Universities are facing a great deal of change and quite some pressure to review and adapt their services to meet the needs of a changing world. The internet, open-source software, the OER movement, and - on the other hand - the global economic crisis are all stimulating the reform of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA).

This handbook aims to provide policymakers in the field of higher education with valid, in-depth information on virtual campuses in different forms. It provides readers with insight into what has been done and what is taking place in the domain of virtual campuses, as well as the opportunities, barriers and critical factors that exist.

• Chapter 1 provides a short introduction into the history of the term virtual campus, followed by some examples of the first experiments with the set-up of virtual campuses.
• Chapter 2 introduces a theoretical framework for the definition of virtual campus and an overview of the different cultural meanings of the term virtual campus nowadays.
• Chapter 3 presents the theoretical categorisation of the different types of virtual campuses identified in our inventory work.
• Chapter 4 gives a -œhelicopter view- of the world of virtual campuses, including a detailed overview of key initiatives, market leaders, and large-scale providers in different parts of the world.
• Chapter 5 provides the reader with a modern set of Critical Success Factors, a list that could help those working towards the set-up of sustainable virtual campus initiatives.
• Chapter 6 provides conclusions and lessons learned.

Most of the data used in this handbook is available on the Re.ViCa wiki. Readers are invited to use the wiki as a working tool - a companion to the handbook. The Re.ViCa wiki is probably already one of the largest repositories on the topic of the virtual campus - and indeed, eLearning - available today.

In addition to the impressive inventory of notable eLearning initiatives, it contains information about interesting programmes, projects, and leading institutions, as well as a rapidly growing series of country reports describing the context for (and examples of) virtual campuses around the world. Most institutions included have a short entry in English containing general information about the institution and its virtual-campus activities.

The Re.ViCa wiki has been set up to serve as a community tool and a dynamic and active database. There's already a user list of more than eighty active contributors, and all readers of this book are invited to participate, to contribute, and to share expertise, as we strive to reach the ultimate goal of all educators: "Education for All".