A large percentage of students who attend continuing education programs are working adults with time and budget constraints. CMDL is much like a traditional classroom. CMDL should not be confused with home study courses, correspondence courses, or independent study courses. Needless to say, the distinctions between various course delivery methods can get a little fuzzy at times. However, CMDL is much more like a traditional classroom than anything else.
Traditional textbooks are the norm, usually supplemented with workbooks and on line study guides.
The biggest difference is that there are no live lectures to attend. Easy to use computer conferencing software is provided to course registrants. A web based interface is also available. Within each unit, the instructor assigns reading, exercises, and other homework. Class discussion is an integral part of each unit.