Week 7 - Chinese Democracy, I mean Distance Learning

Whilst reading through this article, I’ll be honest, it didn’t surprise me to hear of this advanced level of learning with the use of communication technology. Not just that the Chinese are the king pin of new technologies for interacting with others around the world in this modern age, mainly that they have the highest demand for qualified individuals. As the article states ‘the number of qualified technicians and engineers accounted for only 2.5 per cent of the country's work-force in state-owned enterprises and institutes’. This was at the time when people were almost expected to have access to a telephone or television in their house (as you know these courses were taught via these) in 1975, so it wasn’t shocking to read that 15 years later this number grew to 4.7%. Which equals to 105 million individuals which have a qualification in one of these work areas.

Although one of the other strengths these TVU’s and CRTVU/PTVU’s allowed for their students throughout the country is that the service was cheap to run. Obviously only having one broadcast lesson spreading to hundreds if not thousands of people at the same time, the need of having teachers in schools around the country obviously cuts out the salaries etc.
So with the stats showing as; ‘The enrolment of these radio and television universities over the last eight years has totalled 1,291,833, and 590,941 students have graduated. The number of registered students in 1986 was 604,437 constituting one-third of the country's higher-education institute students’ the success of these courses offered speaks for itself for those who may have access to higher education facilities and so on.

Another strength these courses offer which interested me was the number of TVU staff numbers. As the table shows (Table 1.) that’s both the full time and part time staff numbers have increased by 10,000 in the space of 7 years. This just backs up the success and popularity on this distance learning.

However the one major weakness of these TVU’s and CRTVU/PTVU’s which was brought up in the lecture is that the information passed over to the students in of only one perception and opinion. Not being able to give an own personal opinion disallows discussion and for other points to be raised which could prove useful to the course and the students learning. But in an educational sense of mind who was to complain at the time. As this method has been around for almost the past 50 years.