A Look At Asynchronous Learning Network Courses As Used At Kettering University

For the past ten years the use of computer based instruction (CBI) has been presented as providing learning benefits over traditional classroom methods. With the advent of the graphical browser for the World Wide Web (WWW) in 1994 ever increasing usage of this media has been explored. The World Wide Web currently allows us to include a combination of on-screen text, graphics, pictures, sound and movies as has been the case in traditional classrooms. The main advantages of the WWW is that it (1) no longer ties the student to the classroom on campus, (2) allows the student almost instant access to new materials posted by the instructor, (3) has the ability to deliver instruction to remote students easier and cheaper than other distance learning methods and (4) provides a truly asynchronous learning environment. This paper presents the initial efforts at Kettering University to include asynchronous learning networks (ALNs) as part of the overall learning experience.