Potential Impacts of Educational Telecommunications Systems

Abstract

Potential impacts of large-scale educational telecommunications systems are identified and issues to be considered in a more formal technology assessment are discussed. Educational telecommunications systems involving television, computer-aided instruction, and information resource sharing are in various stages of planning and implementation. However, relatively little work has been performed to assess both short- and long-term impacts of such systems on education, society and the individual. Potential impact areas include: impacts on education; economic impacts; political and legal impacts; social, psychological and cultural impacts; physical and environmental impacts.