电脑媒体通讯时代的远距离教育

Distance Education in the Age of Computer Mediated Communication

远距离教育是一种运用传播媒介完成教与学过程的教育形式。随着不断更新的远教媒体的引入,远距离教育也不断向前发展。从以书写和印刷材料为主要媒体的函授教育时代,到以广播电视为主要媒体的视听教育时代,直到本世纪90年代西方发达国家把电子通讯技术引入远距离教育,成为普遍使用的主要媒体,远距离教育进入了一个全新的电脑媒体通讯（Computer MediatedCommunication）时代,有专家把它称为第三代远距离教育。先进的计算机技术、现代通讯技术、多媒体技术以及信息高速公路的网络系统的运用,给远距离开放教育展现了一种独特的环境,显示出了巨大的潜在的能量。它改变了传统的教育观念,以及远距离教育定义中四大构成要素（教育者、受教育者、传播媒介和知识体）的含义,可以说是远距离教育的一次深层次的变革。

Distance education in the age of computer mediated communication (CMC), characterized by open-ing-up, flexibility and modernization, transcends not only physical distance, but various 'distance' and is becoming an integral part of lifelong learning.Traditional roles in learning process are redefined in terms of new learning modes and new roles are emerging such as distance education information dissemination collective, headmasters or learning community heads, coures tutors, designers, technicians, etc.CMC connects distance teaching with face-to-face teaching, showing a brand-new learning mode with the characteristics of active interaction and cooperative learning of groups. It will not only contribute to an equal, sensitive, individualized and student-dominant learning environment, but a completely new educational idea that regards learning as social and cooperative programs.With the continuous development of CMC technology and the rapid extension of the Information Superhighway , distance education has gone beyond boundaries and into the six continents. Virtual university represents an important model of distance education in the future. Nowadays, there are three kinds of virtual universities on Internet: 1) colleges providing on-line services and educational programs via networks in existing universities; 2) universities with electronic interface of distance courses jointly founded by independent academic agent and universities concerned; 3) on-line autonomous universities entirely depending on Internet. The advantages and characteristics of virtual universities are given more and more attention. 'British Open University World', 'International Distance Education University', etc mark the internationalization of distance education and a new age of global sharing of educational resources.