The College of International Studies of Yangzhou University in Yangzhou, East China's Jiangsu province has cooperated with its counterpart of Xinjiang Normal University to provide online education on subjects including English and American literature and Japanese.

The first online class, Basic English conducted by He Shanhua, deputy dean of the College of International Studies of Yangzhou University, was attended by 45 students from Yangzhou University and 39 from Xinjiang Normal University on April 12.

The remote learning program is part of the "MOOC for the West" campaign initiated by the department of higher education of the Ministry of Education. The campaign aims to improve higher education in the country's central and western regions by offering massive open online courses (MOOC).

Wang Chengtang, head of the academic affairs office of Yangzhou University, said the university's College of International Studies is the first of its kind in East China to be a part of the MOOC campaign.

Cooperation between universities based on information technology plays a significant role in innovating education systems and narrowing the development gap between western and eastern areas, said Yu Hongliang, vice-principal of Yangzhou University.