Information, Communication & Society 3:3 2000 303 312 C H I N A S F U T U R E W I T H D I S T A N C E E D U C A T I O N Rhetoric and realities Alison A. Carr-Chellman and Ke Zhang Pennsylvania State University, USA A b s t r a c t China has a long history of distance education with one of the largest and longest standing television distance delivery systems in the world. However, with the advent of online learning environments, China must face a brave new world of innovation. This paper examines the political rhethoric surrounding the allocation of funds and energies to online learning and considers critical components of that rhetoric including democracy, market driven education, open access, as well as issues of power, customization, and gloablization which affect the ways in which China adopts new online learning technologies. K e y w o r d s internet, open access, empower, government call, higher education, distance learning I N T R O D U C T I O N Very little is currently known, particularly in western educational circles, of distance education in China. However, there is a long-standing well-established instructional television system of distance education that has ourished in China since the 1960s (Howells 1989). In fact, one of the world s largest education systems is the Dianda system in China, a combined radio-television university system capable of enrolling upwards of 100,000 learners (Keegan 1994). Interactive television while reaching some audiences is still cumbersome and relatively expensive when compared to internet solutions. Television requires broadcast technologies and the cable or commercial bandwidth to carry the instruction. Without unlimited channel access, there is a clear limitation on the number of hours available to carry instructional television programmes. In addition, it can be dif cult for some learners to access the television programmes and certain participants have to go to central locations to view the interactive television instruction. Information, Communication & Society ISSN 1369-118X print/issn 1468-4462 online 2000 Taylor & Francis Ltd http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
A L I S O N A. C A R R - C H E L L M A N A N D K E Z H A N G T H E F U T U R E W I T H T H E I N T E R N E T It is clear from recent political statements that China is prepared to leverage this history of distance education to reach a broader audience through the internet. A recent report (15/8/99) from the of cial website of the Ministry of Education in the People s Republic (PR) of China indicates that, beginning September 1999, more than one million Chinese will be able to access Distance Open Higher Education. The Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party clearly states, in its Decisions on furthering Educational Reform and Advancing Quality Education (1999), at least two points regarding the importance of modern distance education technologies: Part 2, item 10: To devote major efforts to developing modern distance education, professional certificate education and other continuing education. To improve self-learning examining system, to form socialized, open education networking, to improve lifetime learning system gradually for the needs of multi-leveled, multi-formed education. Part 2, item 15: Make full use of modern distance educational network to provide lifetime learning opportunities for social members, to provide appropriate education needed in rural area and outlying districts. I N T E R N E T D E M O C R A C I E S? There is nothing inherently democratic about the call from the Communist Party; however the President of the People s Republic of China, Jiang Zemin makes the value of open access much clearer: We must establish and develop an educational system for lifetime learning needs. Schools should be more open/accessible to the whole society, with various forms of education, such as degree programs, non-degree programs, continuing education, occupational/professional education, and so forth. Basic education, vocational education, adult education and higher education must strengthen the connections and advocate communications between each other, in order to provide multi-leveled learning opportunities to learners. We must establish an open educational system across the country, from rural areas to cities, basing on distance education, and provide multi-leveled, multi-formed educational services to every class/type of social member. Thus, distance education is seen as a way to transcend social class and it seems relatively clear that vocational and occupational education is an important component of Jiang s vision of the future of education in China, while liberal education is called basic education here. In similar fashion Wei Yu (1999), the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Education, points to the following as one of the key elements in developing China s Modern Distance Education: 3 0 4
C H I N A S F U T U R E W I T H D I S T A N C E E D U C A T I O N To provide more technologies to peasants to apply modern educational technologies to promote education in outlying districts, poorer areas, minority nationality regions, and less-developed areas. For those areas, the rst and foremost is to promote 9-year compulsory education and to de-illiteracy, and then to improve the educational level gradually, so to advance economic development there. However, the reality of economic development in poorer and rural areas of China would work with them where they currently are (educationally). In general, the educational level of those living in rural areas of China is signi cantly lower than that of the city populace. Precisely which areas would bene t from advanced technologies, particularly the internet, is not entirely clear despite the rhetoric. In a speech offered by Wei, the importance of radio TV for rural areas seems clear: We think that, although satellite TV, as the major distance education deliver medium, is oneway broadcasting, it costs much less, especially given the fact that TV is highly accessible: in rural areas the average ownership of TV set in one hundred households is 92 in 1997, In addition, currently the expenses for computer networking system in our county is fairly high, and has limited availability. Therefore in the near future, especially in the rural areas, satellite TV education will still be playing an important role. However, as CERNET (the Chinese Education and Research Net) and other computer networking technologies develop, distance education is developing with a trend to be multimedia and interactive. Such development will have revolutionary impacts on the learning content and learning methods in every level and every type of education. The development of information technology has been changing distance education: conventional distance education is radio-tv delivered individual learning together with group tutoring, while the prevailing fashion across the world today is to apply multimedia technology and computer networking system in distance education, and to implement individualized self-learning associated with interactive group discussion. As a developing country, we must notice the trends and actively conduct relevant research, also, we must explore a developing path basing on our own national conditions.... According to the reality of the regional imbalance of economic development, the Chinese government will develop informationized education in three stages: the first is to develop educational technologies, emphasizing multimedia, and to promote the application in school; the second is to spread knowledge about networking systems, to learn to take advantage of on-line resources; the third is to develop Modern Distance Education, to build and provide tremendous online resources, so to satisfy the ever-growing needs for lifetime learning in the society. Thus it would seem that while radio and other advanced technologies will continue to be an important resource to rural areas of China, it is doubtful that many poor areas are likely to bene t from internet connections. The Chinese government is attempting to provide whatever education is most needed and applicable in a certain area to a certain population. That s why the government emphasizes basic education and practical technology education in rural and poorer areas. Therefore, the Chinese government does try to provide 3 0 5
A L I S O N A. C A R R - C H E L L M A N A N D K E Z H A N G equal access to education, in both rural area and cities, but in different ways. As to the internet, it is an apparent reality that not every one has the same/equal access, even in cities, and it is not necessary nor possible to push it and realize equal access in the very near future. China is still in her very initial stages of struggling to develop an open distance education system via the internet. M E E T I N G T H E D E M A N D I N S T E A D O F T H E M A R K E T : M O T I V E S The motives for Chinese distance education expansion and funding are quite different from those of the US. While some facets of the movement are similar to our own experiences of distance learning, the motive seems to be strongly rooted in the ability of the government to educate adequately large masses of people (as opposed to trying to make a pro t from these learners). As Gao points out: But in a country like China, which has 1.2 billion people, the demand for education is so great that traditional education cannot be expected to meet the needs. (Gao 1991: 54) Thus while many universities in the USA are trying to nd ways to capture this huge distance learning market, it is recognized in China that traditional education cannot possibly serve the entire adult education market and instead alternatives must be pursued. D i f f e r e n t i a t e d S t a f f i n g Such a mammoth effort at providing basic education to millions of learners requires differentiated staf ng. In order to ensure excellent teaching, only the best university teaching models are offered the opportunity to instruct at a distance. Tutors are employed locally to help with interaction and guidance not provided by radio or TV broadcasts (Zhao 1988). Web-based distance education in China will also likely rely on a differentiated staf ng pattern such as this. It is an economical way to handle large, even huge, numbers of learners. It can also be a difficulty for those employed by universities. In much the same way that the current US system employs adjuncts and part-time instructors rather than fulltime tenure track faculty, differentiated staf ng patterns can be extremely exible and economic. Whether they provide a livable wage for those employed is another matter. As China changes and becomes more of a market economy, these concerns for academics will heighten. 3 0 6
C H I N A S F U T U R E W I T H D I S T A N C E E D U C A T I O N V o c a t i o n a l O r i e n t a t i o n Naturally, given the motives to educate large masses of Chinese in basic education, literacy and work skills, the orientation for much of this education is information presentation and skills training. The vast majority of offerings via Chinese distance education to date have been highly vocational in nature and often involve an apprenticeship of some sort at a local factory or rm. As an example, when looking at the number of subjects offered at CRTVU, there are sixty-five specialties in engineering, while there is only one in English and one in Chinese (Zhao 1988). Recent trends, particularly in online learning, are toward hot topics such as computer science, nance and English language. D E M O C R A C Y R E V I S I T E D When considering the impact of the Chinese distance education movement on the democratic rhetoric espoused by its leaders to justify the huge outlay of public monies, it is reasonable to recall some of the major questions raised in the introduction to this series paper. O p e n A c c e s s While the rhetoric of democracy is clear throughout political speeches cited previously here, the reality of implementation is likely to leave the rural poor behind. The dream of open access in a ferociously hierarchical society appears antithetical on the face of it. First, we know that far more access to radio and television exists in China than to internet connections raising questions of open access. While more than 70,000 public schools employ computer education programmes in China and more than 10 million students have mastered basic computer skills, most computer technologies are still available primarily on school grounds. Many schools have internet connections and these resources are openly available to all in the community. There are currently four networking systems in China, including China s Education and Research Net which provides eight regional networking centres devoted to education and research. Thus access is relatively available, but only in centralized locations generally not in individual homes. The issue of travel to get connected is ampli ed rural areas of China are considered. One of the recent changes in China s distance education system can also be seen in the US. The melding of traditionally residential, high status universities and traditionally distance universities is beginning. The official website of the Ministry of Education for the PR of China states that the most recent distance 3 0 7
A L I S O N A. C A R R - C H E L L M A N A N D K E Z H A N G higher education will be delivered though a co-operative of the Central Radio TV University (CRTVU) and several high status traditional universities including Tsing Hua University and Beijing Foreign Language University. This move is surprising given the status of distance learning degrees as equivalent in the eyes of the government to traditional degrees. In some ways talking about democracy for China through distance learning seems like a con ict in itself. However, the rhetoric is clearly centred on open access and social equalization. The reality of economic development for most rural poor will likely not include huge infusions of funds in the form of internet connections, servers and computers. Instead, the cities are the likely winners in this game of haves and have nots. The cities are seen by many in the Chinese population and government as the place where technological innovation is most likely to serve two purposes. Not only will masses of the population perceived as somewhat educated (as opposed to rural poor who are seen as largely uneducated) be able to leverage their learning via distance education, but by placing technology in the hands of learners, there will be a tertiary effect in terms of technological development. The government hopes that by increasing access and use of technology, primarily in cities, there will be a technological sector created with accompanying software development, chip manufacturing, etc. Thus open access and technology investments will serve some more than others. P o w e r t o t h e P e o p l e The Chinese Government has assured all students involved in distance education degree seeking that the rewards for their degrees are equivalent to those earned at traditional universities: After graduation, in-service (distance) students are recognized as having equivalent status to that of conventional college graduates... They receive the same salary as conventional college graduates.... When they are assigned a new job, they will be treated equally as conventional college graduates. (Zhao 1988: 225) Thus the government values distance learning outcomes (degrees certi cates, etc.) at the same level in terms of hiring and promotion. However, because learners are employed, often full-time while pursuing part-time education programmes, they emerge from the college experience with far more work experience, giving them, in essence, an actual advantage on the job market over traditional college students. This situation has prevailed throughout the radio and television distance learning era. There is no cause to consider that the procedures will likely change 3 0 8
C H I N A S F U T U R E W I T H D I S T A N C E E D U C A T I O N dramatically when utilizing the web as a delivery medium. Thus what are the likely impacts of this approach, particularly on a society that has traditionally a strong hierarchical education (and employment) system. Of particular interest here, is that this system in the past has always been one in which social prestige is based on your educational level and that is based on testing very early in life which tracks learners into speci c educational programs. Internet learning, like radio and television learning, can allow many more students to pursue higher education degrees and it seems that as long as they are able to complete the requirements, they will earn equal status with traditional universities. In many ways the Chinese distance education history and future plans are relatively progressive. Not only does the government fund the establishment of the on-line learning centres, but other interests contribute by giving time off, bene ts and salaries to distance learners. From one perspective this may be seen as unfair. Those in distance programmes graduate in shorter time periods with work experience to back up their education making them highly desirable on the job market. Also, they enjoy pay while they learn as well as equal status with traditional university students. Residential students in China must pay higher tuition prices, earn little or no salaries during their education and typically take more time to complete even under full-time conditions. In essence, the traditional student graduates from a prominent residential Chinese university with the status of the brand name associated with their university, and little other advantage. Some would argue that this is precisely the elimination of elitism which democratic goals of distance education seek. Perhaps it is, but has it in its current form of TV and radio broadcasts, or will it, in future internet forms, create more power in the hands of individuals in China? It seems to us more likely that moves toward economic shifts such as market economies and the encroachment of global capitalism will have more dramatic impacts on power relations in China. However these shifts may bene t large multinational corporations far more than individuals. The combination of on-line education and globalization may move more power out of the hands of individuals in China. C u s t o m i z a t i o n a n d G l o b a l i z a t i o n Recently, many on-line education offerings are beginning to be offered in Chinese from US institutions. However, these attempts are not culturally founded. In general, the courses that are offered to Chinese from the USA have not been well received. The Chinese government does value scholars with degrees from universities abroad. But in many cases, the credibility of such a foreign degree via the internet is questioned in China. In China, learners enrolled in internet courses with high status Chinese universities must take an exam(s)/ nal in a certain place 3 0 9
A L I S O N A. C A R R - C H E L L M A N A N D K E Z H A N G with photo ID to avoid cheating. With strict exam administration, the universities offering distance education via internet are trying to secure/maintain their high status, high credibility of their distance degrees as well as the residential ones. Currently most US on-line education programmes do not require this and that calls into question their credibility to many Chinese who are familiar with this practice. Naturally, Chinese and English are completely different, not only linguistically, but also culturally, and not every Chinese is ready to take a course in English on the internet yet. If a learner currently has the opportunity to get a degree from a top university in China, what would motivate them to enroll in a barely known internet college overseas in another language? To the extent that universities with stronger brand recognition in China get into the on-line education game, there may be more of a market for Chinese learners. P u b l i c F u n d i n g a n d A l t e r n a t i v e s For those who are able to access distance learning opportunities, there is great nancial bene t in store. In an interview with Liu Zhipeng, the Associate Director of Higher Education Department within the Ministry of Education for the PR of China, the Ministry of Education has worked out a plan for vitalizing education for the needs of the 21st Century. Outlined in this plan are six major projects including the Modern Distance Education (MDE) Project. The Ministry of Education advances the MDE project in order to achieve two goals: one is to enlarge the scope of education with advanced distance educational methods, so that more people can have opportunity for higher education. The second is to improve the quality of education with advanced technologies, to increase the information delivered and learning level of unit teaching time. Distance education is shouldering the historic responsibility to universalize education in China and to improve the quality of higher education. In the following years, the state will invest 3.6 hundred million RMB (equivalent to US$45 million) in education on the MDE project, and actively seek support from international organizations and domestic and overseas enterprises as well. The cost to the student, however, is extremely economical. Two traditional high status Chinese universities (Shanghai Foreign Language University and Shanghai Jiaotong University) recently began offering on-line courses to the public at a cost of between US$1.00 and $1.50. This is an inclusive price encompassing all fees though it may not include learning materials such as texts. Thus in perhaps one of the most progressive plans for distance learning, the burden of the system is born primarily by the government and the commercial interests also kick in by giving salaries and release 3 1 0
C H I N A S F U T U R E W I T H D I S T A N C E E D U C A T I O N time. Not only government, but also universities, corporations and all social powers are encouraged to participate in development of MDE. The government is encouraging and inviting corporations, organizations and any other social units to participate, with financial or technological investment or whatever contribution. Chinese distance learners also benefit from maintaining full-time salaries. Full-time students typically nish their degrees in 2 to 3 years (as opposed to 4 years for traditional residential students). Salaries for distance learners are equivalent to their regular employment: Full-time students are released from work and continue to receive full wages as well as free medical care and other welfare bene ts... Part time students are given the equivalent of one to three working days off a week and enjoy full pay. (Zhao 1988: 225) Also in several recent government documents, it is emphasized and ensured that investment in education will increase stably. Supported and sponsored by government and commercial/noncommercial organizations, several top universities in China, have been building and implementing a development plan for distance education networking, including web-based degree and non-degree programmes. Four high status Chinese universities (Tsing Hua University, Hu nan University, Zhejiang University, Beijing Postal and Telecommunication University) have been selected as the rst batch of universities with experimental distance education programs via the internet. Traditionally, distance education in China uses satellite TV networking, simultaneous TV conference and correspondence as the major delivery methods. Now the government as well as schools/universities are trying to introduce the internet as another platform together with other digital technologies to more effectively and efficiently deliver distance learning opportunities. C O N C L U S I O N In this brief examination of Chinese distance learning opportunities it can be seen that the system employed in China in the past, primarily radio and TV broadcasts, has created a huge distance learning network. This network is being leveraged by the internet, but its implementation is likely to occur more in the cities and among relatively educated populations increasing disparities which are only now beginning to emerge between haves and have nots in Chinese society. Open access has not been met for on-line learning activities in China yet as many individuals do not own computers or have access to internet connections, thus on-line 3 1 1
A L I S O N A. C A R R - C H E L L M A N A N D K E Z H A N G education has to be accessed at central locations and in learning centres. It is at the discretion of the government to determine where funds will be most well placed to build the on-line learning infrastructure, it is not in the hands of individuals or learners to determine these expenditures. The system is highly vocationally oriented including many hot topics in the hopes that technology industries will begin to spring up around Chinese cities. While the system as it is currently constructed is highly progressive, allowing students to learn for little or no cost while being paid or allowing leave time, the future of on-line learning when combined with global capitalism threatens this balance. Alison A. Carr-Chellman and Ke Zhang Penn State University University Park PA 16802, USA aac3@psu.edu zhang@stat.psu.edu R E F E R E N C E S Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (1999) Decisions on furthering educational reform, and advancing quality education in an allround way. Available on-line in Chinese: http://www.online.edu/cn/ remoteedu/xgzc/zy.htm Gao, F. (1991) The challenge of distance education in China, American Journal of Distance Education, 5(2): 54 8. Howells, G (1989) Distance teaching in China, Journal of Educational Television, 15(2): 79 85. Important Experiment of Developing Modern Distance Open Education Interview with Liu Zhipeng, Associate Director of Higher Education Department, Ministry of Education, P. R. China. Available on-line in Chinese: http://www.online.edu.cn/remoteedu/xgzc/fy.htm Keegan, D. (1994) Very large distance education systems: the case of China, ZIFF Papiere 94. Online Education Brings Learning Revolution. Available on-line in Chinese: http://www.online.edu.cn/remoteedu/ycjyxz/gyycjj/lx.htm Wei, Y. (1999) China s modern distance education. Speech by the Associate Chairman of the Ministry of Education, PR China, delivered at the Conference between Egyptian and Chinese leaders. Available online in Chinese: http://www.online.edu/cn/remoteedu/ycjyz/gyycjj/zg.htm Zhao, Y. (1988) China: its distance higher-education system, Prospects, 28 (2): 217 28. 3 1 2