The plan to set up virtual universities is premised on the National Education Policy’s objective of enhancing the gross enrolment rate in higher education in the country from the current 26 per cent to 50 per cent by 2035. However, global experience leads to the fear that quality of education delivered by such universities may have to be compromised.
The concept of virtual universities has been developed for students to obtain almost immediate feedback from teachers through email or online discussions. When the term came into existence, it applied to things that were simulated by the computer, like virtual memory. Now this has come to be applied to things that physically exist and are created by means of computers.
In fact, the concept of virtual universities first came with the idea for a wireless university at the BBC. In the tele-university concept, courses were taught on the radio and television in the name of “university of air” which came to take the shape of an open university.
Online courses mean that students learn in their own time by reading course materials, working on course activities, writing assignments and interacting with teachers and other students through teleconferences. Virtual classroom environment is accessible to any student provided he or she has access to a computer and an internet connection. This may allow a dynamic interaction with teachers and among the students themselves. The synergy that may exist in student-centred virtual classes is one of the most vital traits of the virtual learning format.
Virtual Global University in Germany offers a graduate programme in information and management where students can have access to a wide network of people and interactions. They can work at their own pace. Hence, the importance of the development of such skills including creativity communication and knowledge application.
However, the fact remains that a virtual university cannot provide face-to-face interactions. So, the students would be deprived of opportunities for better communication and deeper understanding. Lack of computer literacy may also deter them from adoption of new technology that may lead to incomplete learning and low performance. The performance of many students at DeVry University in the USA was examined some time ago. The university offers online and contact versions of all its courses, using the same textbooks, assessments, assignments and lecture materials for each format.
Even though the courses were seemingly identical, the students who enrolled online performed worse. As a result, they would be more likely to drop out. The hardest hit would be the unwilling few and those who entered virtual classes with low grades in their previous examinations. The weaker students would be the worst sufferers. An overwhelming advantage to student learning by thrusting information technology has not been perceived just yet, when simple chalk-and-talk methods could have done equally well.
We cannot think of an equally good alternative to the classroom lecture ~ the discussion method that has been at the heart of the teaching-learning experience. No instructional technology has been developed to replace cooperative learning that takes place in group projects, field studies, recitals and presentations. It is generally agreed that students do not learn merely from textbooks, if so, teachers would not be required. Only when textbooks and supplementary study materials are brought to bear upon a topic to be discussed in the classroom does the teaching-learning process become live. This is accentuated through projects and assignments followed by term-end examinations.
Lack of access, whether it be for economic or logistic reasons, may exclude otherwise eligible students from virtual courses. This is an important issue in rural and lower socioeconomic neighborhoods. Internet access may pose a significant challenge to users in a virtual university. Not even the most sophisticated technology is hundred per cent reliable. At the same time, in order to successfully participate in an online programme, students must be well-organized, self-motivated and possess time management skills. An online teacher must compensate for lack of physical presence by creating a supportive environment in a virtual classroom where all students feel comfortable in participating.
Computer-related frustration and the fear to face new things among teachers may compromise their pedagogy. For many it may be a threatening experience.
It may be important to recognize that some subjects cannot be taught online because the electronic medium does not permit the best methods of instruction. Examples are hands-on subjects such as public speaking, surgery, dental hygiene and sports where physical movements contribute to the achievement of the learning objectives. Hybrid courses may represent a solution, thus making that area of the course more accessible to a greater number of people who would otherwise have difficulty getting to the campus.
Online curriculum should reflect the use of dialogue among students and group discussions. Quality education may be provided in a virtual university only if the curriculum is developed or converted to meet the needs of the medium. The task of access both to curriculum products and curriculum experts is an important issue for the success of a virtual university. As students cannot have access to all curriculum products, it is likely that scientific visualisation is used as an educational tool. Curriculum may not be easily updated nor very interactive. Use of email may be effective for exchange of information. Video conferencing over the internet may not be a practical substitute. From the administrative point of view, the question of accreditation becomes pertinent. Where would the credits go? How can Intellectual Property Rights be maintained? How will the issue of faculty control over content and curriculum be preserved? These questions must be addressed initially.
Programming the curriculum for virtual universities will be one of the biggest challenges. Interactive media courseware development is a tedious operation. A quality educational product would require synergy between faculty experts, programmers and digital artists. A foolproof curriculum requires an institutional investment in faculty expertise. If students of a virtual university follow a separate curriculum from on-campus students, there may not be sufficient baseline from which to determine grades of virtual pupils. While designing electronic curriculum for distance learners it is important to build in a reliable testing infrastructure. If this is done, the distribution of grades between the virtual students and on-campus learners may be identical.
It must be agreed that the quality of a degree depends on the depth and scope of the mentoring relationship between the student and a faculty member. To make possible the interactive aspect would require an enormous investment of faculty time. Few teachers would be there to commit to such a teaching endeavour.
It is desirable that electronic courseware and credit granting must be cost-effective. It may be argued that reduced cost per credit hour will be the prime incentive for students to go in for virtual university courses. Virtual students would like to buy the cheapest educational products in the market where education has become a commodity.
If a purely commodified market model is to be applied in the case of virtual universities, then scholarship is sure to be sacrificed especially when the budget on the education sector keeps getting reduced.