**3. The growing focus of open and distance learning**

Sparked by new technologies, particularly the internet, distance educational delivery is undergoing a radical transformation that is nothing less than a new educational revolution. This revolution is undoubtedly taken distance education delivery to higher height that was previously unimagined. The 21st-century distance and open learning institution that should emerge will in many ways be the polar opposite of the institutions that emerged in the 20th century.

It is well established that many factors are driving change; however, none of these is more important than the rise of internet technologies. The Net has already become advanced with revolutionary consequences, most of which are now begun to be felt. The Net instantaneously gives everyone the opportunity and ability to access a mind-boggling array of information from anywhere. Instead of seeping out, over months or years, ideas can be got around the world in the blink of an eye. This simply means that the 21st-century distance and open learning institution must adapt itself to management via the web. This must be predicated on constant change, not stability; organized around networks, not rigid hierarchies; built on shifting partnerships and alliances, not self-sufficiency; and constructed on technological advantages, not bricks and mortars. In other words, the 21st-century distance and open learning institution is far more likely to look like a web: a flat, intricately woven form that links students, tutors, employees, policy makers, practitioners, managers, partners of distance and open learning in various collaborations. They will grow more and more interdependent and managing this intricate network will be as important as managing internal operations.
