Lemmens The Virtual Challenge to International Cooperation in Higher Education Bernd Wächter (ed.) Aca papers on International Cooperation in Education The V irtual Challenge to International Cooperation in Higher Education

Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific
Since Australia and New Zealand will be dealt with separately in this confe-
rence, I restrict myself to the South Pacific Islands.
The most significant provider of distance and virtual education in the Pacific
Islands is the extension unit of the University of the South Pacific in Suva,
Fiji. A satellite and high-frequency radio system connects the five centres on
different islands, with supplementary use of the Internet.
The Pacific Islands region has to deal with the problem of four time zones,
which are spread over the international dateline. Generally, the use of
modern technology is very limited.
Limitations of virtual education
Many countries in the region, especially such with large rural areas, cannot
afford the high start-up cost for both hardware and software. This is con-
sidered to be a considerable social problem, since it creates and widens the
digital divide between the “haves” and the “have nots”. The rate of obsolence
of both hardware and software is high, and it is all but easy to keep up with
the technological development.
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In many places, the communication (telephone) facilities are still limited, and
some areas do not even have a reliable supply of electricity.
Academic staff are not everywhere sufficiently technology-literate. Students
are also often hesitant to undertake independent study. They lack the en-
hanced self-discipline and responsibility required in virtual learning. Their
preference is clearly for face-to-face learning.
Among students, parents and employers, the perception is still prevalent that
the quality of graduates from virtual universities is inferior. It is also felt that
the perceived lack of interaction between students and faculty in this type of
education results in a deficit in social skills.
The resistance to change is still strong, which manifests itself by the clinging
of many to the old educational philosophy, with its structured and directed
learning. “Brick-and-mortar” universities tend not to recognise credits earned
by virtual study.
Students tend to be overwhelmed by the information available on the Inter-
net. They still need very strong guidance to identify useful information and
apply it to the solution of problems.
Overall, the advantages of borderless learning, in the sense that learning
can take place independent of time and space and is therefore learner-
centred, have not been perceived yet. There is no recognition of the possibili-
ty of customisation to the needs, capabilities and interests of the student.
It may still take some time before virtual education will take firm roots. The
first stage is likely to be a combined mode of delivery rather than a full sub-
stitute of traditional face-to-face methods by fully-fledged virtual learning.