ED412816 HE030606
Title: The Virtual Campus: Technology and Reform in Higher Education.
ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report, Volume 25, No. 5.
Author(s): Van Dusen, Gerald C.
Author Affiliation: ERIC Clearinghouse on Higher Education, Washington,
DC.(BBB15669); George Washington Univ., Washington, DC. Graduate School
of Education and Human Development.(BBB32577); Association for the
Study of Higher Education.(BBB14212)
Pages: 191
Publication Date: 1997
Notes: For a digest of this document, see HE 030 605.
Sponsoring Agency: Office of Educational Research and Improvement
(ED), Washington, DC. (EDD00036)
Contract No: RR93002008
ISBN: 1-878380-77-X
ISSN: 0884-0040
Available from: EDRS Price MF01/PC08 Plus Postage.
Availability: ERIC Clearinghouse on Higher Education, The George Washington
University, One Dupont Circle, Suite 630, Washington, DC 20036-1183;
phone: 800-773-3742; fax: 202-452-1844 ($24).
Language: English
Document Type: Book (010); Opinion papers (120)
Geographic Source: U.S.; District of Columbia
Journal Announcement: RIEMAR1998
Target Audience: Administrators; Practitioners; Teachers
The "virtual
campus" is a metaphor for the electronic teaching, learning,
and research environment created by the convergence of several relatively
new technologies including, but not restricted to, the Internet,
World Wide Web, computer-mediated communication, video conferencing,
multi-media, groupware, video-on-demand, desktop publishing, intelligent
tutoring systems, and virtual reality. The focus of this monograph
is of necessity limited to changes occurring in higher education
institutions that are committed to reform via technology. A survey
of the literature finds reform characterized by changes in teaching,
learning, research and scholarly activity, organizational culture,
and governance and finance. Section 2 takes up teaching on the virtual
campus and how institutional variables influence adoption of
information technologies according to their particular missions
and goals. Section 3, on classroom learning, contrasts traditional
and virtual classrooms and describes the interface capabilities
of various technologies. Section 4 explores recent reconceptualizations
of scholarship as well as new computer-based technologies that are
beginning to influence both the methods and substance of research.
Section 5 depicts efforts to reform both the bureaucratic and academic
spheres of higher education institutions by applying principles
of Total Quality Management. Section 6 delineates some of the important
new responsibilities of governing boards, including monitoring regulatory
legislation, establishing a telecommunications policy, and shepherding
resources for technology. The final section draws conclusions from
the literature and makes recommendations for institutional planning
and research. Specifically the seven conclusions are: (1) a paradigm
shift can occur only in institutions committed to comprehensive
reform; (2) attempts to change the classroom focus from "the
sage on the stage" to collaborative learning are likely to
fail without a substantial commitment to professional development;
(3) higher education will continue to be market driven, requiring
redoubled efforts to define academic productivity; (4) new constituencies
appear to be well served by a variety of available distance learning
venues; (5) the TQM movement has made impressive inroads in higher
education administration; however, very little penetration has occurred
when it most matters--on the academic side of the institution; (6)
even as instructional use of technology rises, institutional support
for applications development has been dilatory; and (7) the historic
commitment to core values in traditional undergraduate education
has wavered; the same vacillation threatens to undermine general
education requirements in electronically delivered certificate and
degree programs. Seven recommendations for beginning this process
of integration include: (1) create a venue where key stakeholders
can analyze major technology issues and purchases; (2) assert the
value of technology-based learning from a variety of research perspectives;
(3) establish quality standards for certificate and degree programs;
(4) avoid pitting traditionalists against technology enthusiasts;
(5) make "collaboration" and "cooperation,"
not "reengineering" and "restructuring" the
new institutional buzz-words; (6) retain a strong commitment to
adequate library staffing and funding; and (7) prepare for success
by creating the necessary support structures. A glossary of terms
is appended. (Contains 228 references.) (AA)
Descriptors: Change Strategies; Cooperative Learning; *Educational
Change; *Educational Development; Educational Finance; Educational
Principles; *Epistemology; Governance; *Higher Education; Information
Technology; Integrated Learning Systems; Online Systems; *Organizational
Change; Scholarship; Science and Society; Systems Development; Technological
Advancement; *Technology Transfer; Telecommunications; Total Quality
Management
Identifiers: *Virtual Classrooms
