The announcement below describes the November-December issue of On the
Horizon, which focuses on distance/virtual education. On March 20, 1998 we
will have a netmeeting to discuss the implications of virtual universities
for the future of higher education. We invite your participation. Details on
how to download and use NetMeeting software are on the Horizon Web site
<http://horizon.unc.edu>. Details on how to access the November-December
issue are found at the conclusion of the summary below.
SUMMARY
Below is a summary of the November/December 1997 issue of On the Horizon
<http://horizon.unc.edu/horizon/online/html/5/6/>
Money, Technology, and Distance Education
Kenneth C. Green
Green notes that many institutions are rushing into the distance education
(DE) market because they think that they will find gold there. He argues,
however, that only when they view DE as a fully capitalized business will
they begin to understand the options and opportunities for them. And they
must be able to respond to the question: what happens if (or when?) Disney,
Dreamworks, or Microsoft enters the market.
New Higher Education Trends Reflected in the Design of the Western Governors
University
Sally M. Johnstone and Dennis Jones
Johnstone and Jones describe the design of the Western Governors University,
which reflects the evolution of higher education as it accommodates and
takes advantage of a rapidly changing technological environment. They point
out the faculty reward structure at WGU will place greater emphasis on
activities for which faculty have unique competence--curriculum design and
materials development.
California Higher Education Extends Its Reach
Diane Vines, Barbara Thorpe, and Robert Threlkeld
Vines, Thorpe, and Threlkeld, in describing the origins and structure of the
California Virtual University, note that the purpose of CVU is to prepare
the California workforce, promote economic development, expand access within
California to postsecondary education, and promotes the global export of
California education and training.
The Significance of Virtual Universities
Donald M. Norris
Norris notes that the virtual university movement may be decisively
important to the future of knowledge age learning and will be a significant
lens for focusing political pressure and reallocating resources in public
higher education.
Enhancing On the Horizon
James L. Morrison
Morrison describes OTH On-Line, the electronic edition of On the Horizon.
Subscribers now have access to all issues published since the preview issue
in 1992. Moreover, they can review and comment on drafts submitted for
publication consideration as well as participate in scheduled netmeetings
with authors.
The online version of the issue described above is found at
<http://horizon.unc.edu/horizon/online/html/5/6/>, one of the pages in OTH
On-Line. If you are not a subscriber to OTH On-Line, you may gain entrance
to the page for a 60-day free trial period by completing the requested
subscription information on the page. Note that institutional on-line
subscribtions allow everyone within the same Internet domain access to OTH
On-Line. Please forward this note to your organizational librarian.
--
James L. Morrison
morrison@unc.edu
Professor of Educational Leadership CB 3500 Peabody Hall
Microsoft Scholar The University of North Carolina
Editor, On the Horizon at Chapel Hill
http://horizon.unc.edu Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3500
Editor, The Technology Source Phone: 919 962-2517
http://www.microsoft.com/education/hed Fax: 919 962-1693