Hello-- Steve E and Marj, thanks for initiating and propelling this discussion forward. Great comments, Charles, Steve J, and Nancy, I like your points and questions. Having taught online for a while, and this quarter teaching the same course both online and offline, the topic has me thinking more about the learning processes. Each group learns in different ways, of course, and perhaps even learns different content to a degree, in the sense of what will stick with them in the long run. Hmmm. I know one thing and that is, Marj, I'd really like to learn koala arm-wrestling from you. :-) You have a handle on all the reasons why I (and most students) would prefer to do that in person. I'd even settle for a few lessons by phone or video. With a topic of such interest, and an extremely motivated learner, perhaps any one of several modes would do. And the beat goes on... cheers, andee