From Lecture Hall to Laptop: Opportunities, Challenges, and the Continuing Evolution of Virtual Learning in Higher Education

Virtual learning has dramatically changed postsecondary education and it promises more transitions in the future, many of which cannot even be imagined at this juncture. To contextualize what has come before and what is yet to come, the authors find the threads that extend from early days to visions of the future for educational environments. By following those threads, we are able to plan for the immediate future and the distant future.

The authors tell us their motivation for writing this book comes from:

*Our understanding that virtual learning is having a profound impact upon higher education institutions and thus warrants a careful and ongoing examination by all who have or wish to have a professional connection to a college or university.

*Our knowledge that the growing population of virtual learners has differing educational needs that necessitate changes to instructional practices.

*Our acknowledgment that e-learning best practices are distinct in important ways from traditional classroom instructional approaches.

*Our awareness of the need for faculty selection and training processes to be changed in substantive ways to capture the unique potency of the virtual sphere as both a platform and a tool for teaching.

*Our desire to distill for chairs, administrators, and policymakers the opportunities and potential barriers to adopting and expanding virtual learning in their institutions.

*Our interest in capturing the current and evolving trends in virtual teaching for those who are responsible for charting an existing or future course for their programs, departments, or larger university.

Being connected to the evolution of virtual learning puts us, as educators, in a position to impact the future of education and the learning needs of our students. This book will help you find your place in that continuum.