4.2 External Motive
Vigorous development trends in international higher education poses challenges to the prescribed development pattern of higher education in China, which is the external motive for attention to and participation in MOOCs. The MOOC itself is no mystery, but the creative spirit and technological innovation in it are worthy of concern. Seen from the perspective of distance online teaching, MOOCs are open courses offered by way of online learning. The model is not only 100 percent online, but is also open for learning mostly free of charge to all kinds of students. However, the lecture mode and standard of the mainstream MOOCs are by no means “new things”. In the past, Open University UK, established in 1969, offered an off-campus degree programme as another channel for higher education via distance education courses and learner support. One fact, however, must be recognized, that is, the vigorous development trend in the reform and development of global higher education has objectively posed an unprecedented challenge to the prescribed higher educational pattern in China. To recover the vitality of higher education in China, MOOCs require more conscious concern, at least at ideological, strategic, and technological levels. This can be regarded as the external motive for our current attention to MOOCs. In a sense, Today’s MOOCs can be regarded as both strategic and technological challenges posed by the development of global higher education to the development concept and mode of China’s higher education.
4.3 Value of MOOCs in China
How do we see MOOCs? What is the value of MOOCs in China? We hold MOOCs can be looked upon as a technological innovation useful in solving problems related to education and higher education in China, and that the value of MOOCs to open universities comes mainly in the form of educational equality and resource sharing.
4.3.1 MOOCs Regarded as a Technological Innovation in Solving Problems of Education and Higher Education in China
MOOC's development is the result of the deep interaction and integration between technology and education. Thus, MOOCs here can be regarded as a technological innovation to solve an education problem. As the above analysis on the concern over MOOCs in China points out, China’s higher education problems and needs converged to generate innovative motive, creating the pressure to bring about innovative action. On the other hand, MOOCs, with the remarkable feature of innovative technology and its intrinsic value, can become a useful guide and strategic partner to assist China at this crossroads, providing a technological transition towards the modern reform and development of higher education.
4.3.2 The Value of MOOCs to Open Universities Focused on Education Equality and Resource Sharing
The development of distance education, especially its vigorous endeavors in the field of higher education, was witnessed in the 20 years after the establishment of China Central Radio and TV University (CCRTVU) in 1979. Namely, with the full implementation of the “modern distance education project” in 1999, e-learning has been successively introduced in 68 universities, upgrading degree education for a broad mass of distance learners with the willingness to learn. However, over the next 20 years, distance education in China will face a strategic transition period along with quite a few theoretical and practical problems. In July 2010, the National Outline for Medium and Long-term Education Reform and Development (2010-2020) was formally issued for implementation, making it the first educational plan released in China since entering the 21st century. It is a programmatic document to guide national education reform and development in the new era. “Distance education” is clearly mentioned three times in the outline, involving the development and application of quality education resources, system construction of online teaching resources, online learning courses, online teaching modes, and so on. Under this plan, a clear direction has been delineated for problem settlement and for the development of distance education in China, and higher requirements have been set for the reform and transition of open universities. The most powerful motivating force for change is capital investment in online education, and in the second most powerful is technology, such as cloud-based storage technology and mobile Internet. Therefore, driven by these double engines, universities with years of experience in distance education feel a kind of “reverse” in the face of MOOCs to some degree. That is to say, capital and technology not only boost open universities but also put pressure on them, bringing new opportunities to both teachers and students. These teachers and students then become advocates of MOOCs, their opinions and experiences easily reaching those of similar socio-economic status and education, shaping their perceptions and adoption of MOOCs during its early stages of implementation.
Therefore, attention is given to MOOCs in the development of higher education in China, China's distance education establishment, and open universities in particular, must be concerned with MOOCs and work to better adapt to current trends. The goal is to consciously check, build, optimize, and upgrade the acquired course resources so as to fully utilize such resources. An endeavor will be made to better appreciate the learners’ right for education and learning, of their own social communication skills and active learning, getting the overwhelming majority of learners (besides the active participants) to join in online learning in different areas (with rural and minority areas included); an endeavor will be made to better appreciate traditional education and teaching, as well as management, leading teachers to perceive and adopt MOOCs and assisting those who want to learn. Above lists may be where the true value of open universities’ concern for MOOCs lies.