Research on distance education development in China

Distance education is among the significant fields for the application of educational technology. Distance education in China has gone through three phases, namely: correspondence-based education, radio and TV-based education and online education. This paper was based on educational technology application, and the historical, dialectic and developmental perspectives. It analyses the social and technical background, the history of development, pilot practice of e-learning (task, policy, administration, funding, scale, structure, resource construction, teaching modes and services, etc.) and the current impact of scientific research on distance education in China. Finally, it discusses the achievements, issues and trends of distance education through literature analysis, comparative study, deduction and induction. Social and technical environment of the development of distance education in China Chinese social demand for higher education and lifelong learning is growing Since 2000, the gross enrolment rate of higher education in China has kept increasing by an average of 1.5%, and by 2007, it reached 23% as shown in Figure 1. In 2007, the number of students enrolled in various kinds and levels of higher education institutions across the country exceeded 25 million, surpassing that of the United States and becoming the highest in the world. However, in 2005, the total number of those who had received higher education in China was 67 640 000, only one-twentieth of the total population of 130 756 000 at the end of that year, and much lower than the one-third level in developed countries. Table 1 shows the level of education of the working population in China. It indicates that even though China has entered an age of higher education popularisation, demand for development of higher education including distance higher education is still considerable and the task is still arduous. With the growing demand for higher education, some cities, communities, businesses and industries in China began to construct digital learning-oriented cities, communiBritish Journal of Educational Technology Vol 41 No 4 2010 582–592 doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2010.01093.x © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 Becta. Published by Blackwell Publishing, 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA. ties, towns, businesses and industries employing digital information technology. Learning demand remains strong and the trend has become increasingly apparent. Distance education infrastructure escalated gradually E-learning applications were jointly supported by the China Education and Research Network (CERNET) and the other three backbone networks in China—China Public Computer Interconnected Network, China Science and Technology Network, and China Golden Bridge Information Network. During the period 1979–85, to provide support to radioand TV-based education carried out by China Central Radio and TV University (CCRTVU), the Chinese government resorted to the national television (China Central Television) for television courses broadcasting. In 1985, China Education Television was launched, and since then, the television courses of CCRTVU have been transferred, gradually at first and then completely, to China Educational Television via satellite broadcast. In 2000, the China Education Satellite Television Network achieved satellite television digitalisation, and then started to serve e-learning employing digital satellite resources together with other satellite communication companies in China; thus, initially forming a digital information transmission network system for e-learning with interactive functions in the ‘unity of heaven and earth’. (Ding, 2005) 40%