Global and Critical Visions of Distance Universities and Programs in Latin America

Authors

  • Miguel Casas Armengol

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v3i2.111

Keywords:

higher education infrastructure, distance education, development, Latin America, Central America, South America

Abstract

The future of any region’s higher education infrastructure cannot be a matter of guesswork; instead it must be built upon a solid foundation that is both rationally and soundly constructed. This postulate is especially important for regions such as Latin America experiencing problems associated with underdevelopment. Universities, particularly those specializing the area of science and technology, can and do play a constructive role in the advancement and improvement of modern society. However, the current Latin American educational context, which is less than optimal, can be compared with other similarly developing countries around the world, many of which have produced high quality university and scientific systems. Why is Latin America lagging behind? This is a good question that deserves closer examination. This article discusses reasons for the chronic problems for the deteriorated conditions facing Latin American universities. It also suggests ways in which Latin American distance universities can contribute to a transformation of the entire university system throughout the region.

Author Biography

Miguel Casas Armengol

Miguel Casas Armengol, Ed.D., is one of the architects of Universidad Nacional Colombia and the Universidad Central Venezuela. Having earned his Ph.D. in Educación from Stanford University, he is currently a professor at the Universidad del Zulia, Maracaibo and Universidad Nacional Abierta, Caracas, Venezuela. He is also the founding dean of Fac..Arquitectura, Universidad del Zulia, a founding rector at the Universidad Nacional Abierta. He is also a visiting scholar for the International Institute of Educational Planning UNESCO in both Paris and Stanford University, California. He is the author of Universidad sin Clases .Educación a Distancia en América Latina and the co-author of seven books of published by Pergamon Press and UNESCO. His lines of research are: university and national and regional development, modernization and organization of distance universities, and new technologies in distance higher education.

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Published

2002-10-01

How to Cite

Casas Armengol, M. (2002). Global and Critical Visions of Distance Universities and Programs in Latin America. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 3(2). https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v3i2.111

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 2 (2002)

Section

Research Articles

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