http://www1.worldbank.org/disted/Technology/broadcast/tv-02.html
Well I'd never of thought that such a thing as Television University's would exsist! I had NEVER heard of this before! Learning you're degree through a TV programme? Sounds absolutely crazy, but at the same time I can see it working! It's just like Deakin with their video streaming of lectures isnt it really! I guess it's just like attending lectures, but in the comfort of your own home!
A radio programme that teaches you you're degree! Could you imagine it!
When it said how "the enrolment rate in China's higher education was less than 2 per cent" sort of show's why they did do it this way, I mean where people not attending because University's where so far and few between?
I was absolutely amazed that "The enrolment of these radio and television universities over the last eight years has totalled 1,291,833, and 590,941 students have graduated." - Probably so shocked because I never knew such University's exsisted!
The fact there is all these different stages that you could attend at, made me think that maybe, depending on what level you did, depended on how 'good' your degree was. I did think before I got to this part of the text, that I wondered if they where to come here, that their degree would be considered the same as all of ours?
Although I suppose technically they're doing as much work etc, but how do they get the access to all the academic books they'd need etc? Or because they cant gain access too it, does it mean their work doesnt have to be as academic? Or do they still go through an actual University, but they just do everything through TV/Radio - like Deakin University, they still attended an actual Uni, but just did some stuff online.
I did wonder aswell, why they invented such a thing? I mean, there is university's in China - so why didnt they just expect their students to come too them, why did they create this way for them to learn? You'd think that by the lack of people attending the Uni's as mentioned above, they'd just leave it?
I think that this way of doing it, is good, as they do still offer the face to face teaching too. So I suppose it is just like going to University, you know that if you need contact with a tutor face to face then you can have it, so technically they are just viewing the same lectures that they would if they attended a University.
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8 comments:
i can relate to your thoughts about the "shocking new ways of university". However I dont really know if this kind of degree is as valued as the classic type. I do realize with this unit that you have to learn and read quite a lot (maybe even more). But I think that a lot of people/employers will have a lot of preconception when they read "radio university" on the CV. But maybe thats just the western thought, maybe this is very common in China. What do you think?
oh yeah, I dont think the link you put up is working
there is a question about whether they use academic books and i did wonder that too when you mentioned it, I would prefer to read academic books than reading an article on the internet because it more reliable and its easier to the eyes
I dont think doing your whole degree online, can have as much value as one which involves some face to face interaction. Even though it does give you a lot more computer skills, which will look good on your cv there are hardly any jobs in which you are just sat at a computer desk all day without any social interaction.
I think in an ideal world it would be a positive if all uni's had a mixture of distance learning with some seminars too.
Open University?
I did think about Open University when I read about the China University. But I didnt put much thought into the whole book thing, i.e, the fact that the people who attend China university's probably get access to the books in the same way students do from open university's!
I do think that distance learning university's can provide just as good of a degree, i.e open university is not going to be looked down at compared to our degree...
But it's just the name of this China university that throws it! It doesnt sound very professional or anything.
Leanne, I'm not sure I'd agree that it would be positive if all Uni's involved some form of distance learning, as I think that if people wanted to learn this way - they'd just attend open university etc?
I know I came to Uni for the experience aswell as the degree which I knew would be taught to me f2f, if I wanted to do a majority or more than this unit, at a 'distance' level, then I would have probably came to the conclusion that I think I would of been just as better off doing a distance learning degree sort of thing.
Hi megan! In response to your question on availability of resources such as academic books, I found the following exert from the article:
“Printed teaching materials are available to supplement radio/television programmes for all courses. These materials are divided into three types: course books, reference books and study guides. Most of the course books, introduced or compiled by the CRTVU, are more or less the same as the textbooks used in conventional colleges and universities…These books can be bought at the shops of the national book retailers, New China Bookstores (Xinhua Shu Dian).”
Despite the sources being available, there is still the question of availability – in poorer regions, students perhaps do not have the financial status to afford some or all of the books/sources and so therefore may be disadvantaged. I personally think their work must have the same academic validity as our own university courses. There are of course alternative ways to gain access to academic materials – library resources for example, and even ‘google book search’ provides free sections of academic books! What do you think to this?
I see where you're coming from Amie and do agree.
I still think it's debtable WHY the TV university was invented though considering the already pre-lacking attendance at University's, you'd think that would put them off producing further Universitys - even through the TV!
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