This research is an exploration of learner support for part-time, distance learners studying in the China Radio & TV Universities (CRTVUs), the world s largest distance higher education system. It aims at understanding the experiences of distance learners and tutors through a study of three Radio & TV Universities (RTVUs) and, on the basis of this analysis, making some modest suggestions for practical improvements in the support for such learners in the context of the Chinese Government s commitment to the introduction of e-learning into higher education.