Virtual Applications and Real Problems: Education and Higher Education in Iran

Internal problems of Education and Higher Education (Flexibility, Access, and Relevance) and external problems of (specifically) Higher Education (Public and Private Relations, National Development, Human Resources, Access, Innovation, Globalization, and Privatization) are all subject to a radical transformation as a result of substantial changes and new circumstances occurred and occurring with the introduction and application of information technologies (IT) in this realm. The paper, after outlining the new expectations from and challenges in Education and Higher Education throughout the world and the rise of new perspectives for them, will focus on major developments in Education and Higher Education in Iran-considering the framework of recent socio-economic demands and expectations. Within this approach, therefore, the recent developments resulted from the introduction of IT in pre-university and university systems (as an important part of national TAKFA plan and its aftermath) would be reviewed, and the achievements and shortcomings during the last ten years would be analyzed and discussed. One of the results of this analysis is that the practical expectations do not match with theoretical measures drawn for virtual learning plan in Iran. The experience of Iran in this field could be educative for other developing countries. (C) 2012 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of i-Learn Centre, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.