Network education generally refers to distance education, which breaks through the boundaries of time and space, and is different from the traditional teaching mode of staying in school, through the use of television and the Internet and other media. Network education is an education carried out by using network technology and environment, which belongs to one of adult education qualifications. Students who use this teaching mode can attend classes anytime and anywhere.

In a narrow sense, network education means that a specific educational organization comprehensively applies the technology of a certain social period, collects, designs, develops and utilizes various educational resources, constructs an educational environment, provides educational services for students based on the technology, educational resources and educational environment of a certain social period, and organizes some collective meetings and exchange activities for students for the purpose of teaching and socializing, so as to help and promote all practical activities of students' distance learning.

Broadly speaking, online education is a form of education in which students and teachers, students and educational institutions mainly use various media to carry out systematic teaching and communication, and it is an education in which courses are transmitted to one or more students outside the campus. Modern distance education refers to the education of transmitting courses outside the campus through audio, video (live or video) and computer technology, including real-time and non-real-time education.