The Future of Universities: New Dynamics for Development

Abstract

University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad & Tobago, The Future of Universities: New Dynamics for Development, Sir John Daniel, Commonwealth of Learning // Are universities becoming more open or more closed? Starting from the trends identified at UNESCO’s 2009 World Conference on Higher Education the presentation looks at the recent evolution of higher education, most especially the use of technology. It finds that the for-profit sector is moving much faster into the use of eLearning than public institutions. This raises the possibility that higher education might split into a public sector focused on research and a for-profit sector doing most of the teaching. However, the use of open educational resources may provide a vehicle for the public sector to become more open through an Open Educational Resource University with a network of participating institutions.