Sino-british Open And Distance Education Is A Comparative Analysis

Modern distance education refers to the distance education through modern information technologies like computer, network, multi-media, dual directional electronic communication technologies. In 1990, Ministry of Education in China began to approve some universities to experiment distant learning. Distance education has experienced an unprecedented rapid development in China since 1999,when the government began to implement"Modern Distance Education Project". So far, 67 regular higher educational institutes and China Central Radio and TV University (CRTVU) have been approved to offer distance education programs. More than 4 million students registered in total, among which 1 million have graduated. More than 6, 000 off-campus learning centers and teaching stations have been established. A system with Chinese characteristics for modern distance education has been established. In China, distance open education has become one of the important means to achieve the popularization of higher education, establish a lifelong education system and learning-orientated society. The advantages of the modern distance education will become the main pattern of China's effort in developing diversified, networked, lifelong and open continuing education.However, because of the limitation of traditional education idea and system, distance education encountered some important problems which should affect its sustainable development in the fast developing process. For example, the quality standard is not clear, the educational resources can't match the learners'demand, the teaching quality can't be supervised thoroughly, the learning support can't meet the learners'need, different instructional institutes can't be very well coordinated and so on. Some of the problems have affected its reputation in China and even abroad. Those problems also result in the failure of our distance education quality to be ranked at the international standard.In 68 higher distance educational institutes in China, CRTVU (Central Radio and TV University) is the only one that specifies in distance education and is the main force for Chinese distance education. It has the characteristics of large scale, wide area, more specialized subjects, and it is the largest distance educational institute in China. UKOU (the British Open University) is a big achievement in the British high education. It not only provides new process for the popularization of British high education, but also contributes a lot for the world development of distance education. Its distance education ideas, courses system, running school quality, teaching methods and approaches are all worth using for reference; Its academic standard, instructional quality and students'achievement not only get the approval of British educational authorities, industrial circles and government, but also get the praise of worldwide peers; Its pursuit of excellence, stability, enterprise, distinguishing feature, brand and the spirit of exploitation are worth learning for all the peers in China. Its successful experiences and methods will surely give us enlightenment and reference to our distance education reform and development.The author of the article has been working in the TV University for a long time, and is very familiar with the teaching and management of the distance education. During the summer of 2004, she participated in the training program about the distance education philosophy organized by CRTVU, and lucky enough to visit British Open University. On the basis of that and a brief review of the development history and the current situation of distance education, taken CRTVU and the British Open University as the examples, the thesis will analyze the experiences and problems of the current development and reform between China and Britain, including the mode of running school, teaching mode, technology support, the construction of teaching resources and educational support, and put forward several enlightenments that Open University gives us. Combined with working practice, personal views on the development trend, responses and measures of Chinese distance education are also suggested. The research will contribute to the high quality development and establishing a better quality assurance system for our Chinese modern distance education.