Today, enrollment in the first VUs has not even begun to match expectations, however. Moreover, not all the necessary technologies, such as videoconferencing, are up to speed. Nevertheless, as this study points out, online education is set to explode and is likely to capture a large share of future college students and forever change higher education. Even the most elite institutions of higher learning are experimenting with online offerings because they recognize that they must do so to remain competitive with emerging education and training companies. The next few years will see all players grappling with questions about how best to deliver content, price online programs, measure online students' progress, and value online degrees.
Wild cards are ideas and events well off the current trend lines in the business environment.
Younger women are redefining their workweek to achieve new flexibility in hours. Offering up personal data to retailers presents a risk that some consumers are more willing to take than others. And new ways of financing and providing educational infrastructure from kindergarten to graduate school are emerging in the commercial environment. In today's highly competitive environment, the time necessary for the competitive value of an innovation to decay has become incredibly short. Cisco's NetAid Web site is a recent example.