Chapter 10: Moving on Line: Public and Private University Motivations and the Implications on Public Policy

This chapter argues that higher education institutions and leaders often do not see themselves as part of a larger system, and with an attention to serving students on their campuses, they often do not need to have this perspective. However, when seen from the larger perspective of serving a state or province, institutions have to look at how they reach out to students, and as they see the benefits and challenges of moving classes into an online format, they see that they are not alone. The policy implications are discussed in details in terms of how institutions have to talk to each other, to assess what others are doing, how they are providing education, and what resources can be maximized across institutions and even public sectors to best serve their public interests. Online learning has matured greatly in the past decade, but is still in its infancy in terms of integration to the larger perspective of higher education as a public service, and the next two or three decades could rewrite how colleges and universities provide a postsecondary education.