If students have to foot the bill, it's logical to assume that increased tuition or new student fees will negatively impact enrollment. This fear alone would kill most programs, even without the prospect of massive cultural change. Resistance to cultural change Cultural change raises uncomfortable questions. An assault on academic freedom Finally, there is the issue of standard-ization. Higher education isn't known for imposing standards.
Mandates fly in the face of academic freedom.
The sole supplier scenario makes public officials nervous. But to minimize costs associated with support and maintenance, and to facilitate integration of technology into the curriculum, a standard hardware and software platform has to be selected. Facing the Obstacles Faced with these overwhelming obstacles, it would be easy to admit defeat. But the brave individuals who believed in universal access didn't give up. Like explorers who set out to prove the earth round instead of flat, the lure of a world of equality and interactive learning was incentive enough for universal access pioneers to make it to the promised land.