Advancements in Technology and the Impact on Higher Education

WILKINS@hws.edu
Fri, 24 Apr 1998 22:55:14 -0500 (EST)


I am in the midst of preparing a presentation that I will deliver next Friday
on the topic of how advancements in technology will effect higher education in
the next decade. I have done lots of reading and research in preparation for
this talk, but have yet to find a published article that makes any predictions
that are truly inspiring.

Most of what I am reading talks about the development of virtual universities
and the use of e-mail, videoconferencing, muds, moos, bulletin boards etc...
to deliver courses to students off-campus.

Although this is pertinent to what I will be talking about, I keep thinking to
myself there has to be something more that I can say.... something that is
truly revolutionary. Universities have been offering correspondence courses
since the turn of the century via snail mail and, in a nutshell, what I am
reading seems to be saying that technology will not so much transform distance
education opportunties but rather find a new method of delivering an old
concept.

Thus, I have decided to post this query to FoRK in the hopes that someone on
this list has an inspiring thought on this subject -- in essence, I am hoping
that the collective wisdom FoRKer's can come up with some better than I am
finding in the currently published literature. Any and all thoughts will be
most appreciated.

BTW, as a point of clarification, I will be doing this presentation as part of
the interview process for a new job -- Upstate NY is no place to live (as I
believe Mike will attest) and if my social life is to see any improvement the
only thing for me to do is to change jobs. I am not entirely sure that the
position I am interviewing for next week is THE position that I am seeking, but
it will be a good practice run at getting back into the interview mode. I have
thirty minutes to do this presentation in, so I can't go into a lot of depth,
but nonetheles I want to "wow" them so that they offer me the job and then I can
ecide if I want to turn it down or accept it.

I offer the following as evidence that my social life is in need of vast
improvement: It is currently 10:49 p.m. on a Friday night and I am at home
typing out this message to FoRK .... need I say more?

Thoughts on this topic can be posted to me personally or to the group if you
feel it is brilliant enough to share with all!

ta!
Janie

"Come, and take choice of all my library, / and so beguile thy sorrow."
-- Titus Andronicus [IV.i.34]