Education is now a global phenomenon and universities must now compete internationally. Online education provides universities with the ability to offer curriculum anywhere in the world without the restrictions of timetabling, lecture theatres, workshops, etc. Furthermore, this mode of educational delivery offers opportunities to students who may not have access to a university. Given the economies of scale for a global online curriculum, there is considerable potential to provide an additional revenue stream. However, the disadvantages of this type of education are only now being discovered. Arguably engineering education is not complete without the development of procedural knowledge (practical skills) that can only be obtained in a traditional engineering laboratory. Despite the advantages of online education, it largely remains a second choice. Furthermore, despite claims to the contrary, many Internet courses are expensive to design, develop and maintain. In the final analysis they lose money. Rather than being a universal solution, the Internet is perhaps better regarded as a tool to complement traditional curriculum delivery especially within engineering education.
