Book Description:
This volume consists of a series of seventeen essays examining the future of higher education, especially as impacted by the rapid advance and pervasive presence of digital resources. There can be little disagreement that information, communication and instructional technologies are already having a significant impact on schools and colleges, and what is occurring today will have a profound influence not only on educational structures in the future, but also on teaching and learning processes. As a consequence, all stakeholders in the educational enterprise will be affected. The 26 authors and co-authors represented within, all of whom are recognized scholars and practitioners in the field of distance education, attempt here to pose relevant questions and provide thoughtful, and sometimes provocative, responses. These contributors write from diverse perspectives, representing several countries and continents, as well as varied organizational and cultural settings, offering both micro and macro views on the topics they address.

Table of Contents:
Preface;

About the Authors

Chapter 1 - The Impact of Distance Education on the Academy in the Digital Age; pp. 1-20
(Michael F. Beaudoin)

Chapter 2 - E-learning and Social Change: An Apparent Contradiction; pp. 21-33
(Dianne Conrad)

Chapter 3 - Pervasive Computing: The Future of Computers in Higher Education; pp. 35-47
(Pamela A. Dupin-Bryant),

Chapter 4 - Educational Access and the Role of Distance Education in the Future; pp. 49-61
(Rick L.Shearer, Heather L. Chakiris)

Chapter 5 - The Changing Nature of Academic Libraries in the Digital Age; pp. 63-76
9Susan McKnight)

Chapter 6 - Higher Education Evolution: Individual Freedom Afforded by Educational Social Software; pp. 77-90
(Terry Anderson)

Chapter 7 - The role of transformational learning in distance education: Becoming aware; pp. 91-109
(Deborah LaPointe)

Chapter 8 - Modelling alternatives for tomorrow’s university: Has the future already happened?; pp. 111-136
(Wayne Mackintosh)

Chapter 9 - Faculty Mentoring at a Distance: Coming Together in the Virtual Community; pp. 137-151
(David S. Stein, Hilda R. Glazer)

Chapter 10 - Implementing E-learning in Israel Higher Education: Current and Future Trends; pp. 153-164
(Gila Kurtz, Tami Neuthal, Zemira R. Mevarech, Dov Teeni, Sigal Scher-Lahav)

Chapter 11 - Distance Learning in Africa: From Brain Drain to Brain Gain; pp. 165-186
(Linda Schachter, Alan Pence, Arlene Zuckernick, Judy Roberts)

Chapter 12 - Universities, Wisdom, Transdisciplinarity, and the Challenges and Opportunities of Technology; pp. 187-205
(Jan Visser)

Chapter 13 - Building Walls or Building Bridges: Accessibility of Online Education; pp. 207-225
(Robert L. Todd, Curtis D. Edmonds)

Chapter 14 - Trends Affecting Higher Education and Distance Learning; pp. 227-246
(Scott L. Howell, R. Dwight Laws, Peter B. Williams, Nathan K.) Lindsay

Chapter 15 - Balancing Theory and Practice in Higher Education;
pp. 247-258
(Ray A. Luechtefeld, Steve E. Watkins)

Chapter 16 - The New Academy: A Dynamic Vision for a Postmodern Era of Distance Education; pp. 259-276
(Farhad Saba)

Chapter 17 - A Future Scenario of Education as a Result of the Digital Age; pp. 277-292
(Bruce Winston)

Index