美国国家技术大学三次转折对我国远程教育的启示

The Three Turns of National Technological University in USA and Its Implications to Distance Education in China

美国国家技术大学（NTU）是世界著名的虚拟大学，与美国著名工科院校合作开展远程工程硕士教育已有20多年历史。但是，近年来NTU经历了三次重大转折：第一次转折，NTU成立了一个赢利性的、非学历教育的远程教育公司，由原来的一所非赢利性大学，分裂为两个实体；第二次转折，NTU被一家更有经济实力的远程教育公司兼并，转变成为该公司的一所附属在线大学（公司）；第三次转折，由单独运营的附属大学（公司）转向大公司中另一远程教育大学下属的一个专门学院。本文分析了这三次转折的原因，并提出这三次转折对中国远程教育的启示。

National Technological University（NTU）in USA is a well─known virtual university in the world. It has been over 20 years for NTU to collaborate with some famous universities of Engineering in USA and offer programmes on Master of Engineering through distance mode. However， the NTU underwent three important turns in the development. The first one was from non─profit─made university to a company with profit─made through offered non─degree award distance education programme. The second turn was to be merged by a stronger distance education company and transferred to be an attached online university. The three turn was to be a special college of another distance education university. This paper analyzed the reasons of three turns and discussed its implications to distance education in China.