Heidi, please define "effectiveness" relative to learning and online learning. Learners are not homogeneous; therefore, effective teaching strategies and learning environments depend on the material and learning outcome desired. Distance education has been around for over 100 years but the delivery medium has changed from postal only to a continuum of technologies including TV, video conferencing, and, of course the Internet. Online learning has many strengths both as stand-along delivery method and in conjunction with traditional face-to-face classes. It also has its weaknesses just as traditional lecture or seminar classes do. From a strictly "cost-benefit" perspective, the Internet increases access to higher education without the capital investment of "brick and mortar" classrooms and additional support staff. Online courses or supplemental online instruction also permits "mandatory" and equal participation by all class members since time is not a constraint. Online teaching, however, from the instructor's point of view requires much more time and effort -- something I can personally attest. I was also involved with two-semester study evaluating online instruction as a supplement to the traditional large lecture course (500+) and we found statistically significant improvement in "face-to-face" mid-terms exams scores for those who were active participants in online discussions and from previous semesters. This is as an older but fairly comprehensive report by the World Bank Organization called: Distance Education: Growth and Diversity (1998) http://www.worldbank.org/fandd/english/0398/articles/0110398.htm Perhaps the most important barometer of "learning outcome" effectiveness and cost is the continued adoption of online learning as a delivery method by businesses. For more resources, try a KEYWORD search: ("online learning" OR "e-learning") AND ("cost effectiveness") I hope this helps. R ------ Robin Y. Mabry Hubbard, MBA, EdS(Educational Technology) Rural Sociology Doctoral Student - Community Informatics Email: ryh352@mizzou.edu  My Homepage: http://www.rrchubbard.org Murphy's Law: There is never enough time to do it right; but there is always time to do it over ~ Our Future arrived Yesterday!  ~ [I am not inviting any postmodernist to my party!]