White Paper on Digital Learning

2006-07-04

As digital learning becomes the world's new learning trend, related issues have also attracted attention from governments across the world. They include short software hardware lifespan leading to huge investment in infrastructure while taking a long time for the results to show, the high cost of developing teaching materials, teachers and students having insufficient knowledge in information knowledge, teaching support and learning services are insufficient, and the lack of new and effective digital learning modes. How to promote comprehensive matching measures and fully realize the benefits of digital learning is a subject that everyone has to face with a positive attitude.

In terms of the development of digital learning, in 2006 higher education had entered the stage of on-the-job digital learning classes on a trial basis, while digital learning in primary and secondary schools focuses on nine-year consistent teaching, helping children of remote areas and disadvantaged families to study, and the sharing of teaching resources. In 2006, IT courses are included in the guidelines for nine-year consistent teaching and information courses will become electives in senior high schools starting 2009.

In terms of promoting digital learning science and technology in educational measures, the goals are to build a well-rounded information infrastructure, raise the quality of teachers, supply e-teaching resources, digital learning and learning support services. In terms of infrastructure, based on the existing web access at every school, we will establish the standards for various kinds of e-classrooms in order to obtain funding to subsidize counties/cities to turn primary and secondary schools into comprehensive e-schools, allowing teachers and students to access e-learning services easily. In terms of fostering the information knowledge of teachers, over the years over one million teachers have participated in training courses with nearly 600 information seed schools established. In the meantime, web learning methods are used to provide teachers located on offshore islands and in remote areas with on-the-job training courses. In the future, efforts will be made to expand the scale of the training and refine the courses. In terms of teaching resources, the MOE has established websites such as a learning gas station, Etoe learning resources net, six major learning nets for use by teachers, students, and parents across the nation. The learning gas station focuses on providing content and teaching materials. Etoe learning resources net emphasizes the sharing of teaching resources, while the six major learning nets give priority to nine-year consistent e-learning event design. In the future, based on the spirit of Creative Commons, sharing of learning resources of the public and private sectors will be expanded. In the meantime, promotion will be stepped up to meld e-learning resources into teaching venues and after-school learning. Building e-learning and learning support service systems are the objectives of future work aimed at strengthening the functions counties/cities' web centers have in the maintenance and development of e-learning resources and combining national education guidance corps and multimedia professional groups to play the role of friendly teaching support.

The focuses of development of the educational system in 2006 are as follow:

(1) Promoting a digital learning certification mechanism and on-the-job degree-track programs to promote development of digital learning of higher education

It has been many years since the development of synchronous and asynchronous online teaching was launched. Currently, more than 60 schools offer online teaching with credit courses offered exceeding 1,700 and nearly 120,000 students taking the courses. Particularly, more and more students are enrolling in on-the-job programs, extension education, and overseas schools programs through digital learning. To raise the quality and quantity of digital learning, the MOE in August 2005 amended and issued the Guidelines for the Operation of Remote Teaching at Junior Colleges and above. With the matching measures of certification of digital learning, recognition of the number of credits earned through digital learning has been relaxed from one-third of the total credits needed to graduate to one half. In March 2006, under the Guidelines for Trial Application and Review of Digital Learning Master Programs and Essentials for Application for Certification of Digital Learning, programs having passed MOE certification and review are permitted to confer digital learning master degrees.

Applications for on-the-job digital learning classes on a trial basis are available for three years from 2006 to 2008. Currently, the classes cover the areas of humanities (including Mandarin) and the arts, electronics/information and materials, business administration and on-the-job training for primary and secondary school teachers. Schools offering such classes have to be pubic or private colleges and universities having had graduate schools of related fields with experience in digital learning courses. For 2006, a maximum of 13 classes will be approved. School with good results will be permitted to offer degree programs for additional fields.

(2) Training digital learning professionals

Digital learning professionals are trained in colleges and universities. Currently, nearly 14 digital learning-related departments are training the professionals needed by the digital learning industry. Until 2006, a total of 820 students have graduated. Meanwhile, the MOE offers courses on digital learning planner, digital teaching designer, digital media designer, digital learning basics programs to about 300 teachers and educational administrative personnel in an effort to train digital learning planning, digital teaching design, and digital media design individuals to help promote digital learning at schools. Students enrolled are all teachers of higher education, administrative personnel, and general educational administrative workers. Digital learning planner aims at training administrative personnel and decision makers of higher education or teachers in charge of promoting digital learning in schools in order for them to understand the infrastructure needed to plan digital learning, formation of teams, plan preparation, funds analysis, curriculum arrangements, resources allocation, and benefits assessment. Digital teaching designer aims at training abilities of teachers of higher education to engage in digital teaching design including design of teaching plans, materials, and activities, web diverse learning resources, assessment of digital learning, and teaching reviews. Digital media designer aims at training teachers to utilize information and communication technology (ICT) to prepare and handle teaching materials.

(3) Encouraging universities to form strategic alliances in order to develop international digital learning programs

Implementation of digital learning requires the union of different fields and professions, which takes establishment of teamwork to succeed. The MOE encourages universities to form inter-university, inter-industry strategic alliances in order to develop programs such as Mandarin, management, Chinese medicine, EMBA, and IT that possess high-quality output and establish a united operating mechanism. Furthermore, efforts will be made to spread digital learning courses with characteristics that will make them competitive in other nations.

(4) Promoting primary and secondary schools to participate in international web learning events and conduct visits and exchanges

Each year, the MOE selects information education teams from schools to visit overseas schools with the focus being R&D of curricula, innovation of teaching, ICT immersion teaching in an effort to promote and share our experience in immersing information in teaching. In the meantime, existing quality digital content is being spread to overseas schools in order to deepen cooperative learning relationships with international educational partners and develop fusion of teacher-student culture and international view.

The MOE also makes efforts for universities to help primary and secondary schools participate in international web learning events. In 2005, Taiwan participated in the Web Learning Event of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Symposium. Of the 33 teams that won prizes of various categories, 30 were from Taiwan . The outstanding performance by Taiwan 's schools lies primarily in the teaching enthusiasm of the teachers. They often use their after-school time to help and guide students through various learning assignments. Because of high English and good information application abilities of the students, teachers and students were able to cooperate and exhibit brilliant performance.

(5) Developing characteristic exemplary digital learning courses and curriculum

Plan and develop general digital learning courses based on the needs of school teachers and students. They include arts, life education, personal knowledge management, sciences, and languages. Promoting digital learning mode through inter-school, inter-industry cooperation in order to provide quality exemplary digital learning courses and introduce the mode and results to digital learning in colleges and universities.

( 6 ) Consolidating res ources in order to provide ample digital learning content and establishing an exchange and sharing environment

Consolidating human resources that include content experts, primary and secondary school teachers, IT groups, and private art and cultural foundations to develop and promote six major learning nets. In 2005, about 370 schools participated with 1,235 academics, experts, and primary and secondary school teachers participating and 34,000 individuals involved. In addition, the Creative Commons authorization mechanism was promoted. Through teaching resources net exchange platform to consolidate digital teaching resources, they include the learning gas station, Smart Creative Teachers, EduCities, and county/city teaching resource net, providing teachers with a quality resource-sharing environment, encouraging creation, sharing, and use of teaching resources.