It s not like that. Tertiary students are supposed to be self-directed learners . It s is nonsense to say that these things are such complicated and context-dependent processes that they can t be taught or learned. I can teach you simple pen and paper strategies for doing each of these things. I am not saying that the Internet is a waste of time any more than books, CDs, records, videos and any other information resource is a waste of time.
Cranial software needs to be shaped, modelled, mediated and nourished.
In fact there s every evidence of the use it or lose it syndrome, and every evidence that the most neglected area of the curriculum at any level, primary to tertiary, is the skills and strategies needed to learn to learn. Learning is a human process. The environment is increasingly competitive. Even traditional institutions that once questioned the validity of distance education have recognized the demand for alternative modes of study and have begun to adopt distance delivery methods for some of their courses and programs. Many institutions that have specialized in distance teaching in a wide-open market suddenly find themselves in a position of scrambling to meet enrolment targets to ensure their funding base.