Taiwan is moving to higher speed access nationwide, an advantage geographically that is a challenge in more dispersely populated nations. Centralized, governmental agency support and control means, "Technology bringing education into reach"...an interesting history of the technology and impact of online education in Taiwan. Even more interesting is the recognition that available (and expanding) technologies have out-paced the educational system's ability to provide educators and educator support staff capable of integrating the technology.
From the article:
"Lee Shih-chung, director of Tamkang University's Department of Educational Technology, proposed that every school set up its own digital learning center. This would demonstrate the school's commitment to online learning, he suggested. Lee added that the MOE (Ministry of Eucation) must expand its focus and provide support to all interested institutions, not just the handful of schools that took part in the pilot project 10 years ago.Although expansion of the program is a laudable goal, there remain several practical challenges. Experts have warned, for example, of a possible scarcity of teachers that are technologically competent enough to operate online courses (my emphasis).
The Education Ministry has identified four categories of professionals that are in short supply. It calls them:
"e-training managers," "e-project managers," "e-instructional designers" and "e-tutors and facilitators." To increase their ranks, it has been sponsoring workshops and other forms of on-the-job training for interested teachers. Some of Taiwan's public universities and teachers' colleges, including National Taiwan Normal University and National Chiaotung University, have likewise begun offering training programs in technology-integrated education in order to meet long-term human-resource needs."