'All Aboard' the Borderless Education Bandwagon

Perceptions about the use of technology within education drive its use. This article looks at some of the realities behind the perceptions. Australian-funded research on borderless education led to two research reports, New Media and Borderless Education (Cunningham et al. , 1998, Canberra, Australian Government Publishing Service), and The Business of Borderless Education (Cunningham et al. , 2000, Canberra, Australian Government Publishing Service). The first explored the mooted possibility that bricks-and-mortar institutions would be replaced by global media networks. The second looked at lessons to be learned from exemplary private, corporate and virtual providers in the burgeoning post-secondary education and training market. The research found that while the rhetoric remains focused on globalised markets and cyberspace solutions, the reality is that virtual universities only exist in embryonic or localised form. Against this background, the article looks at the potential shape of distance education in the 21st century. Most Australian institutions now consider themselves to be delivering distance education; in the USA, too, there is a massive growth in the provision of distance education. Much of this has to do with teaching more people for less - thus marginalising the traditional emphasis within distance education on geographical reach and the provision of opportunities for the socially disadvantaged. Mainstreaming distance education and collaboration with businesses outside the sector, and between institutions within the sector, continues within the context of intense competition for profitable (cherry-picked) subject areas. At the same time the higher education process is being disaggregated into constituent parts of what was once a unified value chain, and the jobs of academics are being broken up. The article suggests that if distance education is to fulfil a meaningful function in the 21st century, distance educators need to decide whether they are servicing distance needs, disadvantaged students, or 'instant' education and training. Given the returns on investment available, it looks as if the latter market will win out, with options in other areas being much more restricted. Yet the other more traditional areas of concern will be in as much demand as ever. Meeting the demands in these areas will be more vital, and more difficult.