Issues in Delivering Course Material via the Web

Web-based courses (Mesher, 1999) are defined as those where the entire course is taken on the Internet. In some courses, there may be an initial meeting for orientation. Proctored exams may also be given, either from the source of the Web-based course or off site at a testing facility. The Internetbased course becomes a virtual classroom with a syllabus, course materials, chat space, discussion list, and e-mail services (Resmer, 1999). Navarro (2000) provides a further definition: a fully interactive, multimedia approach. 2002 figures suggest that over two million students are taking at least one Web course (Thornton, 1999). According to E-Learning (2001), more than 3,000 universities will offer substantial Web courses by 2004. The Web-enhanced course is a blend with the components of the traditional class, while making some course materials available on a Web site, such as course syllabi, assignments, data files, and test reviews. Additional elements of a Web-enhanced course can include online testing, a course listserver, instructor-student e-mail, and other activities on the Internet. Navarro (2000) defines this type of course as a “digitized text” approach. Navarro (2000) suggests that faculty are far more likely to start by incorporating Internet components into a traditional course rather than directly offering Web-based courses. These Web-enhanced courses might be considered the transition phase to the new paradigm of Internetbased courses.