Most courses taught in Computer Science still use the traditional
lecture plus lab format, usually with one or more required texts as reference.
While many instructors now also use the web to augment this, many if not most
use it simply as a convenient place to put materials they would normally hand
out on paper in class. Some keep all their lecture notes and slides on their
laptops or on the web and then display them during class as the basis for their
lectures. Students do find it useful to have access to lecture notes and many
appreciate being able to print out lecture notes before a class so they can
follow along during lectures. Since access to computers and skill in their use
is fundamental to any Computer Science curriculum it would seem a natural step
to use the Internet as an undergraduate course. Virtually all computer
science students have access to the Internet, either from campus or from their
home. But instead of just being used as a source for handouts the Internet
can and perhaps should be used as an integral part of any computer science
course. The use of the Internet for the delivery of distance education has
enjoyed a tremendous surge in popularity in the last few years. Considerable
effort has been put into studying the design and effectiveness of such courses
[WILK97]. Much can be learned from an examination of the distance education
courses but it must be remembered that there are a number of vital
differences.
