University of Massachusetts Signs Groundbreaking Agreement with China
UMass Poised to Become First Approved Foreign University to Provide
Online Education in China
BOSTON (Business Wire EON/PRWEB ) March 31, 2008 --
The University of Massachusetts today announced the signing of an
agreement that places it on course to become the first foreign
university approved to offer online education courses and degree
programs in China. Under the agreement, signed in Beijing, officials
from UMass and from China’s Continuing
Education Association (CCEA) and the CerEdu Corporation will work
together to make UMassOnline, the University’s
award-winning distance education program, available to students
throughout China.
Plans call for UMassOnline to offer credit and non-credit courses,
certificate programs, and degree programs from all five UMass campuses
-- through online and face to face programs -- throughout China. Forty
UMassOnline courses, four certificate programs, and one master’s
degree program could be made available in China within a year.
“We are very proud to have been chosen by our
partners in China to enter into this agreement,”
said University of Massachusetts President Jack M. Wilson. “We
have developed one of the best online education programs in the world,
and that is increasingly being recognized around the globe.”
“UMass has forged extensive ties with partners
in China – a nation that has emerged as an
economic and scientific superpower – and
those academic and research connections will pay many dividends for our
students and for the citizens of the Commonwealth in the years to come,”
Wilson continued.
The agreement flows out of the academic and research partnership that
was formed in 2006 with the signing of a groundbreaking Memorandum of
Understanding between UMass and Tsinghua University. Both CCEA and
CerEdu Corporation are affiliated with Tsinghua University, which has a
close relationship with the Chinese Ministry of Education.
The Ministry of Education has final approval power over distance
learning programs in China and currently does not recognize the college
credits or degree credentials earned in China via distance learning
offerings from any foreign-based academic institution. In fact, only 68
universities within China have been authorized by the Ministry to
deliver online programs.
“This joint venture will position UMassOnline
to receive the Ministry’s approval to provide
online education and grant degrees throughout China,”
said David Gray, CEO of UMassOnline. “With a
population nearing 1.3 billion, the opportunity in China is enormous and
we look forward to collaborating with both the CCEA and CerEdu to
develop online learning programs of the highest quality.”
President Wilson has led the University’s
increasing march toward greater global engagement, which has focused on
creating opportunities for students and faculty to collaborate on
research and academic opportunities as well as nurturing government and
industries ties for the benefit of the Commonwealth.
Addressing today’s milestone agreement, Yan
Jichang, Vice Chairman and General Secretary, CCEA, said, “The
importance of this strategic partnership cannot be overstated. Gaining
support throughout all of China and from the Ministry of Education for
UMassOnline, with the intention of encouraging, introducing, approving
and sustaining high-quality online courses from a leading university
already well-known to us, is important to the future of China’s
place in the league of nations and the aspirations of our students to
achieve world class academic credentials.”
Zhu Yidong, Vice Chairman of the Cernet Education Corporation said, “The
combination of our powerful distance learning platform with UMassOnline’s
Vista learning management system creates a ‘best
of both worlds’ offering, in terms of
technology and course quality, for recruiting, teaching and empowering
students throughout the many regions of China and achieving the best
possible outcomes.
“Within five years,”
he continued, “with Ministry approval
protocol and UMass exclusive rights still in place, the parties to this
agreement in my opinion will have gradually offered online courses of
such high-quality and breadth that we will have clearly demonstrated the
efficacy of online instruction and will have paved the way for other
foreign universities to enter the China market.”
About UMassOnline
UMassOnline, the online learning division of the University of
Massachusetts, provides the highest quality education offered by the
UMass system in a flexible, online format enabling students,
professionals, and lifelong learners to take courses anywhere, anytime.
With 75 undergraduate and graduate degree, certificate and professional
development programs and more than 1,500 individual courses, UMassOnline
offers one of the largest accredited online programs available. Programs
span the disciplines for which the University is best known: liberal
arts, education, management, nursing, public health, information
technology, and other disciplines. All UMassOnline courses are taught by
the same award-winning faculty who teach on-campus, offering online
students the same rich experience as the face-to-face classroom.
Students from around the world and from almost every state are among our
32,718 enrollees. For more about UMassOnline, go to www.umassonline.net
or visit our blog at www.umassonlineblog.com.
About CCEA and CerEdu
The China Continuing Education Association (CCEA) is a national academic
society focusing on continuing education research. Its secretariat is
set in the Education and Training Administration Office of Tsinghua
University, Beijing, China. CerEdu Corporation, a subsidiary company of
Cernet Corporation, is devoted to online education, transnational
education, professional development, and certificates. Based on Cernet’s
network infrastructure across China, CerEdu has built the CerPlatform
for distance learning and has established sites for distance learning in
China’s provinces.
MULTIMEDIA GALLERY http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=5646028
See the original story at: http://eon.businesswire.com/releases/china/education/prweb818454.htm
Post Comment:
Trackback URL: http://www.prweb.com/pingpr.php/SW5zZS1TaW5nLUZhbHUtTWFnbi1TdW1tLVplcm8=
Trackbacks/Comments Received
马萨诸塞大学(UMass)获准在中国提供在线教育课程
from www.quhuashuai.com on Apr 10, 2008
|
|
|
|
Post Comment:
Trackback URL: http://www.prweb.com/pingpr.php/SW5zZS1TaW5nLUZhbHUtTWFnbi1TdW1tLVplcm8=
Bookmark -
Del.icio.us |
Furl It |
Technorati |
Ask |
MyWeb |
Propeller |
Live Bookmarks |
Newsvine |
TailRank |
Reddit |
Slashdot |
Digg |
Stumbleupon |
Google Bookmarks |
Sphere |
Blink It |
Spurl
|
