Let's say I teach business writing, and I have a truly innovative idea for teaching it that will allow my students to take the course anywhere, anytime. I don't have to change the syllabus or content, just the way I teach and the way students interact with me, with one another, with the subject and the course. In this scenario, I am in control of the pedagogy, and therefore director of the teaching and learning outcomes. What if, on the other hand, I am told to teach my course virtually? And, by the way, an instructional designer will "design" the course delivery; I am to be the content expert, but someone else might actually teach the course. In this scenario, I no longer am in control of the pedagogy, much less the teaching and learning outcomes. Which would you prefer?

Campuses worldwide are rushing to put virtual learning in place. The decision is often an administrative one, with faculty consulted after the fact. For many administrators and corporate investors, the possibility of increased revenues from a "virtual.com" enterprise brings to light the fact that education is becoming a commodity, whether we as higher education faculty like it or not. In the not-too-distant past, the rush was to keep up with the competition; now the rush is to take advantage of the possible financial rewards, assuming there will be any. However, if distance education programs are to be successful, faculty must be directly involved and leading the process, or risk losing control over curriculum development and, more important, over the learning outcomes.

For faculty to be involved and to be leaders in this movement, the perception of teaching and learning needs to be reconsidered or changed. This change is multidimensional--established systems may need to change to support development and delivery of courses through virtual technologies, campus cultures may need to change to recognize the validity of different teaching and learning styles, faculty may need to modify ways of teaching and increasingly embrace and incorporate interactive technologies into their pedagogy. Unfortunately, change does not come easily. Research demonstrates that many faculty balk at participating in distance education, and campus cultures do not foster faculty participation. However, if we as faculty do not rise to the challenge and take responsibility for curriculum and learning outcomes, someone else will. This is already evident in the proliferation of virtual universities and for-profit universities.

Whether we believe teaching through technology is good or ill is not the issue of the day. What is important is whether our students learn to be critical thinkers, to be able to make meaning out of print and visual information, and to be reflective learners. As faculty, our responsibility is to ensure these outcomes, no matter the learning environment. Virtual education is upon us, regardless of how we feel about it. We can abjure our responsibility by allowing administrators, for-profit companies, and corporate investors--those having little or no experience in teaching and learning--to control the direction of virtual education, or we can be the driving force providing the necessary direction and vision.

When the World Wide Web came into existence in 1993, Bill Gates didn't see that it was important. Only when he finally recognized the impact of the Web on communication and knowledge creation did he seize the opportunity to make his company a major player in bringing the power of the Web to the public. He almost missed out. We must not.