ABSTRACT
Among the features of the new face of higher education are the ‘flexible and open curriculum’; ‘student (or) client focus’; ‘lifelong learning’; ‘multimedia integration’; ‘pro-active planning and positioning’; ‘strategic partnering’; and ‘global networking and referencing’ (Le Grew 1995:1). These and other contemporary developments in higher education are increasingly interpreted as reflecting profound change in character and function rather than simply an expansion and diversification of the higher education system (Scott 1995). Furthermore, the transformation needed to serve the ‘Information Age’ is said to demand ‘new delivery systems for learning, new paradigms for financing, and new models for higher education’ (Dolence and Norris 1995:7). The consequent rethinking of teaching and learning is leading to fundamental changes in the organisation and work of universities and the distribution of their resources.
