The article "The Virtualization of Education" by Samuel L. Dunn published in the International Journal, discusses the shift from traditional colleges to electronic education. There are eleven "distance-education" mega-universities around the world, offering television and internet taught classes to millions of people across the country, "providing access to education for a much higher percentage of the population," according to Dunn. These mega universities have the ability to offer courses and credits to people all over the world without the hassle of paying high tuition costs or living near the college. Virtual lectures, classmates, and resources are eliminating the need for traditional higher education because the time, place, and pace can now be decided by the student instead of the institution. The idea is that there will be two types of educational institutions; those that add value in course work (offer the classes) and certifying agencies (which will act like a bank in accumulating credits). The author predicts that "10 percent of existing public colleges and 50 percent of independent colleges with close in the next 25 years," and all the rest will be dramatically reshaped by the digital revolution.
             (1) The main idea is that traditional colleges will soon be replaced with "distance education" mega-universities due to their efficiency. Based on pleasantries such as lower costs, convenience of location, and individual-based pace, the thesis argues that traditional colleges are going to be obsolete. (2) All of this is being brought about due to technological advances in communication, the home, and in the colleges. Dunn is stating that due to these changes, the way people receive higher education is going to change. (3) Dunn bases these predictions on his understanding of how recent technology is being incorporated in colleges and the success it has had so far; this un...