First of all, online education college is a part of ordinary colleges and universities, and it is one of the learning methods provided by ordinary colleges and universities.

Then:

Ordinary colleges and universities are divided into "planned national unified recruitment, college entrance examination admission" and "unplanned independent enrollment"

Online education college belongs to part-time day study in "unplanned independent enrollment"

So, one is for high school students who are about to graduate, and the other is for people who work in society.

Of course, students who fail in the college entrance examination can also sign up for online education, but they still need to pass the entrance examination.

For more details, please refer to the website of Online Education College of Shanghai Jiaotong University, which is the most formal distance education institution in China.