During the last 30 years, the emergence of new communications technologies, including the Internet and the World Wide Web, has provided the impetus for many higher education institutions to examine how they deliver instruction and to whom. During this time period, the personal computer, the Internet, and the World Wide Web have been the technologies and tools that have fundamentally changed many aspects of higher education in America and throughout the world. Neilsen/NetRatings and Fortt report that today, more than 60% of U.S. homes have at least one personal computer and Internet access. The rate of diffusion of Internet use since the development of the World Wide Web is greater than for any previous communications technology.

The National Center for Education Statistics reports that nearly 44% ...