“Knowledge is Competitiveness!” In this age of the 21st century knowledge economy, the greatest winners are the ones who can fully grasp knowledge and amplify their wisdom. As rapidly the world is changing, how to utilize the internet environment to facilitate learning and achieve one’s learning goals effectively is a key factor to success in the knowledge economy.

On January 15, 2002, the National Science Council of the Executive Yuan approved the “National Science & Technology Program for e-Learning” (ELNP) aiming to develop e-learning technologies and to expand its implementation thereby to establish digitized learning environment. The ELNP’s fourth project: “e-Learning Online Science Park” aims to replicate the success story of the industry science parks in Taiwan to create the e-learning industry clusters, talent clusters, innovation clusters, technology clusters, capital clusters, and a single service window through the internet to construct a preferred industry environment for investment and R&D efforts. The Science Park is sectioned into 7 service centers and one service division, including: (1) Application Service Center, (2) Science Park Web Center, (3) Knowledge Management Center, (4) Quality Control Center, (5) Courseware R&D Center, (6) Courseware Trading Center, (7) International Collaboration Center, and (8) Science Park Development Service Division.

The Quality Control Center is focused on providing guidance to e-Learning Science Park participating companies on the certification application process, courseware development, instructional implementation, learning management, as well as other aspects. The “Quality Control Center Program” was established to develop the quality control regulations related evaluation guidelines and procedures. It is hoped that through the annual activities of the e-Learning Science Park would provide effective guidance to e-learning service providers for meeting the certification requirements for e-learning quality evaluations. The final goal is to raise the quality of e-learning services in Taiwan and connect with the global exchange of certification in the field of e-learning.

In order to integrate more resources to effectively achieve the development of certification, services, and promotion aspects of e-learning quality, the Industrial Development Bureau of the Ministry of Economic Affairs separated the “Quality Control Center Program” from the original structure of the Online Science Park in 2006. At the National Science & Technology Program for e-Learning convener’s meeting, the program was passed to operate directly under the National Science & Technology Program for e-Learning, and the title “National Science & Technology Program for e-Learning - Quality Service Center” was publicly announced and later renamed to “National Science & Technology Program for e-Learning - Quality Certification Center” (eLQCC).

Starting from 2008, the “National Science & Technology Program for e-Learning” and the paralleling “National Digital Archives Program” become the joint “Taiwan e-Learning & Digital Archives Program”. With the foundations laid out from the phase-one programs, international collaborations and exchange efforts are to be actively promoted to spread the cultural intelligence of Taiwan worldwide. The world will see e-learning as a critical component of Taiwan’s competitiveness. Taiwan would thus become the center of Chinese cultures’ digital archiving and e-learning.

In addition to continually providing the certification services for the e-learning industry, the e-Learning Quality Certification Center (eLQCC) would gradually expand the service aspects and strengthen the marketing and promotion to expand the acknowledgement of the certification marks. In the meantime, e-Learning Quality Certification Center will engage in the study of international quality standards in order to further increase the capacity of the e-learning industry in Taiwan.