiple dimensions.
Members of the Global MOOC and Online Education Alliance Board Meeting gather for a group photo.
The Board Meeting of the Global MOOC and Online Education Alliance was held concurrently. Peng Gang, vice president and provost of Tsinghua University and chair of Executive Committee of the Global MOOC and Online Education Alliance, attended the meeting and delivered a speech. During the meeting, the Board approved the resolution confirming Vietnam National University, Hanoi, as the host of the 2026 Global MOOC and Online Education Conference.
Related Links:
Infinite Possibilities: Report on the Digital Development of Global Higher Education (2025): Drawing on the expertise and insights of over a hundred global experts and scholars, this report was compiled over six months. It systematically outlines a strategic blueprint for the global transition of higher education from "digital adaptation" to "intelligent advancement."
The Digital Development Index of Global Higher Education (2025): This year's index introduces new AI-specific indicators, such as access to educational large language models and AI ethics governance. It provides a multidimensional analysis of the digital development trends in education across 101 countries, offering more comprehensive and precise data and guidance to support the creation of an open, inclusive, and equitable new educational ecosystem in the intelligent era.
Mexico City Declaration: This declaration stands as another landmark achievement for global higher education following the 2020 Beijing Declaration on MOOC Development. Focusing on the trends of higher education transformation in the AI era and upholding five core principles¡ª"Promote Inclusive and Equitable Access, Uphold Student-Centered Development, Prioritize Quality and Excellence, Strengthen Ethical and Responsible Use of Technology, and Enhance Exchange and Collaboration"¡ªit advocates for the implementation of five specific actions to jointly build a smart education community.
Intelligent MOOCs, as a new model defines a novel course paradigm that utilizes intelligent technologies to reshape the entire process of "teaching, learning, management, and assessment," providing a Chinese approach to promoting large-scale personalized education.
Editor£ºLi Han
