(1) Open modern distance education with Internet and multimedia technology as the main media has broken through the limitations of learning space and time and endowed modern distance education with the characteristics of openness. Modern distance education is not limited by regions, and provides synchronous teaching for teachers and students in different places. Teaching content, teaching methods and educational objects are all open, and learners are not limited by occupation and region. Modern distance education is not limited by study time. Anyone can receive the needed educational information at any time, get the educational content they need, and realize real-time and non-real-time learning. The openness of modern distance education also brings the characteristics of popularization of distance education. Educational institutions can develop flexible and diverse courses according to the needs and characteristics of the educated, provide timely and high-quality training services, support lifelong learning, contribute to the formation of a learning society, and have incomparable advantages over traditional education.

(2) The realization of technological progress in distance education depends on advanced technology. The technical support of modern distance education is based on computer technology, software technology and modern network communication technology. Digitalization and networking are the main technical characteristics of modern distance education.

(3) Autonomy and Flexibility One of the characteristics of modern distance education is that students learn independently, supplemented by teachers. It can meet the requirements of individualized learning of the educated and give them greater autonomy. It has changed the traditional teaching method, and the educated can learn according to their own choice, from passive acceptance to active learning, from "teaching" to "learning", which embodies the characteristics of autonomous teaching: on the one hand, the educated can choose their own learning content, and at the same time, they can organize their learning according to the most effective personalized principle for different learning objects, and adjust the teaching content in time according to the different needs and characteristics of the educational objects. On the other hand, the educated can arrange their study time flexibly and independently, which is not limited by the fixed time of traditional teaching methods.

(4) Resource Sharing Modern distance education provides learners with a variety of rich information by using various networks, realizes the optimization and sharing of various educational resources, breaks the geographical and attribute characteristics of resources, and can integrate and utilize superior resources such as talents, technologies, courses and equipment to meet the needs of learners to choose information independently, so that more people can improve the utilization efficiency of educational resources and reduce learning costs while obtaining a higher level of education.

Carrying out modern distance education for rural party member cadres is an important deployment made by the CPC Central Committee with a view to strengthening Party building in rural areas, consolidating the Party's ruling foundation in rural areas, building a new socialist countryside, building a harmonious socialist society and accelerating socialist modernization, which has very important practical and far-reaching historical significance.