(My apologies for the dual posting.) 

The posting below looks at both the problems and opportunities presented
by new delivery technologies in higher education. It is by Sarah
Scrafford, who regularly writes on the subject of online universities.
She invites your questions and comments at her email address:
[log in to unmask]  I have to admit, some of her observations
I buy, others I think miss the mark.  Either way, I thought they were
worth posting. 

Jim Greenberg


		Imminent Changes in Higher Education and its Delivery

The term education is no longer bound by the traditional concepts that
shackled it for so long - we don't have to rely on the traditional
methods of information access and content delivery that formed our
staple learning diet all these years. Thanks to the Internet and
associated technology, there have been rapid advances in the way we
access and assimilate information. What was earlier available only at a
premium cost is now open to all at no cost at all, what was earlier
limited to the heavy, printed and bound version is now digitized and
easier to access. In spite of these and other advantages that digital
content offers, there are certain drawbacks that make this form of
information delivery a little dicey, especially when it's related to
data where authenticity is of prime importance.

* Data in the digital format requires the use of additional technology
to access, read and modify. This technology may not be universally
available due to constraints like cost, and even if available, may not
be used by everyone because of training gaps and lack of accessibility.
	
* The authenticity of such information will always be questioned unless
there is a foolproof way to identify the sources and establish their
genuineness. Information is only as valuable as its source, and when the
origin of the source is doubtful, the information is almost worthless.
So unless the data can be proved to have originated from validated
sources, digital content does not assume any meaning.
	
* The information must be protected by copyrights that prevent it from
being plagiarized for other purposes. It's harder to enforce copyright
issues when it comes to digitized data such as that is freely available
on the Internet and distributed through CDs and DVDs that can be easily
copied.
	
* The content providers must be fairly compensated for their
contribution. This is a fairly easy concept for the written and printed
format of information - each book sold garners the author royalties, but
it's almost impossible to allocate revenue based on the number of page
views or the number of digital copies sold unless these are protected by
one-time licenses.
	
* The problem with licenses is that they tend to restrict access to only
those who can afford to pay for the product. And in today's scenario
where information is freely available, not many people are willing to
pay premium prices for the same content.
	
* And then there are the hackers who somehow find means to break license
codes and access information that is protected to sell on the grey and
black markets.

* Publishers must also cater to the demand from consumers to produce
content in various formats rather than just one.

* Lack of publishing format standards hinder the process of aggregating
content from various sources, collating it and re-publishing only what
you need.

* As newer technologies are developed, it's not going to be easy to gain
universal approval for these technologies as human nature tends to
resist change and fight it before being forced to accept it.

* The challenge lies in identifying people who will accept and embrace
the changes immediately with open arms and then cajole the rest of the
population into trying it out as well.

* Students, with the advantage of youth and the capacity to embrace new
technology on their side, are likely to adapt to innovations with an
ease that their professors and teachers, who are steeped in tradition,
cannot manage. This throws up an irony of sorts, as those who are meant
to be taught end up grasping the medium of education (if not the content
that must be taught) at a faster rate than those who are meant to teach.

* There must be a consensus among educational institutions as a whole on
the methods that will be adopted to train staff adequately so that they
are comfortable with using the technology to impart a valuable education
to their students.

* Institutes must be prepared to handle the change as well - both
mentally and financially. The fact that learning and educational content
is now digital means that educational institutes must invest a whole lot
of money in related hardware and software costs besides shelling out
money to train both staff and students to use the new system.

* They must also be made to accept the fact that change is inevitable,
and that what's in today may as well be out tomorrow, and the sooner we
realize this truth and accept it, the faster we will adapt to the
change.

* Digital publishers must cope with opposition and resentment from the
print industry which will certainly not relish the prospect of being
driven out of business.

In spite of all these constraints, there are various advantages that
digital content offers over traditional printed material. They include:

* The ability to modify content or just a part of it easily and at a
considerably low cost. The same exercise with traditional books is a
time consuming and costly affair.

 * Easy and cost-effective updating options allow access to the latest
information as and when it's available rather than having to wait for
the next edition of the book to be printed and made available at stores.

* Searching for the exact subject you're interested in is a breeze with
digital content when compared with leafing through a book and reading
every word before you're able to find what you're looking for.
	
* Teachers can put together customized lessons depending on what they
think their students are interested in rather than being forced to rely
on one or two books alone.

* Digital content takes up a fraction of the storage space that printed
matter does, thus freeing up shelves and shelves of space.

* There's also the fact that the less paper we use, the more we're doing
to play our part in saving the rain forests and the environment as a
whole.

* There's no need to carry around books when you're travelling from
place to place. If it's online, all you need is access to a computer and
a fast Internet connection.

There is no certain indicator that can predict when the complete
changeover of educational information from printed form to digital
content will take place, or even if it will ever take place. There are
signs of the shift, but it is slow and acceptance is even slower. But
with the kind of revolution that we've seen over the past two decades in
the field of information technology, there won't be any surprises when
the change does come, sooner than we think and believe possible. While
the move will have its detractors, with time there will be general
acceptance. After all, the raging success and omnipresence of the
Internet is proof enough that rapid change is certainly possible in a
very short span of time! 

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