The Development and Applications of eLearning Technology Standards in China

Zhu Zhiting, East China Normal University

9/12/2008
(Original Publish Date: 8/1/2004)

eLearning in China is developing rapidly. Until now, 68 universities were approved to run distance education on a basis of eLearning. Besides, over 200 cyber-schools at basic education level are in existence. As a variety of technological specifications are used in developing platforms and online courseware, a lot of problems exist with resources sharing and system interoperations. The rapid development of eLearning rises a great demand on the use of a consistent set of standards. This paper describes the efforts made in China to create a comprehensive framework of eLearning technology standards. After an introduction to the background for the prosperity of cyber-education in China, this paper focuses on describing the efforts made by Chinese eLearning Technology Standardization Committee (CELTSC) in developing eLearning relevant standards. The architectural framework of Chinese eLearning technology standards will be presented and the profile of standardization projects will be described, followed by an introduction to activities carried out by CELTSC to promote applications of the standards.