These assumptions represent a great simplification of what really constitutes getting an education and yet another misguided attempt to reduce a human experience to a simulation of its former self. You cannot replace the old-fashioned college campus with bits and bytes, and we shall make a mistake if we try. This kind of enthusiasm reflects faith in technology more than it does any real assessment of the educational opportunities out there on the Web. More sober proponents of online education admit its quality varies widely. In some classes, professors have simply dumped their lectures into computer memory.
Students download and read, and ask some questions by e-mail.
Others are more elaborate, including interactive CDs and electronic chat rooms, with students and teacher online for regularly scheduled sessions. Some online classes include videos that are downloaded or mailed. Some even require students to visit the campus at the beginning, to meet other students and their professor. Others require students to show up in classrooms to take tests. Distance learning certainly has its value.