8 Issues and Choices 141

One of the conclusions of the 1999 COL report on the status of virtual education development was that it was more rhetorical than real. Now, two years later, it appears to be both more rhetorical and more real. And the gap is closing between the reality and the rhetoric! However that depends on where you live. If you reside in a developing country, for example, the vision you have for virtual education may not be much different from a colleague’s in North America or Australia, but the possibility of being able to implement it is considerably more limited. The reality is that the developing countries of the world are largely being bypassed by the surging developments in virtual education. The Study Team hopes that this analysis of macro developments in virtual education will provide the basis for strategies that will help to address this situation.