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This chapter introduces the purpose, structure of this second volume that explores, compares and contrast open and distance education systems in various countries. Since the mid 1990s, the digital transformation has changed the face of open and distance education as we had known it. During the last 20 years distance education has moved from the fringes into the center of mainstream education provision. Different nations and educational systems are responding differently to the macro process of digitalization. Some national systems like South Korea are more advanced and ahead on the road by making the digitization of teaching and learning a strategic goal for development and innovation already over a decade ago. In other countries distance education was recognized as a validated and accredited form of education provision only in the recent past, and is now witnessing enormous growth rates of enrollments in online distance education.

This chapter presents a holistic view on the development of distance higher education in China with focus on the 21st century online higher education. For the last four decades, distance higher education has played a very important role in China for knowledge and human resource development. The main function of distance higher education is to provide Chinese people with access to knowledge. The present Chinese government regards current online higher education as an important way to promote lifelong learning and build a learning society. The (MOE, ) states that developing online higher education and ICT can meet the diversified and personalized learning demands of the public and contribute to the construction of an open and flexible lifelong education system.

Adding to the Chap. authors’ discourse, I would like to further point out that China’s Radio & TV Universities (RTVUs) in China have long been designated “second-class” education with high inertia, problematic goals, and disordered management, as the primary and historical mission of RTVUs is to reduce educational costs for a large number of adult learners at the college level. In this historical context, China’s open universities were established to shift from their earlier mission of providing mainly second or sole chances to gain qualifications to reposition themselves to work toward a more open and flexible learner-centered learning system. They are described as “new-style” universities with Chinese characteristics and are commissioned to be open to all members of society, in order to build a knowledge economy in China and to further the international movement in distance education.

This chapter analyses the status and prospects of distance education (DE) in India. The analysis focuses on the developments so far, the direction for online and blended learning, and what careful changes are required for DE in Indian higher education and government policies. We also consider if currently unfolding scenarios will be sustainable. Correspondence education at the undergraduate level was initiated in 1962 at the University of Delhi on an experimental basis. The comprehensive Kothari Education Commission of 1964–66 strongly recommended part-time and own-time (or self-study) education through programs such as evening colleges and correspondence courses respectively. With pressure from international developments in lifelong learning and internal pressure and efforts by educational leaders, the first (provincial) open university was established in India in 1982. Since then, the DE system expanded fast to reach an enrolment of above 5.2 million (15% of total higher education intake), and with a teaching-learning system facilitated by a fully dedicated education satellite.

The canvas of distance education in India is quite big, with one National Open University, more than 15 State Open Universities as single mode universities, dual mode universities offering DE programs, National Institute of Open Schooling along with State Open Schools catering for school education, and private institutions etc. The changing wave of nature of DE has resulted in its management too. The Distance Education Council (DEC) was established as a Regulatory Body, initially with Indira Gandhi National Open University, later on taken over by University Grants Commission. In addition, there are other regulatory bodies for technical, management, health and law etc. This has resulted in discussions and confusion over the jurisdiction of universities offering courses, which course can and cannot be offered by distance mode. To give a proper direction to the system in the country, work on National Educational Policy is in progress and ODL need to be an integral to this national policy. The DE system is facing the challenge of leadership with various open universities in different phases of development.

Distance Education in the present Russian Federation and former Soviet Union has a long tradition that prevails down to this present day. This tradition causes a distinction between the Russian and international standards of distance education. In Russia, so called “distance learning” is not a term for a special mode of study at the university. It is the complex of new information and communication technologies (i.e. e-learning, blended learning, flexible learning), which are applied within three main modes of study, namely, conventional on-site study at the university, regular evening courses at the university combined with self-study, and self-study combined with some hours of on-site study. Each mode of study at the Russian university can implement the technologies of distance learning (Russia, , §17, no. 2). This chapter represents a way to understanding of the Russian forms of distance education and conditions of their coordination with the international standards.

This commentary focuses briefly on the historical aims of distance education, information technologies used, issues of access, quality, power, and openness in the Russian distance education. The Russian and Soviet experience prior to distance education and involved transforming part-time studies and correspondence education. The aim was to improve adults’ literacy, their overall education levels and to prepare people for different occupations as technological progress evolved. It is important to note that literacy rates in the Russia Federation today are not alarmingly low anymore and that the levels complexity of occupations keeps rising. Distance education in the Russian Federation is both a distinct mode of instruction and a method of learning.

In South Africa, the evolution of correspondence distance education to education is a fairly recent. Currently distance education (at the most still off-line/correspondence) as a subsystem to higher education in South Africa contributes up to 40% of headcount students and approximately 30% of full-time equivalent students (DHET, ). In order to present a national, but also critical overview of online distance education in South Africa, it is vital to map the evolution of distance education in South Africa with special reference to the historical role and mandate of the University of South Africa (Unisa). I will then discuss the re-imagining of the South African post-school system and the provisions and implications of these provisions for online distance education before concluding with examples of the different nuances in online distance education provision by private and public providers.

Extending access has, as Prinsloo correctly points out in Chap. , been the major emphasis of distance education in university education in South Africa. UNISA—South Africa’s only distance education provider during the apartheid era—was able to play an important role in continuing to provide access to students from all racial groups to their programmes, while all other universities were restricted to particular race and language groups. In the democratic era, this emphasis has continued, with a policy intention of extending to the post-schooling sector as a whole. Importantly, equal emphasis has now been placed on the success of distance education students.

This chapter offers an analysis of distance education in Korea as a model for developing countries to catch up with advanced countries in meeting the demand for higher education. First, we analyze the functions and roles of distance education in the higher and lifelong education sectors in Korea. Second, we present a brief review of the history of distance education in Korea, followed by the characteristics of distance education offered by the Korea National Open University (KNOU), cyber universities and traditional universities that offer distance and online learning. Third, we examine major legislation and policies, including the Higher Education Act, to highlight efforts that have been made to ensure the quality of distance education. Lastly, we make closing remarks about future directions and challenges of distance education in the higher and lifelong education sectors in Korea.