A Narrative Case History of Distance Education Before, During, and After COVID-19 in China and Iran

Mohsen Keshavarz; Li Yuan

doi:10.21432/cjlt28275

Authors

Mohsen Keshavarz Department of E-Learning in Medical Sciences, School of Paramedical Sciences, Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences, Torbat Heydariyeh, Iran.
Li Yuan College of Education for the Future, Beijing Normal University Zhuhai Campus

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21432/cjlt28275

Keywords:

educational hub, COVID-19, Iran, China

Abstract

Educational hub refers to centres of excellence in higher education and research whose aims are to provide high-quality education for both national and international students to enhance the competitiveness of the country. These educational hubs provide an opportunity for knowledge exchanges and innovation in local regions through education and training. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, rapid shifts were made towards online learning in education around the world. Although the lockdown is over, remote learning will likely play an increasingly prominent role in education. The adoption of scaled remote learning during the pandemic provided evidence of the importance of online learning. They offer an insight into global society, helping prepare students for an increasingly interconnected world by facilitating links between different regions. Educational hubs can be tied to distance learning and are successful in attracting international students when offering a combination of distance learning methods and innovative programs. This paper examines the phenomenon of educational hubs in higher education for international education through online learning with digital technology. New opportunities for online and distance learning within the definition of educational hubs are analyzed, and three online and blended learning models that reflect the development of educational hubs based on COVID-19 conditions of education are offered. In addition, the successful cases and experiences of distance learning hubs in China and Iran in recent years are described.

Author Biographies

Mohsen Keshavarz, Department of E-Learning in Medical Sciences, School of Paramedical Sciences, Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences, Torbat Heydariyeh, Iran.

Dr. Mohsen Keshavarz is a faculty member in the Department of E-Learning in Medical Sciences, School of Paramedical Sciences at the Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences in Torbat Heydariyeh, Iran and holds a Ph.D. in virtual education planning. He is an energetic advocate of distance learning in his home country of Iran, having translated Tony Bates’s book Teaching in a Digital Age into Persian in addition to several other projects, some with international collaborators. Mohsen has recently been introduced as an international figure in the field of online learning by the site of Leaders and Legends of Online Learning.

Li Yuan, College of Education for the Future, Beijing Normal University Zhuhai Campus

Li Yuan is a professor at the Future Education Institute, Beijing Normal University Zhuhai Campus in China and holds a Ph.D. in ICT in Education from the School of Education, Queen’s University of Belfast. Most recently, Li works for the Centre for Educational Technology & Interperability Standards – Cetis - a national innovation support center at JISC, supporting technology innovations in institutions throughout the United Kingdom. Over the last decade, she has also worked on several large European Union funded technology-enhanced learning projects and has advised on the UK Open Education Resources Programme and several JISC e-learning programs. In 2014, she founded WoLearn (www.wolearn.org), an open online learning platform based in China, to promote openness, collaboration, and innovation in teaching and learning among academics and universities in China and Western countries, and to explore new pathways and models for international education.

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