Abstract
The Internet and educational reform efforts are creating a global network of universities. The ability of faculty members and students to communicate with each other independent of location has dramatically improved. In terms of administration, universities still function as separate entities. However, efforts to share information and to collaborate on research and teaching now encounter few barriers once personal computers and networks are available. This article reviews the technical, political, and administrative changes that have created this global system for learning. It suggests some implications for research and teaching, for individuals, institutions, and societies. The article also describes what universities and other organizations can do to strengthen and expand the global academic community. From a theoretical point of view, the “global academic community” is compared with discussions of a “global brain.”