Crossing the Digital Divide: Transforming Curricula in Higher Education

The traditional face to face modes of instruction that pervaded universities in the 1980s and into the 1990s have been replaced by e-learning platforms. Students enrolled in courses at postsecondary institutions are usually quite busy and may not have time to attend face to face classes at the university. As a means of addressing the needs of a globally diverse study body, university professors are developing hybrid and distance learning courses. Distance learning courses address a growing need in the economy by providing working students with opportunities to complete advanced degrees. In order to survive in this technological era, postsecondary institutions must reconsider the organization and delivery of instruction. The virtual classroom represents our future. The intersection of technology and learning has signaled a change in how postsecondary institutions deliver instruction. The Information Processing era has forced educators and policymakers to reconsider the values and ideological tenets grounding the development and delivery curriculum and instruction. Demographic shifts indicate that the American population has been aging rapidly since the 1970s and the population of adult learners continues to increase significantly in higher education. Given these trends, colleges and universities have been forced to redesign curricula to meet the needs of adult learners. The purpose of this paper is to examine the technological forces driving curriculum reform and to present a research based model that may be utilized in developing e-learning platforms.