EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY AND THE RE-CREATION OF THE UNIVERSITY

Abstract

It is often said that if educational technology is to be of real service it must be an integral part of the learning and research system which is a university, not merely an afterthought. In the case of the British Open University a successful attempt bas been made to design the institution using educational technology as a basic approach. It is to be noted, however, that the Open University is, in a sense, more of a college or a pre-university than a university, in that introductory teaching rather than scholarly or research activity is its central preoccupation. The central preoccupation of a true university is the initiation of novices into scholarly and creative work through constructive and critical dialogue with the most eminent minds in the fields of concern. The principal output goals of a university, as perceived by a sample of 7,224 university faculty and administrators, are to train students in methods of scholarly research, and to carry on pure research. In this respect the Open University is only half way toward being a true university; a great deal more is needed.