Computerandtelecommunicationstechnologiesarehavingprofoundeffectsonhighereducation.Theyinfluencewhomweteachaswellashowweteach.Indeed,theappearanceof`virtualuniversities'reflectsnewdevelopmentswithrespecttowhoisdoingtheteaching.ThisspecialissueoftheInternationalJournalofEngineeringEducationexaminestheroleofvirtualuniversitiesinengineeringeducation.Inthisintroductiontotheissue,wefirstconsidertwochallengestotraditionalhighereducationandsuggestthat`virtualization'isonewayto respond to thesechallenges.Wethendefineanddescribewhatwemeanby`virtualuniversity'.Weoutlinethemanyissuesraisedbythisformofeducationforengineersandotherlearnersandprovideanoverviewofthepapersincorporatedinthisjournal.Finally,drawingsomeconclusionsfromthepapersandfromour own experience, we express some thoughts on what the future might hold for the `traditional'engineering schools and for learners seeking access to engineering education.
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