The European Re.Vica project has been building country reports on online learning and virtual campuses for a growing number of countries.
It has just published its updated report on the USA, a daunting task given the range and diversity of the U.S. system. From their newsletter:
Re.ViCa is pleased to announce the publication of a revised United States country report on its wiki. As in other Re.ViCa country reports, we present an overview of the country’s educational system (from the primary through the postsecondary level), with particular emphasis on e-learning in higher education.
In the US study we also examine topics such as states’ v. national relevance; US attitudes towards the Bologna Process; the unique US accreditation system; and recent recommendations which have the potential to transform the country’s broadband and educational technology uptake.
How the Congress and various US agencies will respond to these recommendations remains to be seen. President Obama’s 2009 pledge to invest $12 billion in community colleges and $500 million in developing free, high-quality online courses has yet to bear fruit, and it is not clear whether the American public is ready for comprehensive federal broadband and technology-based education reform. Should these ideas go forwards, however, the long-term benefits to US education could be tremendous.
As this is a wiki, you can contribute to this report if you feel significant activities are missing (as they inevitably are). However, I have found the whole Re.Vica wiki to be an extremely valuable research tool.
Dr. Tony Bates is the author of eleven books in the field of online learning and distance education. He has provided consulting services specializing in training in the planning and management of online learning and distance education, working with over 40 organizations in 25 countries. Tony is a Research Associate with Contact North | Contact Nord, Ontario’s Distance Education & Training Network.
