Case Study of Web-based Distance Programs in China

In 1999, a most significant policy initiative took§place when the Chinese government expanded higher§education dramatically. A new national project§called the Modern Distance Education Project was§launched with the objective of making full use of§Information Technology to extend China s limited§educational resources to reach its vast population. §The core of this project is Web-based distance§education. By examining the implementation process§of Web-based distance education programs in Zhongshan§University, various issues, that remain unanswered§regarding the development of distance education in a§developing country with the largest population, will§be explored.§Zhongshan University is a prestigious Chinese§university with a strong national and international§reputation. It is also one of the first universities§granted by the Ministry of Education (MOE) to promote§web-based education within the MDEP. This case study§will use a combination of document analysis and§interviews to explore the implementation process of§Web-based Distance Education Programs in Zhongshan§University during a time of transformational change§in higher education institutions in China.