Have New Technologies Improved Access to Quality Higher Education?

Abstract

New technologies have transformed educational provision and learning in all sectors.However what has been their impact on issues of scalability, openness and access to educationfor all? The answer may appear straightforward; information and communicationtechnologies (ICTs) have provided far greater opportunities for all to access a very wide rangeof educational provision, especially in the higher education sector. However, the issue is notthat straightforward; simple provision of opportunities, even when scalable, does notnecessarily provide real access and openness for many learners. The emphasis has sometimesbeen on ensuring the provision of opportunities, rather than considering what the outcomesare for student learning, partly perhaps because the outcomes are more difficult to measure.