Global learning: still too expensive?

When global learning first emerged, the price of technology was considered prohibitive – now ignoring it could be more costly.
When the concept of 'global learning' began to emerge in the 1990s, it was an expensive endeavour that required specialized classroom equipment, dedicated telecommunication lines or satellite links, and specialized technical support. In 1995, a typical one-hour global learning class, involving six different universities around the globe, cost upwards of $10,000 (£6,450) just for the connections. The classroom technologywas not only expensive but also difficult to operate.
Often each professor would need an on-site technician present to operate the system. Most mid-level university administrators saw such initiatives as expensive and risky, and perceived no benefit, monetary or otherwise, for the institution. As long as benefits were measured in terms of net revenue, global learning was perceived to be too expensive to justify its use.