China Central Radio and Television University

Contributors


About the University
Open University of China (OUC) carries out distance educational activities using a integration of three networks, including a satellite TV network, a computer network, and the network of open universities' full-time and part-time faculty in China, i.e., the air network, the ground network, and the human network. This integration has become a prominent feature and strength of the open education in the OUC. OUC initiated its open education for the public in 1999. In 2007, this form of education passed the summative evaluation by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China and was considered an independent educational form in the modern national educational system and lifelong educational system. By the autumn of 2008, 5,501,100 students had registered in the open universities in China with 2,766,500 active students, which accounted for over 2/3 of the total number of students receiving China's modern distance education. Up to 2,679,700 students have graduated, and its educational partners include 21 key conventional universities and 17 industry ministries in China.

Historical Development
In 1978, the proposal to establish Radio & TV Universities was approved by senior leader Deng Xiaoping. In February 1979, China Central Radio & TV University (CCRTVU), together with other 28 RTVUs, started to offer ODL programs throughout the country. Through more than 30 years of their joint endeavors, a nationwide ODL system has been formed in China. CCRTVU is under direct supervision of the Ministry of Education in China and the local RTVUs are under the jurisdiction of their locality in administration, but mainly under the control of CCRTVU’s academic management. CCRTVU is playing an important role in designing, collaborating and guiding ODL academic development within the system. CCRTVU will not only work out criteria, but also be responsible for evaluation. The CRTVUs system is with the aim of providing learning opportunities and quality education to all people in the society, particularly those in grass-roots units, remote and rural areas and ethnic minority regions.

Organizational Structure


Instructional System


School of Studies/Faculties
 OUC consists of six academic faculties: Faculty of Arts & Law, Faculty of Economics & Management, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Teacher Education, Faculty of Foreign Languages, and Faculty of Agroforestry & Medicine. OCU also has many schools addressing to specified groups of learners for degree programmes, such as Bayi School, Zongcan School, School for the Air Force, School of Tibet and School for the Disabled. Meanwhile, OUC has a School of Continuing Education dedicated to non-degree education programmes, China TV College of Teacher Education, China Liaoyuan Radio & TV School, and Secondary Technical School of OUC.

Learning Support Network


Academic Programmes


Enrolment and Success
 The target students of RTVU degree courses are Chinese citizens with secondary edu-cation qualification or the equivalent. The students have to pass the national entrance examinations set by the State Education Commission (SEdC) for either fresh school leavers or for adult higher education. They can study full-time, part-time or in their spare time. Students in continuing education and in other forms of non-degree education who want to extend their knowledge and to upgrade their professional skills are not required to take entrance examinations.They can obtain certificates on gradua-tion. Up to 1996, nearly 3 million students had been enrolled on degree courses with the RTVU system, from which over 2 million have graduated. The total number of undergraduates at present is 690,000 (including 150,000 "open entrance students" who are not required to take entrance examinations).

Over 600,000 secondary and primary school teachers have completed the satellite teacher training programmes and received diplomas or certificates at either tertiary level or secondary level. Furthermore, around 500,000 in-service adults have followed the courses offered by the Central Radio & TV Specialized Secondary School and received certificates. This category of students following courses at the moment numbers 400,000. The pilot programme of “BA courses” has 3,000 students. At present, the number of all types of undergraduate within the RTVU system exceeds one million.

Administration and Governance


Finance and Budget


Research


Extension Activities


International Reach


Acheivements and Highlights


Reflections
