The development of the cyber education software industry in China

Zhang Jian, Wen Fu-an and Ge Zi-gang
Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications
Beijing, China

Cyber education is based on Internet computer telecommunication and interactive multimedia technology. It has the following features: the diversification of means of teaching; interaction between teaching and learning; individualized instruction; and sharing of teaching resources. It can greatly improve students' learning environment, make teaching student-centred, reduce teachers' teaching load, relieve the burdens of day school and reduce the gap between schools' achievements -- thus providing a self-teaching mode for those who cannot afford day school education, letting schools in underdeveloped areas receive help from those in developed areas, and making learning a lifelong pursuit for everyone. The application of cyber education offers a great opportunity for the development and reform of education.

With the establishment of a Chinese market economy and the development of cyber education software in the world, cyber education software has become more and more industrialized. This industrialization is achieved by abiding by the rules of cyber education and the macro-regulation of the government and by borrowing successful management practices from enterprises, for example in areas such as marketing, cost management and quality supervision. The market for cyber education software can regulate the development of cyber education.

Based on an analysis of the market scale and the application of a cyber education software system in China, this paper indicates directions for its development, emphasizing that the cyber education software industry should be integrated, collaborative and planned as a whole, with shared resources. This paper also proposes a comprehensive student-centred cyber education system which includes instruction, practice, tests, questions and answers. The quality of cyber education should be strengthened by technical means.