Inside Higher Ed article on the human element of on-line courses.

This is an interesting article on the human element in distance education courses.

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/03/29/lms

 

Interesting read - though I wonder if it sometimes just is the lack of interaction between the professor and the student. A physics prof at FHSU gave poor marks yet was not responsive to e-mails nor provided feedback on Bb (though quite a few students asked!) - I ended up dropping the class because of it; I have had other profs who were slow in getting back to you as well, which had a direct relation to my interest in the course. One of my favorite Profs @ FHSU (Shaffer) is extremely knowledgeable and very timely when responding to e-mails / posts in Bb.

So while I don't mind the lack of video streaming / audio lectures, I do mind if the prof is too lazy to answer questions.

 

YES! This is what I have been thinking about and occasionally posting on this BB. Video interaction, although fraught with challenges, could be the key to lifting DL to the top of the educational hierarchy.

 

A pet peeve of mine, as well.