The paradigm of a student who learns by reading a book and dutifully taking notes is perhaps no longer appropriate. It is not the student s fault. The student has sixteen years of experience as a passive learner. The world is moving much too quickly for students to remain passive. Perhaps the academic community should respond and change.
Technology can be a powerful tool to enhance the learning experience.
Working students often cannot control their time schedule. Yes, they are students and must be subject to academic rigor, but when the job says travel, the student misses class. Also, local commutes are often longer then the amount of time spent in class. Asynchronous distance learning may be one way to use technology as a tool to assist the academic community to get highly pressured students more involved with the ultimate objective of the academic process. The objective should be the same for the use of technology in education as a tool for the human mind.