Colleagues: I've received some interesting e-mail in response to my recent mini-review of Dreyfus' book, _On the Internet_ - one more negative than not. Fair enough - indeed, what such a list is for! I've replied to the critic privately in what were intended to be appreciative and gentle tones. Part of my reply, I think, is worth posting here - not so much for its quality (come on - it's e-mail!), but because I would appreciate responses to especially my more general claims from folk on this list who will certainly know better than I. [One caveat: I do not sketch out or more fully characterize Dreyfus' analysis below. I'm still working through my notes, etc., - if I get a good summary that might be useful, I'll pass it along.] ...I find his analysis of what happens on the Internet to be relatively complete and well-informed. Indeed, some of his claims are supported by such Gurus as Andrew Lippman, co-founder of the MIT Media Lab (see the February, 2002, issue of Syllabus, p. 13) as well as by a fair body of research on CMC, online communities, etc. (In particular, see "Comparing Conceptual and Technique Learning Performance in Place-based and ALN Format," Journal Of Asynchronous Learning Networks (5: 2 - September 2001). <http://www.aln.org/alnweb/journal/Vol5_issue2/Parker/ParkerGemino.htm>, including their conclusion that "Students taking the virtual seminar scored significantly lower on the technique section of the final exam than place-based students," - which is consistent with what Dreyfus _does_ see as the limitations of distance learning). None of this is to say that I dispute your abilities or your experience teaching online. I've been using hypertext and CMC technologies in my teaching for more than a decade, and there's no question that - especially in the hands of an enthusiastic and skilled instructor - some great things can be accomplished, and in some ways, better than in a place-based setting. But so far as I know, the evidence on the strengths and limits of distance learning is still emerging. Indeed, I've seen a remarkable turn from the hype of five or six years ago - distance learning will make bricks and mortar universities obsolete - to a much more balanced view, including greater use of "blended" courses that make use of both place-based and distance teaching. One of the reasons I find Dreyfus worth working through is that his analysis of how we learn as _embodied_ creatures helps explain a good portion of the research I've seen that suggests, indeed, some things we learn much better in a face-to-face situation. O.k. - my shields are up; fire away! Cheerfully, Charles Ess Director, Interdisciplinary Studies Center Drury University 900 N. Benton Ave. Voice: 417-873-7230 Springfield, MO 65802 USA FAX: 417-873-7435 Home page: http://www.drury.edu/ess/ess.html Co-chair, CATaC 2002: http://www.it.murdoch.edu.au/~sudweeks/catac02/ "...to be non-violent, we must not wish for anything on this earth which the meanest and lowest of human beings cannot have." -- Gandhi