Since 2006 Vancouver’s Simon Fraser University has taught more students the Greek language than any other university in North America. The only thing is those students aren’t even in North America. The popularity of online distance education, through such platforms as WebCT and driven through associations like CVU (Canadian Virtual University) has created a burgeoning new revenue stream for universities and colleges. It’s also created an attractive new option for those who want quality education but are challenged by geography or scheduling conflicts. In 2006 for example, an SFU’s Greek class had 25 students physically in a classroom and a further 160 studying from Beijing. The economics are obvious. The overhead saved by web hosting as opposed to physically hosting students is a no-brainer. There exists a debate however, that the focus being placed on distance education appears too profit based, and that the education received is not as high quality as would be in a physical setting. I guess it depends on whether you learn better in an auditorium with 500 people coughing and whispering overtop your prof than you do at home.This profit vs public concern has existed in our universities and colleges long before the internet revolutionized the way we teach and learn though.

Regardless of motive, along with scholarly articles found through Google and JSTOR, SEO strategies have increasingly become an important part of how Universities attract students, build web presence, reputation, and yes- generate revenue. Some organizations have even started to rank Universities based on their web presence. But this doesn’t just create new revenue streams for schools. New technology and software platforms are truly revolutionizing education around the globe. So does this mean I can attend my next graduation ceremony from home too?

Related posts:

1. University of the People Seeks Higher Learning Online
2. New cell phone software transforms learning here and in developing regions
3. Social media in the classroom, re-learning how to learn

Tags: Distance Education, Internet, JSTOR, SEO

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