Some Consequences of the New Information and Communication Technologies for Higher Education

It is a clouded crystal ball into which we peer to see the future of our universities and colleges, cloudy because of the uncertainties of the development of the new technologies of information and communication. The only thing we can be sure about is that these developments will have large and cumulative effects on our universities and colleges. This essay attempts to identify some defining characteristics of these technologies and their effects. It explores some of the sources of a continuing growth of demand for higher education in many if not all advanced societies that will accelerate the introduction of ICTs. The future will see a combination of traditional and distance learning rather than the replacement of traditional forms. This perspective is supported by the differential effects of ICTs on the varied functions of higher education.