This article sets the professor’s workload against
the student evaluations of an online distance class and a
backdrop of relevant literature. It details the experiences
associated with teaching a final year undergraduate
class via the Web, with the students meeting face-toface
with the professor only once.
Student expectations
There is a considerable body of literature outlining
potential differences in the performance of students
undertaking distance education courses as compared
to traditional classroom courses; see, for example,
Neal (1998), Taylor (1998); Wetzel, Radtke, and Stern
(1994), Storck and Sproull (1995), and Hara and Kling
(1999). In general, these studies indicate that there are
no significant differences in achievement and the satisfaction
of students in distance education classes when
compared to the more traditional modes of delivery.