Open Distance Education in China: Trends and Developments
Haixia Xu, Ph.D.
National Center for Education Development
Research
Chinese Ministry of Education
International Seminar on “Opening Higher Education:
What the Future Might Bring”
8-9 December, 2016
Berlin, Germany
Background for Open Distance Education in China
Developments of Open Distance Education
Trends of Open Distance Education in China
Overview
Background for Open Distance Education in China
The largest higher education system in the world Total enrollment: 40.8 million
A dual-track higher education landscape Regular higher education: 28.16 million, 69%
Versus
Adult higher education: 12.64 million, 31%
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Regular HEIs Adult HEIs
Higher Education Enrollments in 2015 (Unit: Million)
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Background for Open Distance Education in China
A dual-track adult higher education sector
• Enrollments in adult HEIs (6.34million)
• 3.5 million in open universities
• Enrollments in regular HEIs (6.28 million)
• All in schools of web-based education
• The latter grows faster than the former: brand effect?
Enrollments in Adult HEIs
In Adult HEIs Within Regular HEIs
Background for Open Distance Education in China
An rapidly expanding open distance education sector
• A total enrollment of 9.8 million
• 77% of the adult HE enrollments
• 24% of the entire higher education sector
Chart Title
Open DE Overall HE
Chart Title
Open DE Adult HE
Background for Open Distance Education in China
Adult higher education as a supplement to regular higher education
--Directly influenced by demand for higher education
--Separate admission standards
--Less resources, i.e., lower per student appropriations
--A tradition of teaching working adults at a distance, primarily using hybrid
teaching methods
--Aspiration for degree-granting status
Types of open distance education --1978: Broadcasting and Television University (renamed as Open University in
2012)
--1981: Self-taught higher education examinations
--1999: Schools of web-based education
--2012: Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)
Developments of Open Distance Education: Open University of China
An ambitious origin: the Central Broadcasting and Television University
• Established in 1978
• Modeled after the UK Open University
• To widen access to higher education
A complicated system
• The central university as the governing body and degree-granting authority
• 44 provincial-level broadcasting and television universities
• Local broadcasting and television universities
• Learning centers
• Controversies regarding revenue-sharing, degree-granting, and governance
Developments of Open Distance Education: Open University of China
An amazingly expanding system
• Enrollments: from 166 thousand in 2000 to 3.5 million in 2015, up 21 times in 15 years
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New Enrollments in 2010-2015 (Unit: Million)
Developments of Open Distance Education: Open University of China
A system keeping up with the times…technologically
• Broadcasting and videoconference-based courses • 1996: Internet-based “open education” pilot • 2002: Web-based education institute • 2012: Open University initiative
• Six individual open universities
Long-term challenges remain…
• Insufficient Infrastructure • Less well prepared or motivated students • Relatively weak faculty • Lack of learning support
Developments of Open Distance Education: Open University of China
The Open University Initiative as a Milestone
• Goals: A new university taking full use of ICT
• No more monopoly: six Open Universities enjoys degree-granting authority
• Exploring open education as a mode of learning
• More focus on quality than quantity
Challenges
• How to make the transformation from technology-centered to learner-centered?
Developments of Open Distance Education: Self-taught Higher Education Examinations Established in 1981 as an innovative way of granting degrees
A combination of self-study, institutional tutoring, and national testing
Relatively rigorous
Declining participation: “bad money drives out good”
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Participants in 2010-2015 (Unit: Million)
Developments of Open Distance Education: Web-based Education Institutes within Regular Universities
A way of exploring a new mode of education
• in 1998: Four piloting universities : Tsinghua, Zhejiang, Hunan, and Beijing Communications
• in 2002: Sixty-eight universities approved to establish schools of web-based education
Unprecedented institutional autonomy
• Who to admit?
• What programs to offer?
• What degrees to grant?
Issues
• Legitimacy
• Separate criteria for admissions, teaching, graduation
• Huge enrollments
• Predominantly face-to-face classes
• Misuse of funding
Developments of Open Distance Education: Web-based Education Institutes within Regular Universities
Increasing new enrollments
• In 2015, the new enrollments averaged 20,000 per university
• More popular than OU or Self-taught Exams
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New Enrollments in 2010-2015 (Unit: Million)
Developments of Open Distance Education: Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)
MOOCs as the catchword in China
• Qinghua and PKU joined edX in 2013
• Shanghai Jiaotong and Fudan joined Coursera
• Tsinghua launched its MOOCs platform
• Icourse.com
Platforms: Over 100 MOOCs platforms in place
• Who built it? HEIs, enterprises, HEI-enterprises
• Who is served? General public, students, specific lines of work
• High homogeneity
• Lack of S-S/S-I interaction
• Lack of a sound business mode
• Lack of quality mechanism
Developments of Open Distance Education: Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)
Learners
• 20-24: 40%
• 25-29: 23%
• 15-29: 16%
• Students: over 50%
• Working adults: over 40%
• With baccalaureate degree: 60%
• With master degree: 20%
• High enthusiasm, low participation
• More interest in overseas MOOCs (84% versus 11%)
• Unsatisfactory online interaction
Developments of Open Distance Education: Observations
National perspective
• Regular higher education seems to become more open
• Schools of web-based education
• MOOCs offerings
• A fast growing sector of distance open distance education
• Open universities
• Schools of web-based education
Institutional perspective
• Web-based education emerging as a new mode of learning
• More than education Informationalization
Student perspective
• Limited changes
Developments of Open Distance Education: Trends
Expanding Access
Make higher education open to all learners
Targeted gross higher education enrollment rate by 2030: 65%
Ensuring Equality
Digital divide (urban-rural, inter-region, inter-groups)
“Offering fuel in snowy weather” instead of “icing on the cake”
Calls for powerful public service platforms
Developments of Open Distance Education: Trends
Enhancing Quality
Improve quality assurance
Innovate the mode of learning
Fusing education and technology
Online interaction
Learning support
Set up a learning outcome recognition, accumulation and transfer system
A system that is open, not closed
More choices for students
Two Dilemmas
Policy Dilemma
How Open is Open Enough?
Institutional Dilemma
How to develop students’ practical skills in a online environment?
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