CAN TECHNOLOGY
SOLVE THE CRISIS OF HIGHER EDUCATION ARTICLES
The
COL experience shows that to use technology effectively in teaching and learning,
it is important to focus on:
(i)
Policy
(ii)
Capacity
(iii)
Appropriate
Technology.
The advanced technologies available at the beginning of the
twenty-first century are laying the foundation of a new higher education
system, better equipped to meet the needs of a complex and rapidly changing
society. The outlines of this system, transformed by technology, have begun to
appear.
First, it is easier to access than the old campus-based
system. Second, it is unconstrained by the barriers of time and space because
technology can liberate education from the restrictions imposed both by the
clock and geography. Third, it is student-centered because technology can
increase students' learning options. Fourth, it is cost-effective because
technology can reduce the labor-intensive nature of higher education and permit
the reorganization necessary to make institutions more responsive and
competitive.
Many factors will contribute to the changes that will occur
as the higher education system moves into the future. There is no doubt that
technology will be one of the driving forces contributing to the educational
transformation that is already well underway.
