Regulations Restricting Internet Access: Attempted Repair of Rupture in China\u27s Great Wall Restraining the Free Exercise of Ideas

The People\u27s Republic of China is in a paradox: While China needs computer networks to assist its plans for modernization, the government fears the uncontrolled exchange of information between China and the rest of the world. Therefore, the People\u27s Republic of China enacted restrictive regulations controlling Internet usage. This comment examines China\u27s attempt to control Internet use in light of these regulations and current censoring technology viewing China as a test case for other countries. Ifa combination of an authoritarian government, restrictive regulations, and physical network controls cannot prevent users in China from accessing and supplying prohibited information, then similar efforts by other countries will likely fail as well

Expanding Access to Learning

Universities by tradition are established to teach, conduct research, and provide services to communities. With the computer and modem, the classrooms and ivy-covered walls of today\u27s colleges are becoming artifacts of education as it used to be. What we call non-traditional today because they are delivered through various distance learning technologies (computer, videotape, correspondence etc.) will become the preferred delivery system for education in the 21st century. Especially in developing countries, open universities are playing a more important role than tradition ones to make higher education available to more people--especially adults--principally through a system of open access and distance education. Launched in 1981, the Self-Taught Higher Education Examinations Program (SHEE) is a component of the higher education system of china. SHEE, run by the National Education Examinations Authority (NEEA), provides an alternative way to obtain diplomas for people who cannot access the general universities and colleges. It is a form of higher education combining independent study, social assistance, and state examinations. It has been claimed as the world\u27s largest self-study higher education system with 56 of every 10,000 people in the country having attended self-study examinations for the equivalent of a college diploma. All the citizens of the People\u27s Republic of China (PRC), regardless of sex, age, ethnic group, race, or level of education, can take the examinations. Basically, SHEE is not only an examination system but also a type of open university of distance education system. One of its apparent weaknesses is that there is not a campus with the education. The examinees or the students lack enough guidance in their learning process. It is hard for them either to find partners to communicate or facilities such as libraries and labs to utilize. Under these circumstances, the promotion of learning assistance has become the focus of the system. The International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) is the Global membership organization of educational institutions, national and regional associations, corporations, educational, authorities and agencies in the fields of open learning, distance education, and flexible, life-long learning. Founded in 1938, the mission of the ICDE is to help provide education for students and children living far away from schools. The International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) has become over the years the global membership organization in the field and is now (in 2002) present in 142 countries. The majority of its membership is composed of educational institutions at all levels (schools, colleges, universities), but it also includes national and regional associations, corporations, educational authorities and agencies, active in open, virtual and distance learning. Universitata Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) (Catalonia, Spain) is a virtual university with a global and pioneering focus. UOC offers use of information and communications technologies (ICT). This enables it to overcome barriers imposed by time and space and to offer model of education based on personalized attention for each student. At the UOC, students, professors, and administrators interact and cooperate on the Virtual Campus, making a university community which uses the Internet to create, structure, share, and disseminate knowledge. Since 2001, ICDE, UOC, and NEEA have worked on a project entitled Developing EU-China e-learning Model and Capacities, which has been financially aided by the Council of Europe. The purpose of the project is to promote the e-learning in China by introducing the leading technology and experience in distance education and e-learning of European countries. The project consists of three phases: (1) a study comparing and contrasting the distance education systems and current situations in China and EU, (2) development of a model for virtual education in China, where three questions regarding three aspects are answered: content, teaching methodology, and delivery technology, (3) the development and testing of a platform. The current paper will track and summarize the research activities conducted during the project and explore the education theory and models involved in the project. The advantages and disadvantages, feasibilities and difficulties of e-learning will be discussed as well

Annual Report of Undergraduate Research Fellows, August 2011 to May 2012

Annual Report of Undergraduate Research Fellows from August 2011 to May 2012

University students' use of technologies in China

Much has been written in the last few years about 'Net Generation' students in western industrial advanced countries (e.g. Kennedy et al. 2007; Salaway et al. 2008; Jones et al. 2010). However little is known about these students and their use of technologies at universities in China. As one of the first empirical studies of the Net Generation university students' use of technologies in mainland China, a survey was administered to students across eight disciplines in one university during May-July 2010. The aim was to understand how university students in mainland China use technologies in their daily lives and to support their learning. In total, 2920 students completed the survey and 29 students participated in the follow up interviews. The results indicate that students are not naturally competent with technologies and there is a diverse range in students' experiences with technologies even within the age group. There are statistically significant differences in students' access and skill levels with ICT across gender, disciplines and year of study. Students are frequent users of instant messaging (1M), blogs and social networking sites (SNS). Nevertheless, the use of more recent web 2.0 technologies that are often associated with this generation is relatively low. There are also an increasing number of students who access the Internet via their mobile devices. Computers and the Internet have not been fully integrated into the university system, and most students use computers and the Internet for social and leisure purposes more than for learning. More in-depth investigation into students' technology practice is essential in developing appropriate guidance towards a digital culture at university in China

Shape as a measure of weapon standardisation: From metric to geometric morphometric analysis of the Iron Age ‘Havor’ lance from Southern Scandinavia

© 2018 Traditionally, standardisation of manufacture has been investigated using metrics (e.g. length and width) and compared in terms of the coefficient of variation (CV). This paper argues that standardisation should not only be investigated via metrics, but also in terms of shape. An Iron Age lance head type (‘2018;Havor‘2019;), known from three main weapon depositions in Southern Scandinavia, is used as a case study to test the effectiveness of shape analysis against traditional metric analysis for investigating standardisation. Geometric morphometric (GMM) analysis is used to measure the overall shape variation and to test shape difference of the same lance type coming from three different archaeological sites. The results demonstrate GMM to complement the traditional metric approach. Whilst metric measurements offer insights into Havor lance standardisation, the results from multivariate analysis of GMM data provides further explanation about the source of variation in terms of shape, including an assessment of object symmetry. This paper represents the first known methodological application of GMM analysis to iron weapons and demonstrates it to be an effective method for studying product standardisation in terms of shape variation

Issues and Trends in Collection Development for East Asian Legal Materials

The authors delineate the general policy and guidelines for developing foreign and transnational law collections in U.S. law libraries, and they analyze factors that shape East Asian collections, such as law libraries' preservation and digitization efforts and their related cost-efficiency, and the availability and quality of English translations. The authors then discuss the main sources for Korean, Japanese, and Chinese law

Issues and Trends in Collection Development for East Asia Legal Materials

The authors delineate the general policy and guidelines for developing foreign and transnational law collections in U.S. law libraries, and they analyze factors that shape East Asian collections, such as law libraries’ preservation and digitization efforts and their related cost-efficiency, and the availability and quality of English translations. The authors then discuss the main sources for Korean, Japanese, and Chinese law