The Internet and distance learning can help change that reality. Technology is breaking down barriers to college. The rise of virtual universities makes campus location and classroom size less relevant. Vast distances can be overcome with the click of a mouse. Virtual universities can help overcome the limitations of brick and mortar college campuses, according to Dr. Sally M. Johnstone, the executive director of the Western Cooperative for Educational Technologies.
Online colleges can serve more students at a lower cost than traditional colleges can.
They can reach students who would not come to a campus. They can achieve cost efficiencies by sharing or combining resources with other schools, and they may increase the quality of learning for some students. Traditional colleges should not fear these changes. They should embrace them. There will always be students who demand the whole college experience, personal interactions with professors, dorm life, athletics and the rest.