Rhetoric or Reality? Technology in Borderless Higher Education

Abstract

In early 2000, at the peak of the dot.com boom, there was tremendous excitement building as the use of technology in education was seen to be coming of age. Politicians and educators alike heralded a New World that would provide increased access to learners across the globe via the use of information and communications technology (ICT). Less than five years on, some would argue that it was a decidedly utopian vision that has failed to live up to its hype. Others would argue that strides have been taken to develop technologies and to increase access to potential learners in both the developed and developing economies. Where does the truth lie between these two extremes? This chapter is not about technology per se; rather, it is about the potential of various forms of information and communications technology to foster and facilitate the experience of higher education in an increasingly “borderless” domain. Nor will this chapter address the use of technology with regard to higher education’s research agenda; instead it will focus on the use of ICT in support of the learning and teaching experience.