Browse Books

Reviewer: Symeon D. Retalis

This excellent and comprehensive collection of contributions from notable authors on the impact of the Internet on higher education is edited by Matthew Pittinsky, the chairman of Blackboard Inc. The book offers valuable insight for educators, policy makers, e-learning managers, investors, and business people on the social, cultural, and business factors that impact the use of Internet technologies in higher education. The book is a thoughtful combination of philosophical models and practical blueprints, presenting a shared vision of the way that the traditional instruction will be transformed. It is argued that such transformation will not happen in a revolutionary way, but rather in an evolutionary fashion. The book is organized into eight chapters. Chapters 1 to 4 offer background information about the current trends of Internet technologies in higher education, and their predicted impact. The editor begins with an overview of the prognostics for the impact of Internet use on campus, arguing that these technologies have the potential for great change in higher education. He then presents the key factors that will lead to the era of e-learning in post-secondary education. These key factors are: the renewed focus on pedagogy and the learner the movement of technology from the back office to the front office the high stakes search for new funding sources the pressure and opportunity to serve new enrollments and markets. According to the Pittinsky, it is still not clear if such change will happen in a radical way, following prophecies from economic forecasting firms, or if the change will come about gradually and modestly. The editor initiates this debate, which continues throughout the book. In chapter 2, “Higher Education: A Revolution Externally, Evolution Internally,” Arthur Levine, president and professor of Education at Teacher’s College, Columbia University, articulates his thoughts concisely and pragmatically, and manages to prove that on the one hand, revolution is happening in higher education due to the use of Internet technologies and the great demand for learning. As a result, new online (“bricks and clicks”) universities have appeared. On the other hand, however, traditional higher education institutions cannot and will not be replaced, since they offer valuable humanistic services to the community, and are the driving forces for research. The traditional higher educational system will be transformed to meet new challenges, but such transformation will happen in an evolutionary way. Chapter 3, “E-Learning in the Postsecondary Education Market: A View from Wall Street,” by Greg Cappelli of Credit Suisse First Boston, discusses the size of the postsecondary market in the USA and the growth of Internet usage and access by the actors of the instructional process, and predicts e-learning’s impact on higher education from a financial standpoint. In chapter 4, “The Emerging Global E-Education Industry,” Martin Irvine of Georgetown University points out that since the Internet is a global technology, big changes in educational systems anywhere on the planet can affect local ones. He offers case studies of new business models in higher education, for example virtual universities such as Universitas 21, which can affect domestic traditional higher educational settings. Chapters 5 and 6 outline a wide range of practical issues that should be addressed when one tries to identify the impact of Internet technologies in real academic environments. Both chapters present ideas that come from personal experiences. In chapter 5, “Quality, Cost and Access: The Case for Redesign,” Carol Twigg, of the Center for Academic Transformation at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, notes that educators must focus attention on effective learning, and not on technologies, and tries to guide the reader measuring the impact of the Internet on higher education. She identifies three key axes for such measurement: cost, quality, and access. The author articulates her thoughts with real examples. The chapter would have been more valuable, however, if she had not tried to offer just tacit knowledge, but had instead combined her personal experiences with findings that appear in the literature, particularly with reports concerning techniques for evaluating learning impact, and with results from similar studies (for example, the report by the Institute for Higher Education Policy [1]). In chapter 6, “Where the Rubber Meets the Road: An On-Campus Perspective of a CIO,” Donald Spicer, chief information officer of the University System of Maryland, outlines the important role of human agents in the effort to use Internet technologies in higher education. He accurately justifies why new competencies and skills, as well as new roles and policies, are needed when using Internet technologies to enrich traditional education. Chapters 7 and 8 are more philosophically oriented. Chapter 7, “ Questioning Media,” by Neil Postman of New York University, is the most pleasing chapter of the book. His work is magnificent, and should be used by all educators who teach about educational technologies or media (these fields are not identical, according to the author’s excellent justification). Postman poses six important questions, with no apparent answer, that one should ponder before deciding to adopt Internet (or any other) technologies. The editor concludes the book with a final chapter, “Five Great Promises of E-Learning.” In summary, this book is interesting and stimulating. All the authors present their subject matter with clarity and directness. The book addresses various academic and non-academic issues, and should be of value to all persons who are considering the issues of higher education in a networked environment, or who are involved in educational planning, educational marketing, or the development of educational programs. Online Computing Reviews Service