Web-based courses offer opportunities for students to obtain regular feedback even without direct interaction with course instructors. Some initial tools have been developed to allow instructors to receive and return homework assignments electronically, including comments and feedback, and further development is needed. One instructor s response to these challenges is detailed in Appendix D . Students form study groups, exchange notes, and collaborate on research papers. If appropriate, instructors may include means for this exchange in their course Web page designs.
Some instructors post lists of student e-mail addresses to encourage communications.
Some forward questions and comments from one student to the rest of the class through a listserv. Others create opportunities for students to get together face to face with the instructor or use lab time for students to get to know one another. One reported case of study groups being formed among online students was through interaction during lab time. While several instructors attempt to help these informal interactions occur, these same instructors feel the need for better technologies that will bring students together electronically. Thus, the goals of the Learning Technologies Service include continually exploring and evaluating tools for group interaction that are robust, easy to use, and compatible with the campus computing environment.