One of the fundamental premises of lifelong learning is to let students control their own learning activities, make their own schedule, and become responsible for building their own ‘knowledge structures’. They then need to access and use appropriate mechanisms and resources to develop the skills and knowledge that they need to realize their goals and ambitions.

Fortunately, the advent of the Internet and the breakthroughs in computing, information, and communication technology expand the horizon of continuing professional development and make lifelong learning a practical reality. For instance, in order to conduct professional training, education providers now can tap pedagogic tools, such as in-house intranet, portable computing system, electronic lectures, electronic books, digital libraries, online tutoring facilities, problem-based learning techniques, automated assessment, and computer conferencing, etc.