PEOPLE.IDEAS.PERFORMANCE

49 7(&+12/2*,&$/ 3$&.$*(6 $1' 62/87,216 86(' )25 ,1&5($6,1* 7+( ()),&,(1&< $1' 3(5)250$1&( 2) $// $&7,9,7,(6 2) 0$1$*(0(17 $1' $'0,1,675$7,21 ,1 +,*+(5 $&$'(0,&6 &DWDOLQ 0$&$5,( University of Cincinnati United States of America */2%$/ 75(1'6 ,1 +,*+(5 ('8&$7,21 There is a wide recognition that skills and human capital have become the backbone of economic prosperity and social well-being in the XXI century. The modern knowledge- focused countries and economies agree that the progress of all individuals and the society overall is increasingly driven by the advancement in technology and information systems. Progress requires nations to retain their competitive edge by developing and sustaining a well- trained, skilled workforce, maintaining a globally competitive research base, and improving the distribution of knowledge for the benefit of society at large. „ Higher education represents a vital and utterly influential factor regarding innovation and human capital development and plays a central role in the success and sustainability of the knowledge economy ” (Dill and Van Vught.) One can understand that „ higher education has become increasingly important on national agendas and has undergone profound mutations and reforms worldwide over the past decades ” , as portrayed in a recent OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) review of tertiary education policies. As stated by Altbach et al., „ an academic revolution has taken place in higher education in the past half century marked by transformations unprecedented in scope and diversity ” (Altbach et al.) The growth in absolute numbers of students is mirrored by synchronous trends in access to higher education. A key feature behind this wider participation is the increasing female participation in higher education. According to data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), „ women made up 41% of global higher education enrollment in 1970. They achieved parity with men in 2005 and currently running higher with about 51% of global enrollments ” (UIS). „ Communication and education delivery technologies are continuing to advance at accelerating rates. These advancements have had and will continue to have significant impact on the organization and provision of higher education both within countries and worldwide ” (Johnson et al.) This presents challenges for all global institutions focused on higher education including keeping pace with rapid advances in deployment of all materials and machine learning technologies; communications and social networking technologies; accommodating the increased costs of technology into existing mechanisms for financing higher education; and taking full advantage of the educational opportunities these technologies provide to expand student access and improve their success in higher education. Many universities and higher academic programs have successfully adapted and used a succession of technological advances in recent decades, including technology-assisted open learning categories, off-site models of instructional delivery, as well as computer deployment, modeling and simulations used as instructional solutions and tools. Mixed type of