Perspective Chapter: Implementing Inclusive Education through Informatization – A Case Study on Promotion of MOOCs in Western China

Abstract

This paper reports on the implementation of Promoting Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in Western China, an initiative over a span of 10 years aimed at promoting the MOOC education model in the Western region of China, which plays a crucial role in inclusive education, breaking down geographical barriers and empowering individuals to pursue lifelong learning and realize their full potential. By 2022, this Initiative provided 10,000 customized MOOCs to Western universities, benefited over 2300 universities nationwide, engaged 39.3 million students, and trained 250,000 teachers. The Initiative encourages collaboration and knowledge sharing among educational institutions, promoting the development of localized online course content that aligns with the needs and interests of the local community. It also facilitates partnerships between educational institutions and industry stakeholders, fostering regional innovation and entrepreneurship. The analysis focuses on how the development of MOOCs for the Western areas started a journey of inclusive education, resulting in qualitative and quantitatively scaling education opportunities. By presenting the trajectory and outcomes of this Initiative, this paper demonstrates the positive impact of MOOCs in achieving inclusive education while also highlighting the challenges and difficulties encountered in the promotion process.

1. Introduction

Education has developed as a result of the development of informatization worldwide. During the past 30 years, the central government has strengthened national and regional network coverage in China. All primary and secondary schools in China have been connected to the network, and half have been equipped with wireless networks by 2020 [1, 2]. However, according to research findings by Paniagua and Istance [3], it is evident that the pedagogical approach employed in informatized education has a more significant influence on outcomes than the technology itself. Another previous study [4] also reveals that educational informatization is merely a means and tool, and its effectiveness ultimately depends on how we employ it in real-time situations. Regarding device construction, the focal point shall consider not only building hardware and software but also designing pedagogy and distance education resources. Constrained by historical development, natural environment, economic foundation, social conditions, and other factors, there is a significant imbalance in the development of higher education between the Eastern and Western regions of China. The issue of educational equity has become a vital and challenging factor that hinders the development of higher education in China, making the urgent realization of inclusive education through an informatized education initiative.

The emergence of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in the era of digital education has brought thoughtful impacts and transformations in modern education. MOOCs reshape and recombine globalized high-quality educational resources in entirely new ways through the Internet. Since MOOCs were introduced to China in 2013, MOOCs have had a profound impact on higher education nationwide, garnering significant attention from the Ministry of Education and receiving proactive responses from domestic universities, leading to the rapid development of new forms of education, such as the construction of new online open courses, MOOC platform development, and blended learning.

In the same year, the East-West Universities Curriculum Sharing Alliance (the Alliance) was established, which aimed to cultivate more high-level talents with professionalism, creativity, and international perspectives through cross-school and cross-regional education and teaching platforms. The Alliance promoted the Promoting MOOCs in Western China Initiative (the Initiative), which aimed to bridge the educational gap between Eastern urban and Western rural areas, bringing high-quality online courses and educational opportunities to remote and underprivileged communities.

In the past decade of rapid development of the Alliance and the Initiative, universities have made significant progress in constructing and promoting MOOCs, yielding fruitful results. The Alliance has played a unique coordinating role, serving as an essential link among different educational stakeholders, such as the Ministry of Education, universities, online education enterprises, and teaching guidance committees. It has become an efficient collaborative platform for the rapid aggregation of online educational resources and educational power across regions, disciplines, schools, and industries. This paper reports on how the 10 year development journey of the Initiative started a journey of inclusive education, resulting in scaling education opportunities both qualitatively and quantitatively, and provides insights into the future development trends of inclusive education in China.

2. Background

2.1 Inclusive education

The concept of inclusive education was initially proposed as a prominent policy imperative concerning children with special educational needs or disabilities, which is advocated as a strategy to eliminate barriers, enhance outcomes, and eradicate discrimination [5]. Later, there have been numerous calls for expanding the concept of inclusive education to higher education, that it is the responsibility of the university to address the needs of students to ensure students’ access, participation, and success [5, 6, 7].

Thomas [8] put forward the notion that with the gradual integration of historically marginalized collectives in higher education, participation in the university has become more inclusive. These collectives encompass students from diverse nationalities, ages, cultures, socio-economic backgrounds, and abilities. This increasing diversity has prompted research on how higher education institutions adapt to this new landscape. Many studies have focused on non-traditional student groups within the university setting, including those requiring additional support, such as students with disabilities, students from minority cultural groups, and students from low socio-economic backgrounds [9, 10]. Inclusive education asserts the entitlement of all university students to full participation and quality education.

2.2 Higher education disparities in China

China’s higher education system faces significant regional disparities, with universities in the Eastern region generally enjoying better resources and infrastructure than China’s Western counterparts. This inequality results in limited access to high-quality educational opportunities for students in the Western region, exacerbating educational disparities and hindering social mobility [11, 12]. This disparity, influenced by historical development, natural environmental, economic foundations, and social conditions, has become a focal and challenging issue hindering the overall advancement of higher education in the country [13, 14]. The issue of educational equity has become a crucial and challenging factor that hinders the development of higher education in China [15]. Meanwhile, addressing the significant imbalance in the development of higher education between the Eastern and Western regions of China is crucial for promoting economic and social progress in both areas.

2.3 Informatization in higher education

The necessity of education informatization emerges with the development of technology. The development trajectory of education informatization usually follows the sequence from simply using technology and modifying technology to serve the education needs to integrating technology to cover more comprehensive education practices [1]. Informatization refers to the integration of information technology and digital tools in various aspects of education. In higher education, informatization has the potential to enhance teaching and learning processes, improve access to educational resources, and bridge geographical and socio-economic gaps. By leveraging informatization, universities can share their educational resources, including courses and teaching materials, with other institutions, thereby promoting quality and equity in higher education.

Educational informatization also has the potential to contribute to educational equity in higher education [16, 17]. For instance, within a single institution, educational informatization facilitates equal dialog between teachers and students and strengthens peer interaction and collaboration. Outside one single institution, educational informatization enhances cooperation and communication between education and other sectors or industries, opening up possibilities for communication and collaboration between rural and urban areas and between different schools [15]. Some challenges exist in such collaboration. On the one side, despite these advancements, educational inequalities still persist in higher education due to factors such as regional economic disparities and disparities in high-quality educational resources [15, 18]. On the other side, it is widely acknowledged that individuals in diverse contexts, such as cities and universities, have a shared desire for an adequate knowledge infrastructure that enhances efficiency and eliminates redundancy. However, despite this recognition, the successful establishment of operational models in this regard has proven to be largely elusive [19], for shortcomings exist, such as high costs, outdated approaches, poor communication, and limited effectiveness. Under these circumstances, not all students are able to benefit from the advantages of educational informatization fully. Therefore, it is of great significance to explore how inclusive education can be achieved in the era of educational informatization.

3. The East-West university course sharing alliance and the promoting MOOCs in Western China initiative

3.1 Objectives

The rapid development of technology and the Internet has brought unprecedented challenges and opportunities to higher education, creating conditions and possibilities for the construction of a high-quality inclusive education system. China has been exploring the establishment of a relatively stable mechanism for targeted assistance between developed Eastern regions and underdeveloped Western regions, as well as between high-quality and weak institutions. In 2013, the East-West University Course Sharing Alliance (the Alliance) was established under this context. Under the guidance of the Ministry of Education, the Alliances is a voluntary, non-profit, non-legal entity alliance formed by universities. Its primary objective is to collectively promote the development of high-quality MOOCs in Chinese universities, establish hybrid and blended teaching models based on sharing high-quality courses, facilitate widespread sharing of excellent teaching resources, and drive universities toward a transition from traditional to informalized teaching methods. With the organization of a third-party operational mechanism, the platform serves as the center for teaching services. At the same time, universities actively participate to ensure the enthusiastic involvement of teachers and students [20]. The Alliance supports the improvement of the course teaching quality and talent development in Western universities in China, as well as meeting the demand of the people in the Western regions for sharing high-quality higher education resources. With this strong sense of responsibility and mission, constructing high-quality course resources and focusing on undergraduate teaching in Western universities are key objects of the Alliance’s work.

The Promoting MOOCs in Western China Initiative (the Initiative) was proposed by the Alliance in the same year (2013), with the aim of cultivating a greater number of highly skilled professionals with solid expertise and creativity through utilizing cross-school and cross-regional educational teaching platforms “TreeNity” [15]. The Initiative aims to harness the power of educational informatization to promote high-quality and inclusive higher education.

3.2 Implementation

The Alliance operates through an online platform, “TreeNity,” allowing universities to upload and share their course materials. Participating institutions can access a wide range of courses offered by other universities, enabling students to enroll in subjects that may not be available at their home institutions. Additionally, the Alliance encourages collaborative curriculum development and faculty exchanges, fostering a culture of cooperation among universities.

The Alliance adopts a combined model of flipped classroom and blended learning, which significantly extends classroom teaching, complements the limitations of traditional MOOCs, ensures the quality of learning, and reduces course dropout rates. The flipped classroom model provides students with more excellent learning space by moving the process of knowledge transmission outside the classroom, allowing students to choose the most suitable way to acquire new knowledge. The process of internalizing knowledge is then facilitated within the classroom, promoting communication and interaction among classmates and between teachers and students. Blended learning combines online video-based learning with small-group discussions. Teachers pose questions before class, and students search for information and engage in online learning. Subsequently, small-group discussions occur either in the classroom or through video streaming for inter-school interaction. The teacher concludes the session and deepens the understanding of the topic.

A shared course involves two parties: the offering and enrolling institutions. The lecturer from the offering institution is responsible for guiding the teaching team at their institution to assess the discussion sessions at various teaching locations, respond to student inquiries, and determine the grading criteria for both formative and summative assessments and exams. On the other hand, teachers from the enrolling institution are responsible for managing learning groups in the learning location and overseeing the discussions within the discussion groups. Additionally, each discussion group is assigned a teaching assistant who is responsible for facilitating and reporting the group discussions.

The bellowed section will report on the specific questions as follows:

1. How many phases of development can be distinguished in the Initiative?

2. In a span of 10 years, to what extent has the Initiative scaled the education opportunities (quantitatively)?

3. In a span of 10 years, what new paradigm of collaborative teaching emerged in the Initiative?

4. To what extent has the Initiative scaled the teaching development community?

4. Outcomes and impacts

4.1 Two phases of initiative development foci

Large scales, universal nature, and solutions for emergencies characterize the first phase (from 2013 to 2015). In the first phase, the Alliances promoted general MOOC courses in Western China.

The second phase started from 2015 to the present, characterized by tailor-made, minor scales and precise cooperation. In the second phase, universities in the Alliance take the shared master classes as the carrier, the teaching environment platform service as the basis, the school or college as the unit, and the close cooperation between the course development team and the course selection team as the key.

Through the exploration and practice in the two phases mentioned above, the participating universities in the Alliance have achieved the integration of educational philosophies and university cultures. This has facilitated the widespread sharing of high-quality educational resources among teachers and students. By gradually adjusting the management methods of teachers, students, and curriculum offerings, a new governance model for teaching quality has been established to ensure a considerable level of educational excellence.

4.2 Scales educational opportunities

By the end of 2022, TreeNity received more than 137 million visits by students who have participated in over 10,000 credit-bearing courses and received credits through the Alliance’s shared courses from over 700 universities in the Western region. Figure 1 shows the number of newly participated universities each year.

Figure 1.

The growth in the number of participating universities in the Alliance.

The Alliance has organized the participating universities to strengthen the development of high-quality online teaching resources. In the Initiative, the Alliances insist on learning content as the core to strengthen the development and supply of high-quality online teaching resources. Figure 2 shows the total number of courses built. Among these courses, 179 courses (including 32 courses in 16 universities in the Western region) have been awarded as first-class national online courses.

Figure 2.

The total number of MOOC courses built.

Figure 3 shows the number of people taking the courses, indicating that Since the Alliance was established, the total number of courses built and people taking the courses has increased yearly. The overall academic performance of students reported by universities in the Western region has improved significantly.

Figure 3.

The number of people taking the courses (thousand).

4.3 New paradigms of collaborative teaching

Adhering to taking students’ growth as the key point, the Alliance has combined the teaching needs of universities in the Western region and the teaching strengths of each course-building university and taken MOOC teaching reform as a breakthrough to build online, offline or blended classes, creating four new paradigms of collaborative teaching in specialized courses The first is paradigm of synchronous class for specialized courses, such as the online class “Computer Aided Design” between Sun Yat-sen University and Xinjiang University, and the “Inorganic Chemistry” synchronous class between East China University of Science and Technology and Kashi University, which has been in operation for seven semesters. The second is the paradigm of synchronous classes for specialized course clusters, such as the major of Transportation between Southwest Jiaotong University and Tibet University. The third is the paradigm of blended synchronous classes for specialized courses, such as the synchronous pilot class “humanistic geography” launched by East China Normal University and Xinjiang Normal University. The fourth is the paradigm of order-based synchronous classes for specialized courses, such as the synchronize class “Mechanical Design” between the South China University of Technology and Lanzhou Jiaotong University, during which students from the South China University of Technology and nearly 400 students from Lanzhou Jiaotong University immersed themselves in a live interaction through an online platform.

These four collaborative teaching paradigms were effectively implemented in 2021, with 37 universities offering courses and teaching support. During the spring and summer semesters, these initiatives covered 10 Western schools and 18 courses, while in the fall and winter semesters, they expanded to 15 Western schools and 65 courses.

4.4 Teaching reform service centers

The Alliance adheres to the trinity construction of the MOOC research and design sites, the teacher communication sites, and the teacher-student interaction sites. In 2016, the Alliance established the first offline station of TreeNity in Beijing, serving as the Initiative’s first teaching reform service center. Then, in September 2018, the first center in Western regions was established in Xinjiang. Furthermore, there have been 185 offline teaching reform service centers in 78 cities nowadays, promoting the academic of teaching and learning and building a teaching development community.

Figure 4 shows the number of teaching reform service centers. Over the past years, the centers have conducted over 50,000 teacher training sessions (over 3000 sessions conducted in universities in the Western region), with more than 250,000 teachers participating (over 30,000 of the teachers are from universities in the Western region).

Figure 4.

Total number of teaching reform service centers.

5. Discussion

5.1 Enhanced educational opportunities

The Alliance has significantly expanded the educational opportunities available to students in China’s Western region. Compared to traditional MOOCs, experience from the Initiative demonstrates higher completion rates and receives positive feedback on teaching and learning effectiveness from both teachers and students. Through access to courses offered by both Eastern and Western universities, students can study previously unavailable subjects, thus broadening their academic horizons and improving their competitiveness [21].

Also, compared to traditional educational assistance through the dispatch of teachers from Eastern to Western regions, the utilization of remote live interactive classrooms and the implementation of blended cross-institution teaching enhances its efficiency and fosters the promotion of inclusive education.

5.2 Knowledge exchange and collaboration

This case study emphasizes the role of networks and communities in promoting inclusive education, both online and offline. The Alliance has fostered knowledge exchange and collaboration among participating universities. In the Initiative, the offering institution, providing online teaching resources, and the enrolling institution, providing offline learning management, collaboratively engage students throughout their learning journey. The online and offline networks contribute to the sustained progress of online learning among MOOC participants, addressing the issue of low completion rates in traditional MOOCs [22]. By collaborative carrying out teaching sessions, faculty members have the opportunity to learn from their peers and share innovative teaching methodologies, and what they learn may inspire on their pedagogical skills [23], thereby improving teaching quality.

5.3 Teaching development community

Inter-university collaboration is facilitated through Internet technologies, enabling effective communication among communities (teaching reform service centers). The Alliance can facilitate research collaborations and launch joint projects by establishing offline teaching development communities, enhancing academic productivity, and promoting trans-regional cooperation. Universities and staff members rely on the communities to innovate the organization of teaching services by integrating online and offline approaches and gradually fostering a conducive academic atmosphere for teaching. Within each region, the community provides comprehensive services for teachers, ranging from online course design, production of educational resources, and management in blended learning to new paradigms of collaborative teaching. UNESCO has also emphasized the crucial role of well-designed, comprehensive, and blended guidance and training for teachers and technical support personnel in successfully managing and promoting the development of MOOCs [24]. The professional development activities could ignite teachers’ enthusiasm to actively engage in this Initiative and the reform of intelligent teaching and promote the practice and application of MOOCs within the university. This enables frontline teachers to engage in innovative teaching practices and exchange ideas, thereby facilitating a deep exploration of curriculum development and pedagogical reforms.

5.4 Reduction of educational disparities

By promoting the sharing of course resources, the Alliance has contributed to reducing educational disparities between Eastern and Western universities. The widespread sharing of high-quality teaching resources, new teaching paradigms, and teaching development training have helped address the shortage of teaching resources in Western China [22]. Students in the Western region now have access to a broader range of educational resources, narrowing the gap in educational quality and providing them with equal opportunities for personal and professional growth.

6. Conclusion

The East-West University Course Sharing Alliance and the Promoting MOOCs in Western China Initiative exemplify the potential of informatization in promoting high-quality and inclusive education. By leveraging digital platforms and new paradigms of collaborative teaching, the Alliance has successfully facilitated knowledge exchange, enhanced educational opportunities, and reduced educational disparities between Eastern and Western universities in China. This case study demonstrates the transformative power of informatization in enriching the quality and equity in higher education and advancing the goals of inclusive education, that is, to respond to the needs of all students and to ensure students’ access, participation, and success.

The Alliance aims to facilitate knowledge sharing, improve curriculum diversity, and enhance teaching and learning experiences by sharing course resources among participating universities. This collaborative approach fosters a supportive environment for students from different regions, contributing to a more inclusive educational landscape. Through the Alliance’s efforts and proven by the Initiative’s outcomes, it is anticipated that the benefits of informatization will extend beyond individual universities, ultimately promoting the advancement of higher education as a whole.

The Alliance and the Initiative play a unique and significant role in coordinating the balanced development of education between Eastern and Western regions, maintaining social stability, and promoting national unity. The Alliance and the Initiative have evolved beyond its original concept of Eastern universities supporting Western universities. It has transformed into a platform where universities from the East, Central, and Western regions of China can share high-quality resources and collaborate in exploring the integration of information technology and education reform to fulfill inclusive education. This Alliance serves as a cooperative, sharing, and mutually beneficial platform where educational achievements and reform outcomes are exchanged.

Therefore, the collaborative experience and accomplishments of the Initiative deserve further summarization and broader dissemination. In the future, based on the experience from this case, educational stakeholders such as principals and policymakers may take MOOC teaching reform as a breakthrough to promoting inclusive education. This report lists the following suggestions for future enlightenment.

First, inclusive education should strive for excellence in quality and quantity. It is crucial to establish a consensus on prioritizing education quality while pursuing quantity. Offering institutions within the Alliance should prioritize ensuring high-quality instruction and educational resources. At the same time, enrolling institutions should prioritize effective management services. Maintaining high quality should be the foremost consideration while ensuring steady growth in online resources and participating teachers.

Second, it is essential to optimize the overall categorization of shared courses within the Alliance, that is, to refine and diversify the types of courses available for sharing. Participating universities should be encouraged to leverage their respective resource advantages and develop different types of live classrooms and MOOCs. By embracing diverse instructional approaches and course categories, the Alliance can ensure a comprehensive and well-rounded curriculum that caters to diverse learning preferences and individual needs while fostering students’ holistic growth.

Third, there is a need to enhance the professional support for participating teachers. The universities can intensify training efforts for teachers involved in the Initiative, helping them acquire the new paradigms of collaborative teaching and enhance their skills and methods in new teaching.

Fourth, it is also essential to enhance students’ information literacy. The participating universities need to improve students’ digital literacy, including assisting students in mastering technology tools and training them in applying information, enabling them to integrate new information with existing knowledge systems and apply them critically in areas such as critical thinking and problem-solving.

In conclusion, higher education institutions shall be encouraged to utilize sharing and informatization as the key to collaboratively bridging educational gaps, as well as continuously establishing a teaching development community to create a more cohesive and inclusive educational system that benefits students and society as a whole.

Acknowledgments

Funding: The authors gratefully acknowledge the support provided by the Faculty of Artificial Intelligence in Education at Central China Normal University. This work was supported by the project “ Research on the Construction and Application of Intelligent Technology Empowered Learning and Teaching Evaluation Model” (Project Number: CCNUAI&FE2022-03-21).