Quality Assurance and Accreditation for Virtual Education

Philosophical meaning of virtual refers to an important reference in thinking about the way relates to the philosophical tradition. “Virtual” is not opposed to “real” but opposed to “actual,” whereas “real” is opposed to “possible.” This definition, which is almost indistinguishable from potential, originates in medieval Scholastics.

The word virtual has been applied to computing and information technology with various meanings. It is used of software systems that act as if they were hardware systems (virtual machine, virtual memory, virtual disk), of computer-generated simulations of reality (virtual reality), and of internet gaming environments wherein entire worlds are created (virtual world). Other applications of the word are being found constantly in this fast expanding field, such as virtual community, and virtual library.

These technologies build the environment for virtual work in teams, with members who may never meet each other in person. Communicating by telephone and e-mail, with work products shared electronically, virtual teams produce results without being co-located.