Virtual Campuses: Educational Revolution or Pedagogical Illusion?

Popularized by the digitalization of teaching, virtual campuses promise expanded access to education, greater flexibility, and significant savings for students. However, this digital approach is not without its pitfalls: risks of isolation, inequalities in access to technology, and a growing environmental impact are all threats induced by the modernization of the French educational system.

Field

Éthique

Écologie

Keywords

Web

By Caroline Henriques

Virtual campuses are online learning spaces where students can:

access educational resources,
participate in courses,
interact with their teachers and classmates.

All this without having to physically travel to a site. By removing geographical and time constraints, these digital spaces open up new learning perspectives.

The advantages of virtual campuses: an educational revolution?

Thanks to these tailor-made platforms, students can take courses from anywhere, thus reducing geographical inequalities. Virtual campuses also offer valuable flexibility, allowing learners to organize their schedules as they wish and save considerable time.

From an economic point of view, virtual campuses reduce costs related to travel, housing, and physical educational materials. According to a study by International Schooling (a 100% online American school welcoming more than 14,000 students), an average student in the United States spends over $1,000 per year on textbooks and course materials: an amount that can be largely reduced thanks to free digital resources. However, these savings are only effective on the condition that students already have a computer and an Internet connection, the initial cost of which can be a barrier.

To succeed in your studies today, it is necessary to be in possession of adequate digital equipment.
Paul Mayaux, president of the Federation of General Student Associations (FAGE)

For some schools, virtual campuses are not limited to simple videoconferencing platforms. In France, NEOMA Business School has chosen to develop an immersive environment where students, professors, and collaborators interact in the form of personalized avatars.

These characters allow users to move freely around the digital campus: attending a class, joining a working group, participating in a conference, and even engaging in sports (by controlling their avatar during interactive activities such as virtual races, team games, or relaxation sessions).

This immersive approach recreates a form of social proximity, which tends to be lost with classic videoconferencing formats. Students at this institution describe their virtual campus as "stimulating," creating an "impression of presence," and "more conducive to learning."

Learning alone in front of a screen: the challenges of digital campuses

Source: NEOMA Business School - International Virtual Day inaugurates a brand new campus

However, virtual campuses also present disadvantages, particularly because they encourage social isolation. This is what Léa, a first-year student in NEOMA Business School's Grande École Program, regrets, as she feels lonely and unmotivated during online learning sessions.

Julie-Sophie, a student at ICN Business School, also notes the limitations of this type of tool in her school. While she acknowledges that the ICN Learning platform (which offers recorded courses and supplementary resources) is useful, the student highlights recurring technical problems and a lack of direct interaction with professors. "Without in-person supervision, it is more difficult to maintain motivation, and some concepts remain unclear," she confides.

Furthermore, despite the lack of precise figures on this subject, it is clear that online learning is a hindrance to students' networking opportunities. Student associations, such as events organized on campuses and informal interactions between classmates, allow students to forge contacts that can prove invaluable throughout a career. With online courses, these opportunities are rare, jeopardizing one of the major assets of higher education: the professional integration of students.

Another issue with these online learning platforms is the inequality of access to technology.

1.5%

of French students (30,000 out of 2 million) do not have a computer

Source: survey conducted by the Association of Digital Vice-Presidents of Higher Education (VP-Num) in June 2020 among 43 institutions.

Moreover, to be able to effectively follow a distance learning course, it is essential to be comfortable with computer tools. This is not the case for all learners, particularly students with disabilities or those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Finally, the increase in screen time has worrying effects on the health of young people, promoting sedentary behavior and sleep disorders, as highlighted in a report published by the newspaper Le Monde in 2024 on students' hyper-connection, indicating that "the right of students to disconnect must be formally recognized."

Virtual campuses, serving the economic interests of schools

While virtual campuses are often presented as a pedagogical innovation, they also serve the economic imperatives of schools. Institutions often highlight the accessibility and flexibility offered by these online platforms, while also emphasizing their ability to strengthen collaboration between students, regardless of their place of residence.

For example, NEOMA Business School presents this approach as an opportunity to bring together its students spread across the Reims, Rouen, and Paris campuses: "It's extraordinary to be able to live this experience. We can meet more students and share things with them, it's very interesting, [...] we were keen to bring all our students together in a single unit of place and time," affirms Alain Goudey, the school's Director of Digital Transformation.

However, this idealized vision sometimes masks financial motivations. By centralizing courses and activities online, schools reduce their infrastructure costs and reach a larger number of students without investing in new physical campuses. Moreover, by allowing course instructors to accommodate more students simultaneously, schools optimize staffing and reduce the number of class hours to be taught, thereby lowering the costs associated with teaching positions.

Furthermore, with virtual campuses, it is possible to track students' digital actions: when they logged in, who they interacted with, how long they attended a class, etc. Coupled with artificial intelligence, even more advanced systems for analyzing student behavior and reactions are conceivable.

Towards more inclusive and sustainable virtual campuses: what solutions?

To limit the drawbacks of virtual campuses, several approaches are possible:

Develop student interaction and engagement. To foster their motivation, it is crucial to integrate interactive activities during online courses: small group sessions, live discussions, personalized feedback... the active participation of students during distance learning sessions is essential for their engagement and understanding.
Reduce the digital divide. Faced with inequalities, it is necessary to guarantee equitable access to technological tools. This can involve equipment loans or subsidies for the purchase of quality hardware and Internet packages. This is already the case at the University of Lille, where nearly 1,400 computers have been loaned each year since 2019 to students in situations of digital precariousness. For its part, the University of Nantes introduced a "digital pass" in 2020 that provided financial support to 2,200 students: €100 to subscribe to an Internet connection.
Limit the environmental impact of virtual campuses. Students, like educational institutions, can promote the use of refurbished equipment and choose responsible hosting providers. Thus, in Alsace, social economy actors offer everyone the possibility of equipping themselves responsibly and at a lower cost. For example, in Schiltigheim, the Desclicks association sells refurbished second-hand computer equipment. In Strasbourg, the Commown cooperative society offers electronic device rental services. A good way to equip oneself while saving money and supporting a solidarity-based approach.

Sur le même thème : Rental, Reconditioned, Secondhand: Alternatives to Buying New That Give Smartphones a Second Life

As the International Schooling study emphasizes: "online learning integrates everywhere, at any time, and in any field." Therefore, virtual campuses are a major opportunity to democratize education and offer valuable flexibility to students. However, they also have disadvantages, particularly in terms of social isolation, financial inequalities, and digital pollution. To ensure the long-term effectiveness of online learning, it is essential to adopt a balanced and inclusive approach that promotes social interaction, reduces the digital divide, and limits the environmental footprint of the devices and platforms used.

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[Cover photo: Tim Gouw]