21世纪高等教育：开放与远程学习面临的挑战 ─ 在”2008世界开放与远程教育论坛”上的主题报告

Higher Education in the 21st Century：The Challenges for Open and Distance Learning

现在的卫星几乎覆盖全球，因特网容纳了极为丰富的知识，而且容量还在继续增加。我们已经学会了大量的教学法，知道了怎样在新的环境中开展教学。移动电话其它技术现在已经会聚在一起 ─ 关于这一点，没有其它设备能够像新上市的苹果iphone那样更有力的展示了。技术的价格时时刻刻在下跌，而技术的健全性与可靠性却在时时刻刻地着增加。因此这是一个充满可能性的令人兴奋的时代─可能性之大远远地超过了我们历史的任何时代可能性。我今天的论点是，我们要利用新技术的潜能并利用这些新技术及其构建的网络才实现的远程教育的机遇。而且我们这么做是因为我们清醒地认识到，它们很可能是我们在21世纪面临的诸多问题的解决方案的核心─而且确实像詹姆士．马丁提醒我们的那样，21世纪的真正含义是我们确实要解决这些问题。

Professor Brenda Gourley has been Vice─Chancellor of The Open University since 2002. She shares with The Open University a social justice agenda and a belief in education as a tool to tackle growing inequalities in the global society. Professor Gourley is a member of the board of the International Association of Universities and the longer Term Strategy Group of Universities UK. She chairs the Association of Commonwealth Universities as well as the Talloires Network’s Global Project on literacy.
A frequent speaker on a broad range of platforms and issues as well as a contributor to publications around the world， Professor Gourley has also received honorary degrees from the University of Nottingham， University of Abertay， Richmond University， Allama Iqbal Open University and the University of Quebec. She has been named as one of the “Global Business Network’s remarkable people.”
Professor Brenda Gourley was previousely Vice─Chancellor at the University of Natal for eight years. Professor Gourley is a qualified Chartered Accountant and began her career in the pri8vate sector before moving into academia.