My information retrieval course, for example, is every bit as hard as any undergraduate course you would find in any top university. I get a satisfaction rate of about 95%: 95% of the students would recommend the course to their peers. Overwhelmingly, the students say that they have learned a lot.

Are there problems? Yes. But unless you had great lecturers throughout your education, you should admit that many times, classroom teaching fails. And it often fails miserably. At least, when the content is online, the students can see that it is not going to work quickly.

What is, fundamentally, the difference between a face-to-face meeting and our current electronic exchange? Bandwidth and latency.

Distance learning, where you get a book and study by yourself, has existed since — since Gutenberg…. But books have terrible latency. Most authors never answer when you ask a question. Some people have learned Physics on their own with books and articles, that has always been possible… but it is a difficult process because the feedback loop is very long. You may study 4 years, then attempt to publish your first article and… it gets rejected… that’s tough.

Bandwidth is also very important for motivation. You can’t tell right now whether I am upset or pleased by your comment. If you could see and hear me, all these non-verbal indicators would be there — assuming we share some cultural background. You are missing bandwidth. This may leave you to assume the worst: that I am annoyed at you and you may decided never to write to me again. Students tend to stick with a course if they feel that you care… but how do you convey feelings without bandwidth?