The Effects of the Availability of Internet Bandwidth on Distance Learning in Higher Education

摘要

With the explosion of growth in the number and magnitude of colleges and universities offering distance learning courses over the Internet, the question arises as to what relationship the availability of Internet bandwidth plays in the delivery methods, the student body, and the general makeup of Internet distance learning classes. The author looks at many issues involving distance learning that are affected by Internet bandwidth or the lack thereof. In particular, lack of Internet bandwidth forces many distance learning classes to be taught using asynchronous methods such as e-mail and discussion boards. The availability of Internet bandwidth, the relationship of low and high bandwidth Internet access to the methods of delivery and the related impact on learning are explored.