Students access the computer based system by regular telephone. A menu is presented and students select the option they want by touching a number on the telephone pad. The system branches to that content and can present information. A second menu provides a branch to a self-test. The system asks and questions and provides a menu of answer options which correspond to the telephone keypad.
Students touch the number that they think is right.
The system responds by telling the student if they are right or wrong and if wrong, the system provides the right answer. For some courses, computer conferencing may be sufficient. Because the classroom is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, students have the flexibility to schedule their learning time around their other personal and professional commitments. Computer conferencing represents a new domain for educational interaction and it is essentially collaborative and team based. Student and faculty equipment needs include a computer, telecommunications software, conferencing software, modem and a regular telephone line.