Live and Learn
Online education enlivens the classroom but also poses challenges
Hu Heng, a 6-year-old learning English in Yangzhou in Jiangsu Province, east China, takes lessons on a mobile app every day at 8 p.m. On November 22, the topic was how to make a cake.
Jackson, a teacher from the U.S., explained the materials needed and the process of baking, followed by practicing some simple greetings with his students. Hu was amused by Jackson’s exaggerated body language. The interactive component of the app, created by an educational institution, is especially attractive: It allows Hu to share ideas with his classmates and teacher.
Xu Hongyang, Hu’s mother, told Beijing Review that the boy had been studying on the app for six months and showed great interest in English. His younger sister sometimes imitates his pronunciation, although she is deemed too young to start learning.
“I heard about this app from a friend of mine whose first-grade daughter was learning English and math with it,” Xu said, adding that many parents she knows are opting for online learning.
Targeted solutions
“My husband and I are busy on weekdays, so my mother-in-law takes care of our two children. It is impossible for her to take Hu to a cram school after regular school hours,” Xu said.
One of the reasons Xu chose the app is that she can receive feedback on her son’s performance through the program, while there is always a staff member checking students’ homework online, including their oral English practice. She thinks professional teachers are qualified to teach her son. “I am afraid that my English pronunciation is not accurate enough and it will have a negative influence on my son,” she said.
To many people, flexible arrangements and not wasting time on the road are some of the advantages of online classes. App functions, such as being able to fast forward when knowledge is mastered or replaying areas that present difficulties, can improve the efficiency of learning.
According to a survey by Key Laboratory of Big Data Mining and Knowledge
Management, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 76.7 percent of parents are willing to pay for Internet-based educational products. Those with children in primary or middle schools and living in large cities make up the majority of users, spending nearly 6,500 yuan ($924) per year.
What’s more significant is that with access to the Internet, students can enjoy various educational resources, overcoming barriers such as location, teacher shortages and financial difficulties.
According to a guideline issued by the State Council, China’s cabinet, in July to improve compulsory education, more free and high-quality teaching resources should be provided to rural and remote areas. Applying Internet technologies, schools in these areas can develop excellent curricula, playing a positive role in improving the quality of teaching.
In addition, online education provides convenient channels of learning for people keen on new job and living skills such as computer programming and photography.
Song Meiting, 27, has been learning translation through online classes. In her current job in Zhuhai in the southern province of Guangdong, she has to often interact with foreign companies, which has made her want to improve her foreign language skills.
“The only drawback is that this mode of study doesn’t include face-to-face interaction with teachers,” she said.
The recent Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th Communist Party of China Central Committee called for the establishment of a lifelong learning system for the public. Online platforms are expected to contribute to this goal since they are able to meet the specific demands of different groups with diverse knowledge and information resources.
Prominent issues
According to a report on Internet development released by the China Internet Network Information Center, by June, the Chinese audience for online education was 232 million, accounting for 27.2 percent of all Internet users. Statistics released by iimedia Research, a Chinese market consultancy, showed that the market is growing and is expected to exceed 450 billion yuan ($63.98 billion) by 2020.
Yang Cheng, an assistant researcher at the National Academy of Education Administration, told People’s Daily that online learning has developed into one of the main patterns of education in the country, attributing its fast growth to a low industry entry threshold, the lack of regulation and huge potential with a lot of capital. This has inevitably led to many challenges.
A lot of companies have introduced their online education products in schools. But many teachers only use them when preparing lessons because the developers fail to make clear to teachers and students the advantages of online education. Institutions should create more scenarios to help students gain a better understanding of and have an opportunity to practice what they have learned online, according to industry insiders.
Currently, many parents and students complain that teachers from online institutions do not have official certificates proving their teaching competence.
However, according to a circular issued by the Ministry of Education (MOE) in November 2018, all online education institutions are required to register with provinciallevel authorities, providing details such as targeted students, curricula and course duration. They should also post names, photos and teacher certificates of their employees on their websites.
Chu Zhaohui, a researcher at the National Institution of Education Sciences, told China Youth Daily that China is still in the primary phase of combining the Internet with education. He said requirements for online teachers should be specified and uncertified teachers should not be allowed to give lessons.
“If senior teachers in schools can participate in online education, users will have more opportunities to access high-quality teaching resources,” Chu said, adding that educators should uphold the right concepts of teaching and follow relevant rules.
Regulation underway
In July, six central government agencies released a guideline for the regulation of the online education industry, including the MOE, the National Radio and Television Administration and the Ministry of Public Security. It said institutions should design their classes in accordance with students’ ages and each lesson should not exceed 40 minutes.
The document also said an overhaul of online education institutions would be completed before the end of the year, with the establishment of an Internet-based supervision mechanism and enhancement of public supervision. At the same time, a national management and service platform will be launched to help all enterprises in the industry to fulfill their responsibilities and strengthen product quality.
Regulation of online education is conducive to reducing students’ burden by providing them with quality products, according to China Education Daily. Specifically, online courses should focus on the needs of students, teachers and parents in a bid for better efficiency. In the process of developing mobile apps, issues of privacy and data security should be taken into consideration. It is also necessary to add a time usage monitoring feature for protection of users’ eyesight and prevention of Internet addiction.