© Copyright 2000 by Anne Marchant. The right to make additional exact copies, including this notice, for personal and classroom use, is hereby granted. All other forms of distribution and copying require permission of the author.

Obstacles

First, let's examine the obstacles to overcome. Below are three questions every teacher hates to hear and the answers we would like to give:

• I missed class today. Did I miss anything important?

What you would like to do is to answer (through clenched teeth), "No, it was a complete waste of time. I'm so glad you were spared."

• What's the lowest score I can get and still get an "A"?

Well, I guess there is such a thing as a dumb question.

• Is attendance required?

Absolutely not, and feel free to skip the exams too! (It's less for me to grade!)

Such questions are telling us two important things:

1) the student is concerned about his or her progress
2) lack of time is a major barrier for many students.

It is not unusual for students to support themselves with jobs that require them to work 30-40 hours per week and exhausted students do not perform well. They do need the benefit of our patience. At the same time they need firm reinforcement as to how much time is required to succeed. Other impediments may include large class sizes, cheating, and lack of motivation.

Peter Denning (1999) aptly describes the role of the teacher as facilitator/coach, information manager, and sage. He also discusses the application of technology in fulfilling some of these functions. Below, we describe some of our experiences using technology, both to provide access to information and to facilitate learning through self-assessment.

Introduction

Is Technology the Answer? And What About "Distance Education"?