Abstract
Open and distance education in Taiwan has evolved into the third phase – cyberlearning – conceptualized as teaching and learning interactions mediated entirely through the application of state-of-the-art information and communications technologies (ICT), such as the Internet and World Wide Web (WWW). Socio-economic influences, the development of new technologies and a marked shift in learning paradigms have increased the utilization of ICT at all levels of the Taiwanese education system. Since the advent and provision of cyberlearning programs, well over half (56 percent) of the conventional universities and colleges have been upgraded to dual-mode higher educational institutions. They offer real-time multicast instructional systems using videoconferencing and cable TV technology, virtual classroom systems via network-based instructional management systems, and curriculum-on-demand systems utilizing video-on-demand technology. Critical success factors in the development of these cyber universities and the opportunities, challenges and implications inherent in these are analyzed. ICT and the provision of cyberlearning have gradually been changing the structure and vision of higher education institutions as well as the entire learning environment and educational systems. Because the Ministry of Education (MOE) has initiated a policy on credit-based degrees for cyberlearning courses/programs, the development of open and distance education is anticipated to hasten the transformation of Taiwan’s education system towards one which will create an ideal learning society in the 21st century.
Highlights
Distance education has been identified as one of the key strategies for educational reform and national development in Taiwan (Ministry of Education, 1996a)
With increased applications of information and communications technologies (ICT) in this field, other terms being used to refer to distance education include “interactive distance education” (Chu, 1999), “Web learning” (Lee, 1997), “virtual education” (Farrell, 1999a) and “cyberlearning” (Han & Wang, 1999)
Cyberlearning is focused on those teaching and learning interactions mediated entirely through the application of state-of-the-art ICT, such as the Internet and World Wide Web (WWW) (Chen, 2001)
Summary
Distance education has been identified as one of the key strategies for educational reform and national development in Taiwan (Ministry of Education, 1996a). “Education over the air,” or “distance education,” is the most commonly used term to describe teaching and learning from a distance in this country. With increased applications of information and communications technologies (ICT) in this field, other terms being used to refer to distance education include “interactive distance education” (Chu, 1999), “Web learning” (Lee, 1997), “virtual education” (Farrell, 1999a) and “cyberlearning” (Han & Wang, 1999)
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