回顧數位學習的歷史，1990年代初期就已展開電腦輔助教學 (Computer—Based Training, CBT)，但僅屬於輔助性質，將傳統平面化而循序式的教材，改為數位化、超連結式的資料規格。1995年後，隨著網頁技術進步，HTML文件的學習與應用漸受矚目，也是從這一年開始，包括：美國、歐盟、大陸、日本等國家，先後由國家層級的主導單位負責數位學習計畫的推動與執行，並將視為提升國家競爭力指標之一。自2002年國科會通過「數位學習國家型科技計畫」執行至今，陳國棟執行長認為，已初步建立台灣數位內容產業的全球競爭基礎。
根據數位學習計畫辦公室統計，數位學習產業的產值由90年度的4億成長至96年的近120億，產值成長率高於全球地區的成長率。在輔導企業導入數位學習上，目前大型企業(臺灣產值前一千名的公司)企業內訓使用數位學習的比率已自92年的14%提升到96年底的52.3%；在學習平台使用上，85%是採用本土解決方案，對於國內產業的建立及競爭優勢有具體成果。
數位學習的意義在數位加值
陳國棟執行長強調，數位學習乃屬「跨領域」的研發範疇，當資訊工具和技術日有精進時，學習理論、數位學習平台的基礎建設、完整的數位內容等，都必須「跟上去」。否則工具再好、技術再棒，也只能淪為學子玩線上遊戲、聊天、交友的平台，娛樂功能遠勝於學習功能；或是呈現出來的仍是破碎零散的訊息，無法供應完整的知識來源。他說，應該將數位學習方向訂在「增加學習機會」和「學習得更好、更有效果」上面。
關於這點，亦將數位學習產業視為國家策略性重要產業的南韓做的比我們好，陳國棟執行長說明，在數位學習產業上，韓國矢志成為全球產值最大的國家，為了讓數位學習可以落實到市民的生活中，韓國從一開始佈建極大的寬頻網絡，讓數位內容和線上遊戲可以運用其足夠的頻寬，達到順利傳輸的目的。
再者，讓數位學習的內容產業進入補教業，陳國棟執行長說，韓國的補教業也和台灣一樣，占有相當高的產值， 韓國政府以國家的資源， 成立EBS(Education Broadcasting System)，然後將與補習教育相關的課程，放在EBS系統上免費供民眾學習，並請了許多名師開課，吸引學生上課。陳國棟執行長補充，韓國的EBS系統，類似中華電信的MOD，也是一個相當大的Portal，可以連結到網路以及電視等不同的媒介上，可以隨時收視學習。
在正規教育上，韓國成立了Keris系統，將正規教育的學習教材直接轉換成數位內容，讓不同學校可以運用同一套系統提供數位學習的服務，同時，整合不同學校之間的內容，彼此學習。此外，陳國棟指出，韓國政府也預計在未來數年中，要將教育系統全數E化，包含學校上課的教材以及教室的學習工具。
台灣數位學習要成功，須符合使用者的需求，陳國棟執行認為，台灣的資訊基礎建設雖還需加快腳步，但學校老師的資訊素養很高，在教育體系上，應該要架設統一的教學資源交換平台，讓好的學習工具、學習模式、學習教材在平台上流通；增加學生的學習機會，甚至鼓勵學生跨校、跨地區、跨國，利用網路合作專題，對縮減城鄉差距有一定的貢獻，也能從小培養國際觀。
此外，政府應整合學校、教科書商甚至安親班，將好的學習材料分門別類，並建立學習評量機制，讓教學真正因材施教。當學生都習慣使用數位學習，則畢業後，自然也會選擇數位學習，數位學習的產業就會蓬勃發展。
樹立成功典範，將經驗行銷全球
台灣數位學習產業過去在人資、知識管理上有相當成功的經驗，要將台灣的數位學習教材推銷到國外，陳國棟執行長建議，全球現正掀起華語熱，透過華語文教材的推廣，把台灣的數位學習內容帶出去，因為語言也是個平台，上搭載台灣的人文、旅遊甚至台灣最擅長的數學教學，也都能經由語言學習教材，行銷全球。他認為，台灣若能整合數位學習業者提供華語老師教學教材，並提供售後服務，能擴大數位學習產業的產值，也能替台灣在國際上發聲。
此外，台灣ICT產品多項全球第一，政府也有志成為ICT的領導國家，若能運用現有已經是世界強棒的PC、筆記型電腦、手機等產品，可以隨著這些國際出貨的產品，內建數位學習的內容教材，也能協助台灣的數位學習產業走向國外。
在政府的支持方面，陳國棟認為，台灣政府應該持續運用推廣計畫和獎勵計畫，讓數位學習的教材業者，跟隨台商出口到大中華甚至歐美等國家。台灣大企業都已有數位學習的使用經驗，當企業佈局海外，台灣的數位學習教材提供者也能編製當地語言之教材，跟隨台商推展海外市場。
Through the promotion of the National Science and Technology Program, National Science & Technology Program Office for e-Learning President/CEO Chen, Gwo- Dong said that Taiwan’s e-learning industry is not just an IT industry, but also an innovation industry, using new technology to create new value.
When we look back on the history of e-learning, the early 1990s was the initial period of computer-based training (CBT), but this was only an aid to learning, changing traditional printed and sequential teaching materials into digital, hyperlinked data specifications. After 1995, with the progress of webpage technology, HTML document study applications started to appear, and in that year, the U.S., the EU, Japan, China and other nations started with leading national-level bodies to take responsibility for promotion and execution of e-learning projects, and this effort was seen as one of the standards for raising national competitiveness.
President/CEO Chen, Gwo-Dong noted that since 2002, when the National Science Council ratified the creation of the National Science & Technology Program Office for e-Learning, Taiwan has established the initial foundation for a globally competitive digital content industry.
Based on statistics of the e-learning project office, the e-learning industry’s production value has grown from NT$400 million in 2001 to NT$12 billion in 2007. The growth rate in production value exceeded thatof the rest of the world. In guiding the e-learning industry, currently the proportion of large enterprises (Taiwan’s top 1,000 companies by production value) using e-learning has risen from 14% in 2003 to 52.3% by the end of 2007. In terms of study platforms, 85% used domestic solutions, and this was a substantial accomplishment for the domestic industry’s establishment and competitive advantage.
The significance of e-learning lies in digital added value
President/CEO Chen, Gwo-Dong emphasized that e-learning is an R&D category that spans different fields and as IT tools and technology daily become more refined, study theory, the e-learning platform infrastructure, complete digital content and more must keep up with the pace. Unless this happens, no matter how good the tools and technology may be, they will only devolve into online games, chatting and social networking platforms, and their entertainment functions will far outweigh the study functions, or all that they will provide is incongruous information, and it will be impossible to offer complete knowledge sources. He said that e-learning should be directed toward increasing study opportunities and making study better and more effective.
On this point, South Korea, which has treated the e-learning industry as a nationally strategic industry, has done better than we have. President/CEO Chen, Gwo- Dong explained that in the e-learning industry, Korea has pledged to become the nation with the world's largest production value, and in order to let e-learning be realized in the lives of urban residents, Korea from the very beginning established an extremely large broadband network, providing digital content and online games sufficient bandwidth and achieving the goal of smooth transmission.
Moreover, to let the e-learning content industry enter supplementary education, President/CEO Chen, Gwo- Dong said Korea's supplementary education is the same as Taiwan's with a quite substantial production value. The Korean government has used national resources to establish the EBS (Education Broadcasting System) and later added the supplementary educational curriculum to the EBS system for public study free of charge and invited a number of well-known teachers to offer classes, attracting students to join. President/CEO Chen, Gwo-Dong added that Korea's EBS system is similar to Chunghwa Telecom's MOD, which is quite a large portal that can connect to the internet, television and various other media, enabling study at any time.
For formal education, Korea has established the Keris system, which has converted formal education study materials into digital content, allowing different schools to use the same system to provide e-learning services, simultaneously integrating different schools'content and allowing them to engage in joint studies. In addition, Chen, Gwo-Dong pointed out that the Korean government expects that in the next few years, the educational system will be completely digitalized, including the schools' classroom teaching materials and study tools.
For Taiwan's e-learning to succeed, it must meet users' needs. President/CEO Chen, Gwo-Dong believes that Taiwan's IT infrastructure needs to pick up the pace, and while school teachers' IT capabilities are quite advanced, the education system needs a unified exchange platform for education resources, allowing the exchange of good study tools, study models and study materials, increasing students' study opportunities, even encouraging students to span schools, regions and nations and use the internet to cooperate on special subjects, which will contribute to narrowing the gap between urban and rural areas and foster an international point of view among students from a young age.
In addition, the government should integrate schools, textbook publishers and even day-care centers to classify study materials and establish a study evaluation mechanism, allowing education to flourish because of better materials. When students become accustomed to e-learning, after they graduate, they will naturally choose e-learning, and the e-learning industry will prosper.
Creating successful examples, marketing our experience abroad
In the past, Taiwan's e-learning industry has had a successful experience in terms of human resources and knowledge management, and to sell Taiwan's e-learning teaching materials abroad, President/CEO Chen, Gwo-Dong suggested that the whole world has become eager to learn Chinese. Chinese teaching materials could be promoted together with Taiwan's e-learning content because language is a platform and marketed worldwide together with Taiwan's culture, travel and even Taiwan's expertise in math education. He believes that if Taiwan can integrate e-learning businesses to provide Chinese teachers' educational materials together with aftersales service, the e-learning industry can increase its production value and help Taiwan gain prominence abroad.
In addition, many of Taiwan's ICT products are the best in the world, and the Taiwan government should aim to become a leading ICT nation. If such powerful tools as PCs, notebook computers, mobile phones and similar products can be shipped together with e-learning content and teaching materials, it will help Taiwan's e-learning industry expand abroad.
With regard to government assistance, Chen, Gwo-Dong believes that the Taiwan government should continue to use promotion projects and incentive projects, allowing busineses offering e-learning teaching materials to combine them with Taiwanese exports going to greater China and even European and American nations. Taiwan’s large enterprises already have experience with e-learning, and when these enterprises deploy abroad, Taiwan's providers of e-learning teaching materials will be able to publish materials in local languages and join with Taiwanese businesses in their expansion of foreign markets.
