Week 7 - Distance learning in China

Distance Learning in China

China defines creative education through their Television University. They meet the need for cheaper, more effective education systems in their over-crowded and under-educated country. I can see distinct advantages and disadvantages for this unique way of learning. This kind of learning could have set the standard for a new way of working and learning with technology, like learning through the internet and computers

Advantages

The advantages, which are set out throughout the text, are that it answers some of the problems that China has had with its higher education structure and statistics, adults who have little time or resources to learn have become able to join these flexible and wide-ranging courses to the ultimate benefit of the economics of China.
“Most of them went on to make valuable contributions to industrial and agricultural enterprises or to cultural and educational institutes”
Learning through TV could possibly be more visually stimulating and easy to follow. I imagine that this universal standard of teaching would be of a high quality, so there would be little to no
issues with its worth, and it has been received well in China.

Disadvantages

The main disadvantage that I can see with this type of learning is that it is impersonal and not interactive. Although there may be people on hand to answer questions, the television can’t read the mood of the room or explain things in a different way that would be more useful to a group of individuals. There is little interactivity with a television. The tutors wouldn’t (I imagine) be on first name terms with the pupils and I think that you may feel that the service you get is too formal. I imagine you’d feel a little bit like a learning machine?