Agricultural information dissemination using ICTs: a review and analysis of information dissemination models in China

Open Access funded by China Agricultural UniversityOver the last three decades, China’s agriculture sector has been transformed from the traditional to modern practice through the effective deployment of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Information processing and dissemination have played a critical role in this transformation process. Many studies in relation to agriculture information services have been conducted in China, but few of them have attempted to provide a comprehensive review and analysis of different information dissemination models and their applications. This paper aims to review and identify the ICT based information dissemination models in China and to share the knowledge and experience in applying emerging ICTs in disseminating agriculture information to farmers and farm communities to improve productivity and economic, social and environmental sustainability. The paper reviews and analyzes the development stages of China’s agricultural information dissemination systems and different mechanisms for agricultural information service development and operations. Seven ICT-based information dissemination models are identified and discussed. Success cases are presented. The findings provide a useful direction for researchers and practitioners in developing future ICT based information dissemination systems. It is hoped that this paper will also help other developing countries to learn from China’s experience and best practice in their endeavor of applying emerging ICTs in agriculture information dissemination and knowledge transfer

Models for online, open, flexible and technology enhanced higher education across the globe – a comparative analysis

Digital technology has become near ubiquitous in many countries today or is on a path to reach this state in the near future. Across the globe the share of internet users, for instance, has jumped in the last ten years. In Europe most countries have a share of internet users near to or above 90% in 2016 (last year available for international comparisons), in China the current share is 53%, but this has grown from just 16% in 2007, even in Ethiopia the share has grown from 0.4% to 15.4% in the same period (data from ITU). At the same time expectations of widespread adoption of digital solutions in higher education have been rising. In 2017 the New Media Consortium’s Horizon Report predicted that adaptive learning would take less than a year to be widely adopted (Adams Becker et al., 2017). And projects such as ‘Virtually Inspired’ are showcasing creative examples of how new technologies are already being harnessed to improve the quality of teaching and learning. Furthermore, discussion of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals emphasise the key potentials that digital technology holds for achieving the goals for education in 2030 (UNESCO, 2017). These developments lead university and college leadership to the question of how they should position their institution. What type of digitalisation initiatives can be found practice beyond best practices and future potentials? This is the question that this study attempts to answer. It sets out to analyse how higher education providers from across the world are harnessing digitalisation to improve teaching and learning and learner support and to identify emerging types of practice. For this, it focuses on the dimensions of flexibility of provision (in terms of time, place and pace) and openness of provision (in terms of who has access to learning and support and who is involved in the design of learning provision), as both of these dimensions can significantly benefit from integration of digital solutions. The method of information collation used by the study was a global survey of higher education institutions (HEIs) covering all world continents, more than thirty countries and 69 cases. The survey found that nearly three-quarters of all HEIs have at least one strategic focus and typologies were developed based on this analysis to group HEIs with similar strategic focuses. Overall, the findings suggest that most higher education providers are just at the beginning of developing comprehensive strategies for harnessing digitalisation. For this reason, the authors of this study believe that providers can benefit from the outcomes of this study’s research, as it can be used by university and college leadership for benchmarking similarities and differences and for cooperative peer learning between institutions. The database of cases and the guidelines for reviewing current strategies, which accompany this study, aim to facilitate this learning and evaluation process

Strategies for sustainable socio-economic development and mechanisms their implementation in the global dimension

The authors of the book have come to the conclusion that it is necessary to effectively use modern approaches to developing and implementation strategies of sustainable socio-economic development in order to increase efficiency and competitiveness of economic entities. Basic research focuses on economic diagnostics of socio-economic potential and financial results of economic entities, transition period in the economy of individual countries and ensuring their competitiveness, assessment of educational processes and knowledge management. The research results have been implemented in the different models and strategies of supply and logistics management, development of non-profit organizations, competitiveness of tourism and transport, financing strategies for small and medium-sized enterprises, cross-border cooperation. The results of the study can be used in decision-making at the level the economic entities in different areas of activity and organizational-legal forms of ownership, ministries and departments that promote of development the economic entities on the basis of models and strategies for sustainable socio-economic development. The results can also be used by students and young scientists in modern concepts and mechanisms for management of sustainable socio-economic development of economic entities in the condition of global economic transformations and challenges

Research on the Cultivation Path of High Quality Farmers

The cultivation of high-quality farmers is the key to promoting the revitalization of rural talents. Through the shortcomings of rural human capital, it is proposed that high-quality farmers are important human capital in rural areas. On the basis of summarizing the guidance theory of high-quality farmer cultivation, drawing on the successful experience of professional farmer cultivation in developed countries, exploring the “four three two one” high-quality farmer cultivation path that fits the local demands, that is, the “four in one”, and optimizing vocational training System; “Three Educations Synergy” to build a multi-level agricultural education system; “Two drives together” to improve the quality of community education; “A game of chess”to build a lifelong education “overpass” to promote life-long learning and other multi-integrated high-quality farmer cultivation paths

Facing Challenges of Covid-19: The Perspective of China and Ethiopia Educational Institutions

Concerning the fast spread of COVID-19, countries all over the world have closed academic institutions to stop the pandemic. It is now apparent that students and teachers require other options that have to be more versatile, easily accessible, and support the current technologies and conditions to face the unpredictable future. From the review, literature disclosed that universities throughout the globe are establishing and implementing electronics learning platforms as a basic need in academic institutions. This manuscript aimed to assess the status of electronics learning in China and Ethiopian educational institutions to counter the challenges of the closure of schools because of the outbreak of the pandemic. The paper highlights concerning e-learning in the sense of China and Ethiopia, e-learning challenges, and successful experiences. This review paper also suggests educators use e-learning and distance learning as a necessity to advance learning, particularly during this pandemic season

Online teaching in China during the COVID-19 pandemic

This study was undertaken to understand the overall impact of China's online education practices at all levels during the COVID-19 pandemic. A study of remote learning was an opportunity to better understand the long-term impact and adoption of structural and pedagogical practices in the post- pandemic period. The main research subjects were teachers and administrators in K-12 primary, vocational colleges and universities. The adult learning andragogy model was utilized as a framework for understanding the conditions under which students and faculty learned and taught in a remote learning environment. Statistical analysis of survey data indicated the research subjects had expectations for a change in teaching methods into the future. Future research is needed to carry out an in-depth analysis of how to build a model for online education. As a result of this study, it was determined that the continuous evaluation of online education would help in shaping best practice for teaching and learning in a remote environment within China’s educational system