ClassWise: synchronous Internet desktop education

This paper reports the results of a five-year effort to develop an effective system for teaching distant students via the Internet, where the students are able to participate synchronously in class as contrasted to the more common asynchronous, Web-based "distance learning" approach. The authors have developed a system consisting of effective teaching practices and a practical family of software to support this approach within the context of computer and network resources that are available to average students at home or in an office. The system and the process that developed them are described in detail. They conclude with the outcome of a graduate course taught to three sections totalling 68 students (including a local control group) using this approach.