Application of Cloud Computing in Distance Education

In China, there are some problems, such as high cost, low utilization, low extensibility and low manageability, in traditional distance education system. How to use Cloud Computing technology to solve these problems is studied in this paper, and a definition of "Distance Education Cloud" is given. Some key technologies are presented, including user-management technology based on layered model, service-management technology and charge-management technology based on atomic charge unit. Then a simple example is given. It is demonstrated that Cloud Computing technology can cut down the construction cost of distance education system, and enhance its utilization, extensibility and manageability.