DONGHUA E-LEARNING COLLEGE

In accordance with the replying document No.7 [2001] of the Department of Higher Education of the Ministry of Education, PRC,  Donghua University secured the formal approval of the Ministry of Education to be one of the 68 pilot institutions for modern distance education. Online Education College(OEC) of Donghua University (DU) was formally established in Nov. 2001. The college is also a member of the cooperation team of colleges set up by the eight pilot higher education institutions for modern distance learning of Shanghai. With Associate Prof. Zhu Deming as its director and Associate Prof. Gong Xiaoyang as its vice director, the college has 4 functional departments i.e. office, student affairs department, department of academic affairs and department of technology.

Ever since its establishment, relying on the excellent computer network environment of the campuses of the university, the Online Education College of Donghua University has made an investment of over RMB 2 million yuan in equipping high quality servers and storage array system with large storing capacity, widening the bandwidth and increasing the accesses to the network to secure a good online learning environment. At the same time, the college chooses the high-grade service platforms for teaching and learning and provides independent learning system, teaching on demand (TOD) etc. to facilitate the cooperation and interaction of the teachers and students during the processes of teaching and learning. Currently the college can provide the students with three ways of learning: One is independent learning by web browsing and TOD online; The second is cooperative learning in which the teachers and students can carry out question solving, discussion on BBS, E-mail and other interactions; The third is face-to-face tutorial. All the above can reliably guarantee the performance of online education. 

The orientation of Online Education College of Donghua University is taking continuing education for on-job adults as its major task, meeting the needs of the concerned trades and contributing to lifelong education and the construction of a learning society. During several years’ practice, relying on the academic features and advantages of Donghua University, the college insists on promoting and popularizing the university motto of “strictness, diligence, concreteness and innovation” and takes “standard school-running, strict administration, outstanding features and ensured quality” as its ideal. Up to the present day, the college has offered degree education programmes at sub-undergraduate and undergraduate levels in 9 specialties such as computer science and technology, modern logistics, fashion arts and design and international economy and trade etc. The students at undergraduate and sub-undergraduate levels who have finished the courses and other tasks prescribed in the teaching plan and have obtained qualified achievements can be granted the diplomas of Donghua University (A note of“×× Specialty by online education mode” shall be added.) acknowledged by the state and uniformly e-registered at the Ministry of Education. Those who are qualified for degree application can be conferred the bachelor’s degrees by Donghua University after submitting written application by themselves and receiving the approval of the Academic Degree Evaluation Committee of the university.

Online Education College of Donghua University responds actively to the West China Development Programme made by the Central Committee of the CPC. With the support of the university’s leaders, the college has participated in the project of Shanghai Baiyulan Distance Education Network and will provide modern distance education service for Tibet Autonomous Region, Xinjiang, Yunnan and the Three Gorges Reservoir Area that are supported by Shanghai as a counterpart. Currently the College of Network Education is just setting up Huamao Study Center in Anqing, Anhui to initially undertake experiments for modern distance education and make pre-stage preparation for boosting toward the Western and outlying regions.