摘要
有关开放远程教育成本效益的早期研究表明,远程教育比面授教育更具成本效益。远程教育的成本主要取决于两个方面:入读学生人数;课程开发和传递的固定成本。然而,分析网上教育成本效益的实证研究可谓相当缺乏。本文首先介绍一些早期关于开放远程教育成本效益的研究结果;进而描述最近的网上教育的成本效益研究;最后,文章探讨了开放远程教育的重要主题,并对未来研究的领域提出了建设性提议。
This article analyzes the findings of existing studies of cost-effectivenes s of open and distance learning,which fall into four categories:(1)Major f actors affecting cost-effectiveness:These factors include the number of course s offered,frequency of course revision,type of media used,type and amount of student support,and attrition rate.Since the cost of developing a distance c ourse is one of the major expenses in open and distance learning,the most cost-effective ap-proach is to offer fewer courses for a larger number of students .(2)Effectiveness of open and distance learning:Studies show that open and distance learning is as effective as face-to-face learning and produces almost identical learning outcomes,regardless of the type of technology used.(3)C ost-effectiveness of open and distance learning:High-quality open and distanc e education is often more cost-effective than face-to-face education,especia lly in the case of on-the-job training and online learning.(4)Cost-effect iveness of online education:Factors affecting the cost and/or effective-ness of online education are the number of students in a course,number of courses of fered,number of multimedia components used,amount of instructor-led interact ion,type of online education platform,choice of synchronous versus asynchronou s online interaction,and completion rate. Given the rapid development of information and communication technologies, it can be expected that online tech-nology will bring changes in the forms of teaching and learning as well as to the educational institutions throughout the world at all levels.Issues to consider include sharing and reusing materials, building partnerships,identifying factors af-fecting effectiveness,bridging t he digital divide,and overcoming methodological limitations.Future studies sho uld focus on the following questions:Does standardization of the format of onli ne programs reduce costs without diminishing the quality of education and/or decreasing online interaction?To what extent can online resource sharing impro ve the cost-effectiveness of virtual education?How do different design strate gies for online courses affect cost-effectiveness?How can we improve cost-ef fectiveness,while maintaining high interactivity?How can economies of scale be achieved in specific contexts?How often must open and distance or online educa tion courses be updated or revised to maximize cost-effectiveness?
出处
《中国远程教育》
北大核心
2003年第5期26-32,共7页
Chinese Journal of Distance Education
