Additionally, many online programs are platform independent. Students may participate if they have access to a computer using Dos, Windows, Mac, Unix, or whatever platform they have access to. Many asynchronous classes only need a telephone line, modem, and a computer. Web based classes only need a computer, a modem, an Internet Service Provider, and a web browser. Another benefit of the online program is the shift in the role of the student.
Students are no longer passive recipients of knowledge.
Rather, students become active participants in the learning process. In the online program, the student is involved in the learning process as an active, self-directed participant who is involved in a cooperative learning environment. In this type of strategy, the student is responsible to one degree or another for not only their own learning but for their fellow students learning as well. Whether the class is synchronous or asynchronous, access for both students and faculty is a problem. In many developed countries, the reach of the Web has placed the Internet at most people's fingertips.