Rethinking Affirmative Action: Redefining Compelling State Interest and Merit in Admission

The disruptive technologies of the Internet and computers are changing our world in myriad ways. These technologies are also increasingly being employed in higher education but to what effect? Are the effects on higher education quality measurable, and if so, what is the effect on the traditional gap between high-income and low- to middle-income nations on this score? This theme is pursued in this article, which uses a variety of methods to probe the question. Because great controversy attends the notion of institutional quality, measures differ, and the effect of these technologies on that quality depends to a great extent on the definition being used. Low- to middle-income countries' usage of the Internet and computer technologies lags behind that of high-income countries, but projections indicate they are catching up.