Just as the participating students are noticeable by their presence, the non-participating students are noticeable by their absence. The quality of students' contributions can be more refined as they have time to mull concepts over as they write, prior to posting. Every student can and, for the most part, does participate in the threaded discussions. Therefore it is possible and quite typical for all the students to participate in the threaded discussions common to Web-based classes. This same feeling of anonymity creates some political differences, such as more equality between the students and professor in an online class.
Students feel free to debate intellectual ideas and even challenge the instructor.
In online instruction the student initiates the action by going to the Web site, posting a message, or doing something. With the apparent anonymity of the Internet, students feel much freer to talk. In the opening weeks of distance courses, there is an anonymity and lack of identity which comes with the loss of various channels of communication. Ironically, as the class progresses, a different type of identity emerges. Consistencies in written communication, ideas and attitudes create a personality that the instructor feels he or she knows.