Digital Technologies in Higher Education: Current Challenges and Future Prospects Sarah Guri-Rosenblit International Forum, e-Learning Russia, MESI University, Moscow, 3 June 2010 The Open University of Israel

Higher Education: Influencing Trends Higher Education: Influencing Trends Widening of access Budget cuts by governments Growing diversity of higher education institutions Globalization Emergence of the digital technologies

Widening of Access Start of the 20 th century - 1 million students 1960s - about 7 million students 2010 – about 150 million students

Peter Drucker's Prediction: “Thirty years from now the big university campuses will be relics. Universities won’t survive. It is as large a change as when we first got the printed book”. Drucker, P. (1998). The future has already happened, Futurist, 32 (8), p. 16.

Digital Technologies: Confusing Terminology E-learning Web-enhanced learning ICT Telematics environments Computer-mediated communication Virtual classrooms ……..

Distance Education and E-learning: Not the Same Thing Most applications of e-learning take place in campus-based universities Most distance education is not carried on by the digital technologies

Impact of the New Technologies Networks of research communities Administration Library restructuring Teaching/learning - ???

Some Erroneous Assumptions Space and time as barriers to overcome Urge to broaden access Self-evident advantages of the technologies Natural study inclinations of students Making profits Imparting information vs. constructing knowledge

Reluctance of Academic Faculty to Use a Web-enhanced Teaching Time consumption Lack of incentives Lack of technological literacy Distributed teaching responsibility Lack of appropriate support systems Burnout

Navigating between Contrasting Trends Globalization vs. national needs Broadening of access vs. marketization Competition vs. collaboration Intellectual property vs. intellectual philanthropy (OER – Open Educational Resources)

Sir Arthhur Clarke's Observation: “When it comes to technology, most people overestimate it in the short term and underestimate it in the long term”. Clarke, A. (1999) – A Cyber Odyssey: Arthur Clarke’s optimistic guide to surviving the information age, Himalmag, 12 (11).

Challenges & Trends Bridging over the digital divide Finding the golden triangle of utilizing the technologies and reaching a balance between costs-access-quality Moving from national higher education systems to global/glocal networks

Globalization “ Humboldt’s university with its emphasis on research was one of the transformative institutions of the 19th century, the emerging global university is set to be one of the transformative institutions of the current era”. Economist, September 8 th, 2005

Challenges & Trends (continued) Establishing efficient national and international quality assurance mechanisms Utilizing the potential of the Open Educational Resources (OER) Changing roles of academic faculty Changing the fabric of potential student clienteles Gradual change of academic environments

Potential Student Clienteles Local-national-international? Young-old? Only for academic degrees or also for professional training or for recreation/life long learning purposes?

Gradual Change of Academic Environments Moving to a blended mode of learning/teaching Collaborative degrees between several institutions within national jurisdictions and beyond Broader and wider integration of advanced technologies

Thanks for your attention!