In addition to the fact that continuous feedback on student progress in the course is vital to an effective learning environment, students in online courses begin to get anxious when there is no activity on a course Web site. Regular communications with students via announcements on the Web site can be as important as individual feedback. 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.