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The concepts of virtual learning are not as attractive for primary schools, as
most parents depend on real schools to take care of children during the workday.
But for secondary education and higher education, virtual training is much less
expensive. There are no physical infrastructure costs. Licensing software is much
cheaper than building physical classrooms that need heat, cooling, and mainten-
ance. The ratio of students to teachers in a virtual classroom can easily grow to 35
to one or more. The cost savings potentials are significant.
It is possible to envision hybrid schools for the deaf and blind where virtual
training would augment live instruction, and students would spend part of the time
with live instructors and in regular classrooms.
A web search on “average college tuition” found a
CNN Money
analysis dated
October 26, 2011, that showed that annual tuition costs for state and community
colleges and universities were about $8,244 per year. Living expenses were about
$13,203 per year, with total costs of $21,447 per year. Private university tuition
averaged $28,500 per year with living costs of $13,724 per year for a total annual
cost of $42,224 per year.
Assuming that the concepts of the virtual university were applied to normal
undergraduate college education, the probable annual tuition costs might be only
about $1,500 per year. There would be no physical infrastructure costs at all, com-
bined with a much greater ratio of students to faculty than with real universities.
Living expenses may or may not be lower with virtual training.
However, the real value of virtual training would only be partly based on cost
reductions. It is theoretically possible, and research is needed to prove that the edu-
cational effectiveness of virtual education would equal and perhaps exceed that of
normal classroom education.
For example, immersive training is easily accomplished by virtual methods,
but it is expensive using live instruction. Sophisticated learning tools featuring
animation and dynamic simulations are easy to accomplish with virtual methods,
but they are seldom even attempted with live instruction. Continuing to study on
weekends and during spare time is easy with virtual methods but very difficult
with live instruction.
The bottom line is that technologies exist today to make significant technical
advances in professional education. Some of the same technologies might be use-
fully applied to special education needs such as teaching the blind and deaf. Even-
tually, these technologies could extend to many forms of education covering many
professions.
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