What difference does the Internet make to traditional university teaching?

Abstract

The article discusses the impact of computer technology and, in particular, the Internet on academic teaching methods. The author points out that the Internet allows much greater transparency in the teaching process, which can potentially lead to improvement in the quality of teaching. The Internet facilitates direct interactions between the student and the teacher. The article also discusses efforts to improve teachers’ skills in using information and communication technologies for teaching purposes and points out the need to introduce basic courses in IT skills for university students. In this context, initiatives undertaken by US universities, i.e. Open Course Ware (MIT) and Open Knowledge Initiative, are discussed in brief.