Most educational technology introduced over the past 50 years has supplemented and often enhanced but not supplanted traditional classroom instruction, thus adding to its cost, not reducing it. Information technology tends to be expensive and have a short half-life, straining education budgets, not relieving them. Whether online instruction will produce savings for students is unclear. Some institutions are actually charging more for online courses than for on-campus instruction. Students who enroll online, however, may face lower net costs because of savings in time and travel expenses.
Virtual technologies ope n a world of possibilities for students.
Providers traditional or nontraditional have few regulatory barriers to entry. Issues of accreditation and credentialing are problematic eno ugh in the realm of traditional higher education, remarks Swail. Virtual higher education presents a whole new dimension of complexity. The report submits that little information exists on how man y students or employees are actually making use of online course offerings, and there is even less information about their characteristics. Without such information, there is no way of knowing whether virtual technology is reaching those who might not otherwise have access to higher education, or simply accommodating those who already take advantage of other educational opportunities.