Education goes digital: The evolution of online learning and the revolution in higher education

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-1-2005

Abstract

The evolutionary changes in educational technology and pedagogy leading to revolutionary transformation of higher education is discussed. The current education is in the process of evolving from face-to-face courses using objectivist, and teacher-centered pedagogy to online and hybrid courses using digital technologies to support constructivist, student-centered pedagogy, offered by a few hundred 'mega-universities' that operate on a global scale. Online learning is a new social process that is beginning to act as a complete substitute for both distance learning and the traditional face-to-face class. Geographic monopolies and barriers that have sustained thousands of different colleges and universities in the US and around the world will weaken after the availability of most courses in digital formats. The universities need to embrace the concept of blended courses and provide the infrastructure to allow faculty to make this transition as rapidly and as effectively as possible.

Identifier

33745224308 (Scopus)

Publication Title

Communications of the ACM

External Full Text Location

https://doi.org/10.1145/1089107.1089139

e-ISSN

00010782

ISSN

00010782

First Page

59

Last Page

64

Issue

10

Volume

48

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