ABSTRACT

Distributed-learning networks have not only increased writing-to-learn activities in distance courses; they have also contributed to a rise in the use of online writing activities as complements to conventional face-to-face instruction. For instance, large on-campus lecture courses now employ the discussion boards, group pages, learning activity sequences, and virtual classrooms as spaces where students engage in structured learning outside of the course’s face-to-face meeting time. In many cases, the features of course management systems are being used to replace class-meeting time. Thus, a 3-credit course might meet 1 hour a week for the lecture and rely on asynchronous activities for the remaining 2 hour of class time. In some cases, even small-enrollment courses, such as composition, are meeting less frequently and replacing face-to-face lectures with structured writing, feedback, and evaluation through distributed networks.