We here in the U.S. often take for granted the wide range of online education and training options available to us. The suite of professional development courses offered by School Training Solutions is an excellent example of online instruction that is innovative, self-directed and comprehensive. In addition, students taking STS courses have ready access to academic and technical support services.

Indeed, online education has many plusses for students of all ages, interests and education levels. But how has this phenomenon unfolded in other countries?

In my position as Executive Director of the Choral Society of Pensacola, I have the pleasure of working with a gentleman named Xiaolun Chen. Xiaolun serves as the Choral Society’s Artistic Director and also directs the student choral programs at Pensacola State College. Xiaolun, who is in his 50s, was born in Beijing, China. He moved to the U.S. in 1990, but spends a month in his native country each summer. It’s always interesting to discuss national and world events with Xiaolun because he provides perspectives that are often very different from those held by most Americans.

Recently, I asked my Choral Society colleague about the state of online education in China, which has the world’s second-largest economy, places a heavy emphasis on education, and whose population of 1.34 billion people has an ever-growing interest in all things technological. What he had to say surprised me.

“Even though China had innovations like televised university classes as far back as the 1980s, online education there is about where the U.S. was ten years ago,” Xiaolun said. “Where online learning in the U.S. really took off around 1995 with the development of web-based courses, something similar didn’t happen in China until around 2006 or 2007.”

A quick survey of the online education world in China today shows that they are catching up rapidly. From primary and middle-school classes, to higher education, to courses for “older learners,” e-learning in China exhibits extraordinary growth and diversification. There is also a growing demand in China for “customizable services” similar to those offered by STS. These types of courses include training for corporate employees as well as training that caters to the farmers and workers that make up a large of portion of China’s huge rural population.

All of China’s top universities now offer online classes and it is interesting to note that more and more foreign students are signing on to take advantage of distance learning opportunities originating in China. Foreign students have long been a part of U.S. e-learning, but some of these students are now finding their niche in China’s growing system.

It will be interesting to see how technological advancements will continue to make online education more and more available to China’s sprawling population in the coming decades.

Andrew Metzger
Guest blogger
School Training Solutions

STS offers online professional development training for transportation specialists and other school district professionals. Our CDL Prep course is a favorite in districts around the country. The STS CDL Prep course includes the following online lessons:

STS CDL Prep

 
Martin Luther King Jr. sought equality for African-Americans, the economically disadvantaged, and victims of injustice. Through his acts of peaceful protest, Martin Luther King Jr. played a key role in the civil rights movement and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. King was assassinated in 1968.

Enjoy these 10 things you might not know about Martin Luther King Jr. provided by history.com.

1.	King's birth name was Michael, not Martin.
2.	King entered college at the age of 15.
3.	King received his doctorate in systematic theology.
4.	King's "I Have a Dream" speech was not his first at the Lincoln Memorial.
5.	King was jailed 29 times.
6.	King narrowly escaped an assassination attempt a decade before his death.
7.	King's last speech foretold his death.
8.	Members of King's family did not believe James Earl Ray acted alone.
9.	King's mother was also slain by a bullet.
10.	George Washington is the only other American to have had his birthday observed as a national holiday.

In observance of this holiday, please enjoy our featured course:

Tolerance

This 1 hour professional development course discusses teaching children tolerance and acceptance of others. It also includes activities for teaching tolerance and challenges associated with prejudice.

Did you know that “Getting a Better Education” is one of the most popular New Year’s Resolutions?

School Training Solutions (STS) can help you and your employees achieve this resolution. Today is a great day to expand the training you offer employees. STS can put together a customized online training catalog that meets your organization’s specific needs. We offer online courses for professional development, teachers, administrative, food service, campus security, pupil transportation, and maintenance & facilities.

Benefits of an online training option include:

If you are thinking about expanding the training you offer your employees, or if you think another department could benefit from similar savings and convenience, please let me know.

The holidays bring some of our favorite things about the season: the smell of pie & pine, carolers caroling, the classic movie ‘A Christmas Story’, hot cocoa & egg nog, and everyone’s favorite fat man.

School-aged children also get excited about getting a break from school (perhaps not quite as excited as they get on the evening of December 24) and from having to wake up early to ride the cheese wagon.

But, did you know that school buses didn’t always have their distinctive, easy-to-spot look? In fact, some of the very first school buses were even pulled by horses. Take a look into the past with our “Buses of Christmas Past” infographic to see how buses have changed throughout the years.

Everyone at School Training Solutions (STS) would like to wish our students and colleagues a sincere “Happy Holidays.” Thank you for choosing School Training Solutions.