Moving towards the Virtual University: A Vision of Technology in Higher Education.

fter decades of promises based on overhead projectors, video distribution, and other instructional technologies, the ability to improve instruction using information technology has now become a reality. By incorporating a wide range of digitized media into the myriad of curriculum-related activities fundamental to teaching and learning, the quality of both can rise. A paradigm shift is taking place in higher education instruction, from a mode of faculty— student interaction occurring in fixed locations at specified times to one in which students can access the same instructional resources in a variety of forms, regardless of location, at their convenience. This is possible because several technologies have matured, supporting major changes in how instruction can be delivered to students on the campus, in their homes, or in their work places. Escalating costs, declining support, increasing demand, and diverse demographics have placed significant pressures on higher education to become more productive. Careful analysis shows that the productivity improvements required cannot be achieved by increasing the workload of the faculty; in fact, any significant movement in this direction will only decrease the quality of instruction. There is simply no room left in the workday of a faculty member to teach more students. Rather, the focus for productivity improvement must be on learning resources that will improve retention and decrease the time needed to earn a degree) It is this realization that is leading to the paradigm shift towards an instructional model in which students gain access to information resources, faculty lectures and demonstrations, library and research materials, and conferencing and tutorials over networks from digital information organized in servers by the faculty. Students and faculty can “talk” electronically whenever they like. Assignments can be given and received electronically. Faculty can hold “virtual” office hours, freeing them from rigid schedules, and enabling students to obtain information with little waste of time and without sacrificing the fundamental, close-knit quality of the student-mentor relationship. In this developing model, faculty can become facilitators and guides for individual learners rather than simple conduits for transmitting information.