Regional and global integration of technology: How distance learning will change the face of higher education

The demand for higher education in areas of the U.S. traditionally under served by such programs as well as in global emerging economies has moved distance education into the forefront of discussion in university circles. Many institutions have already engaged in ambitious distance learning programs to better serve their widely dispersed constituencies. The technology that makes distance learning possible also provides the impetus for a reevaluation of traditional on-campus programs. This paper explores some of these issues as we have struggled with them in the School of Business Administration at The University of Montana. The author feels that many of the lessons learned in delivering an interactive compressed video MBA program to five cities in Montana provide insight into how the integration of technology into instruction will change the way education will occur in both on and off campus settings.