Abstract
Purpose - This paper aimed to explore the development of distance education (DE) in Chinese higher education as well as the three significant themes: accessibility, quality, and equity in Chinese DE, and how would these three themes affect Chinese DE in higher education.
Design/methodology/approach - Document analysis was used as the major research method in this study to examine the development and challenges in terms of accessibility, quality, and equity in Chinese DE. In this study, national-level official policy documents and reports from the Chinese government were collected and analyzed. Also, scientific articles from CNKI were analyzed to find out the evolution of the frontier topics on Chinese DE in Accessibility, Quality, and Equity.
Findings - First, analysis of the national-level policies and regulations has revealed that the Chinese government has shown its positive attitude towards DE in higher education. Second, the number of articles in the accessibility of DE was lower than the other two themes, and the problems of accessing online courses were insufficiently caused by content two reasons, one was lacking basic ICT literacy, another was poor Internet infrastructure. Third, there was a gap between Chinese policies and research articles, which caused by ignoring the unbalanced development of accessibility in policy management and research articles.
Research limitations/implications - Although this paper has summarized the development of the DE in Chinese higher education, it was clear that the accessibility, quality, and equity were three critical issues in DE. However, there are still other essential factors that contribute to the development of DE require further investigation, such as learner’s satisfaction, different features of learning platforms, and instructional strategy.
Originality/value - This study showed some significant policies released by the Chinese government towards DE in higher education and revealed the achievements, trends, and challenges in the accessibility, quality, and equity of Chinese DE.
Design/methodology/approach - Document analysis was used as the major research method in this study to examine the development and challenges in terms of accessibility, quality, and equity in Chinese DE. In this study, national-level official policy documents and reports from the Chinese government were collected and analyzed. Also, scientific articles from CNKI were analyzed to find out the evolution of the frontier topics on Chinese DE in Accessibility, Quality, and Equity.
Findings - First, analysis of the national-level policies and regulations has revealed that the Chinese government has shown its positive attitude towards DE in higher education. Second, the number of articles in the accessibility of DE was lower than the other two themes, and the problems of accessing online courses were insufficiently caused by content two reasons, one was lacking basic ICT literacy, another was poor Internet infrastructure. Third, there was a gap between Chinese policies and research articles, which caused by ignoring the unbalanced development of accessibility in policy management and research articles.
Research limitations/implications - Although this paper has summarized the development of the DE in Chinese higher education, it was clear that the accessibility, quality, and equity were three critical issues in DE. However, there are still other essential factors that contribute to the development of DE require further investigation, such as learner’s satisfaction, different features of learning platforms, and instructional strategy.
Originality/value - This study showed some significant policies released by the Chinese government towards DE in higher education and revealed the achievements, trends, and challenges in the accessibility, quality, and equity of Chinese DE.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Published - 4 Dec 2020 |
| Event | National Chengchi University–Lingnan University International Research Seminar 2020: The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Higher Education Policies: International Mobility, Student Learning Outcomes and Research Development - National Chengchi University , Taiwan, Province of China Duration: 4 Dec 2020 → 4 Dec 2020 https://educ.nccu.edu.tw/zh_tw/News/The-3rd-International-Research-Conference-on-December-4-50132562 |
Seminar
| Seminar | National Chengchi University–Lingnan University International Research Seminar 2020 |
|---|---|
| Abbreviated title | The 3rd NCCU-Lingnan International Research Seminar |
| Country/Territory | Taiwan, Province of China |
| Period | 4/12/20 → 4/12/20 |
| Internet address |