Issues Investment in instructional technologies in Illinois, and throughout the United States, is already substantial and expectations for, and evidence of, the success of these technologies is mounting. However, serious questions remain about how students and faculty will use and should use these technologies. The long-term potential for the use of instructional technology in distance learning and the quality of its programming may depend upon how these questions are addressed. Other issues, of course, are also relevant to this discussion such the level and type of support services required and the cost and time needed for development and implementation. Students Access and Choice.
Instructional technologies expand student access to educational programming.
Through this technology students can take courses in subjects previously unavailable to them. However, it is also the case that access to, and interest in, this technology varies by individual and groups. For example, recent studies have shown that minority students are less frequent computer users. Another issue is that the wide variety of Internet coursework places new demands on students and increases the importance of having good consumer information about Internet instruction available to users. Older studies of the effectiveness of educational technology have shown that it works best with older, more motivated students.