Building a Virtual Campus

Abstract

For the higher education world, comprising three million faculty and administrators, 15 million students and 60 million alumni (Budzynski & Zabora, 2000), a Web presence is essential. But the means by which institutions “go online” can differ dramatically, including the implementation of brochure websites, development of online registration systems, offering Web-based course supplements and distance learning courses, putting administrative functions online, and giving students Web access to extracurricular resources and other networked information. When delivered together, these functions represent a comprehensive platform, while alone they create a fragmented Web presence. In this chapter, we will explore the trends leading up to the need for an institution-wide solution; how the eCollege CampusPortalSM can connect a campus’ administrative, academic and community aspects together through a seamless, single point of contact; the development process and technology that makes this possible; and the building of a virtual campus at Montana State University-Billings.