5. Enriched course materials: For example, well-constructed, creative online courses can take anthropology students to cultures all over the world, archaeology students to active digs, art students to the finest museum collections, and business students to corporations large and small. World-class resources can be accessed, viewed, and studied 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

6. On-demand interaction and support services: Help is only a click away in an online course. Online courses can include many types of interactive learning aids such as flash cards, immediate feedback tests, and PowerPoint presentations, contact with the instructor and classmates, e-mail, chat rooms, discussion boards and a whole host of campus services, including registration, academic advising, financial aid information and forms, services for students with disabilities, 24/7 libraries, and online tutoring.

7. Immediate feedback: Online students generally have greater access to instructors. Online tests and quizzes with automatic grading can provide immediate feedback and references to text and class notes with explanations.

8. Flexibility: Online learning includes ample opportunities for students to pursue coursework at any time that fits into their busy lives.

9. An intimate community of learners: Instructors note the surprisingly close relationships that they have developed with their online students.

10. Faculty development and rejuvenation: The thinking, planning, research, learning, and effort of constructing and teaching an online course rejuvenate many faculty members.

The important point is that online education can be done well, and the demand for it is such that we all have to work to make it better. It is here to stay for all of the right reasons.

Note: The full article was originally published in The Technology Source (http://ts.mivu.org/): Mark Kassop "Ten Ways Online Education Matches, or Surpasses, Face-to-Face Learning." The Technology Source, May/June 2003. It is available online at http://ts.mivu.org/default.asp?
show=article&id=1059. The article is reprinted in part here with permission of the author and the publisher.

From the perspective of a long-time (30+ years) classroom instructor, a sociology professor, a day-to-day user of the course management system, and a person who thrives on interaction with students, Mark Kassop identifies 10 ways online education excels:

1. Student-centered learning: Students are empowered to learn on their own and even to teach one another, working together toward learning goals more effectively.

2. Writing intensity: Online courses are usually far more writing-intensive than traditional classes have ever been. In an online course, general discussions, requests for elaboration or assistance, answers to directed questions, group projects, most assignments, and many tests and quizzes are in writing.

3. Highly interactive discussions: In online discussion, every student in the class is expected to respond, respond intelligently, and respond several times. Asynchronous discussions frequently last for a week and include 100 or more student postings.

4. Geared to lifelong learning: The online environment fosters self-motivated education, giving precedence to the autonomy of the learner. Students direct their own use of Internet links, search engines, discussion boards, chat, e-mail, and other media.