The answer is pertinent. These indicators have come out of the nature of distance learning. The use of threaded discussion in many distance learning classes also provides a point of evaluation through an analysis of the types of questions posed, the types of responses given, the depth of the observations between teacher and student and student and student, and the number of posted entries. Much of the interaction between learner and learner, learner and teacher, and learner and material in the distance learning format is written. E-mail is a written and visual medium.
Students ask questions, make observations and discuss topics through e-mail.
The writing is almost always informal as neither the instructor nor the student feel the need for polished, edited writing in e-mail. While spell checking is automatic in some e-mail programs, grammar, development, and mechanics checkers are not applicable. So, what the reader gets in e-mail correspondence is generally an indication of the writer's abilities. A studied look at the quality of these messages written during the course can tell us something of a writer's growth. An e-mail message written at the end of a composition class should show a broader understanding of idea development than did the message written at the beginning of that course.