Nowadays, the dissemination and exploitation of three-dimensional (3D) multi-user virtual worlds in higher education have been disclosed from their widespread acceptance as candidate learning platforms. However, it is still lacking a theoretical cybernetic macro-script to elaborate the coordination of multiple complex interactions among…

This paper presents the results of a research study conducted in fall 1999 to examine the challenges facing higher educational institutions in migrating to distance learning. The study consisted of five case studies conducted at higher educational institutions in Pennsylvania. At each institution the researchers interviewed the president and other…

This article recounts the development of a paradigm for a virtual university that is, one in which delivery is inextricably linked to the political, technological, social, and economic context of the institution at the University of North Carolina (Wilmington). It explains how, in just five years, a conservative, traditional, regional institution…

The proposed organizational and activity structure for an Educational Technology Center would provide opportunities for educational research, hardware/software/courseware services, and training programs to prepare professionals in the field. Advances in industrial, communications, and educational technologies necessitate the implementation of an…

The organizational structure of a college should reflect working relationships and roles. Word processing, electronic mail, video and optical disk, micrographic, telecommunication, and other related technologies offer the small college excellent opportunities to increase effectiveness and control costs in a people-intensive enterprise. Total…

Discusses the following challenges institutions must consider as they enter the new marketplace of distributed learning: library access, faculty workload, faculty incentives, faculty-support structures, intellectual property, articulation agreements, financial aid, pricing, cross-subsidization of programs, institutional loyalty and philanthropy,…

This article examines the relationship between the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) and learning and teaching, particularly in distance education contexts. We argue that environmental changes (societal, educational, and technological) make it necessary to adapt systems and practices that are no longer appropriate. The need…