Bill Gates on Online Learning...

from today's Inside Higher Ed - Daily Update:

"What would Bill Gates fund? That's the question many in higher education want to know and his annual letter about his interests for his foundation offers some guidance. This year, one of his areas of interest is online learning. "So far technology has hardly changed formal education at all. But a lot of people, including me, think this is the next place where the Internet will surprise people in how it can improve things — especially in combination with face-to-face learning. With the escalating costs of education, an advance here would be very timely," he writes. He praises colleges and universities for putting lectures online, but argues that online learning also needs to include interactivity. He also expresses interest in identifying the best educational materials online and better organizing them. "

You can read the Gates Foundation annual letter here: http://www.gatesfoundation.org/annual-letter/2010/Pages/education-learning-online.aspx