新时期远程高等教育人才培养定位辨析

Convergence or Parallel:An Analysis of the Positioning of Distance Higher Education in the New Period

远程教育发展过程中的实践模式有很多，不同的模式在理论上又对应着不同的理论学派。本文从远程教育定位出发，将其分为"趋同"和"并行"学派。"趋同"学派认为远程高等教育和普通高等教育只是两种不同的教育形式，但培养目标和规格应该是一致的、趋同的；"并行"学派认为两者在理念和实践方法上有明显的不同，各具特色，其培养目标和规格也应有所不同，应该并行发展。目前中国远程教育形式繁杂，标准和办学模式多样，不利于其进一步的发展。本文分析了国内外远程高等教育的定位现状，在此基础上对中国远程高等教育发展定位的趋势做了探讨，为我国明确远程教育发展定位、实现学习型社会的建设目标有着重要意义。

In the history of distance education development, there are various practice models and different schools of thought. From the point of distance education positioning, the schools of thought fall into two camps-convergence education and parallel education. According to convergence school, distance higher education is only different from general higher education in the format of education, but they align in educational goals and standards. On the other hand, parallel education considers that these two types of higher education greatly differ in theories, practice, educational goals and standards. At present, distance education in China varies in formats, standards, and operation models. This unfortunately becomes a major obstacle in its further development. This paper first analyzes the positioning of international distance higher education. It then examines existing problems and the positioning trends of distance education in China. This approach is meaningful for clarifying distance education positioning and accomplishing the mission in establishing a learning society.