The Virtual University in Practice

The virtual university is not a figment of one’s imagination; it actually exists in many forms already. What this chapter does, however, is pull together all the thoughts and ideas of multiple scholars from around the world, to provide a cohesive suite of options one should consider if looking to establish a virtual university from scratch. This is doable because of the breath of experience that resides within the body of authors contributing to this volume.
This chapter clearly demonstrates the imperative nature of the virtual university in a world that has been through substantial change over recent years, and where many ideas that where seen as fundamental to the successful application of higher education have been challenged. That is not to say that higher education itself have been left wanting, rather that the option to conduct higher education has been shown to not just survive, but to flourish in the virtual space.
Throughout this chapter, the lessons that have been learned by some 54 scholars will be summarized and placed into a solid agenda for consideration. It will not hold all the answers, but it will provide the reader with a fantastic place from which to start their journey when looking to establish a virtual university that takes the affordance of technology-enhanced learning and makes this vision not just doable, but desirable.