The following appeared in Volume 98, Number 2 (Spring, 1999) of the APA Newsletters

With more attention typically given to classes that are entirely on-line, it is easy to get the impression that the Internet is competing with, and might even replace, the traditional classroom. Such prophecy raises questions about the future of philosophical instruction. Given the vital role of discourse in philosophy courses, until the impact of information technologies, and the practices associated with them, is understood more clearly we are likely to face an uncertain and disruptive era that potentially could threaten philosophical education. At the same time the Information Age’s infancy raises opportunities for philosophy teachers and philosophical educators to experiment with information technologies in order to discover uses that might not only eliminate any pedagogical threat but potentially enhance philosophical instruction.

My own educational experiments have so far assumed the hypothesis that philosophical learning is enhanced by, if not dependent upon, face-to-face discourse and that, when teaching philosophy, on-line education should not entirely replace the traditional classroom. The following observations are the results of my attempts to find ways that a course web site can complement and possibly enhance the classroom experience. I am discovering that a course web page can support recognizable educational tasks.

Like a traditional binder, a web site can be a convenient source for classroom handouts such as syllabi, lecture schedules, reading assignments, homework schedules, homework assignments, tests, and an explanation of one’s grading criteria. In addition to eliminating the need to distribute some documents during class, leaving more time for discussion, the organizational clarity and thoroughness of a course site can alleviate some student anxiety. The ability to access most of the term’s documents at one time improves a student’s ability to become familiar with a course that many find alien. In addition, by functioning as a binder that arranges on-line documents, a web page acts not only as a resource, but also as a model from which students can learn the value of organization. A site even can be designed to include on-line binders for each student that, depending on a class’ specific needs, can be accessed by everyone, a select few, or just the student. Finally, a course web page allows a teacher to provide easy access to supplementary texts. This not only allows instructors to include material that will not be covered in the classroom, but encourages philosophy teachers to reconsider the degree to which their courses can address students’ individualized needs, abilities, and interests. Whether your own courses will benefit from each of these opportunities, a class site is a 24-hour resource that, by expanding upon the functions of a traditional binder, can complement and reinforce the classroom experience.

A course web page also can function as an interactive, multi-media workbook that supplies both practice questions and graded assignments. Among the recognizable types of questions that might be on a course web page are 1- true/false, 2- multiple choice, 3- matching, 4-fill-in, and 5- essay. In addition an instructional site can have students click or highlight text and images on the screen; and the Web’s visual and audio potential is expected to multiply the ways that on-line questions can be asked and answered in the near future. All of these interrogative approaches can be presented as on-line "flashcards" that ask a student a question and then allow her to review the answer. As of the time this is being written, many questions (e.g., true/false, multiple choice, and matching) also can be presented as an on-line "tutorial" that asks each student to answer a question, rewarding appropriate responses and providing helpful hints for misleading answers.

No matter which types of questions are posed, a course web page can process students’ answers in a number of ways. A common approach is to send each assignment to the teacher’s, and often the student’s, email. In addition to being a convenient way to collect assignments without setting aside class time, the fact copies can be sent to the instructor and the student is a simple way of reassuring students that their assignments have been processed. In addition, today’s technology allows a class site to have many assignments graded, recorded, and even returned immediately. Each student’s answers and grade can be sent to the student and/or teacher’s email account(s) or recorded on a portion of the web page that only the teacher and student can access.

This capacity to function as a workbook is especially helpful for critical thinking courses. Whether we are analyzing and evaluating inductive arguments, identifying and assessing informal fallacies, determining when premises are warranted, or understanding and evaluating linguistic clarity, critical thinking skills can be improved through facilitated practice that applies clearly explained concepts to a variety of natural language examples. While true/false, multiple-choice and matching questions are used less often in other philosophy courses; their ability to reinforce the recognition of abstract concepts allows courses to spend less classroom time fostering conceptual familiarity and more classroom time pursuing philosophical discussion.

An assignment also can be designed as a "bulletin board" activity that posts each student’s answer on the web site. By having students submit their responses using a personal code (e.g., last 4 digits of SSN) instead of their names, a web page allows students to review their peers’ insights while maintaining personal privacy. Thus each assignment becomes a resource for students to use while preparing for tests, papers, and other projects, expanding the ways that homework can be a helpful study tool, and creating a number of opportunities. Suddenly a course can assign homework that allows students to share information. An Information Age ethics course, for example, can have students watch Nightline and report observations. Having students prepare for class by reviewing each other’s comments, and beginning class by asking them to share others’ observations discourages them from focusing on only a few anecdotes that reinforce one’s own assumptions. Bulletin boards also help writing assignments. By having students prepare for class by reviewing each other’s comments, and beginning class by asking them to share others’ observations, on-line writing can enrich a student’s understanding of abstract philosophical concepts and arguments. Extending the process through a semester û fluctuating between in-class dialogue and on-line (re)construction of arguments in a way that allows on-line and in-class activities to reinforce each other, not only makes it more likely that self-reflection will be a defining characteristic of a course, but helps students appreciate how disciplined writing and re-writing can be part of this process.

For these and other reasons, whether it includes practice questions, graded homework, essay assignments, practice tests, or graded tests, whether it offers traditional true/false and multiple choice questions, assigns bulletin board assignments, or creates an activity using the World Wide Web’s growing multi-media capabilities, a course web page is a 24-hour resource that, by expanding the functions of a traditional workbook, can complement and reinforce the classroom experience.

A course web page also can function as a research tool linking students to a variety of resources from around the world. Among the philosophy sites that can be accessed are Stanford’s Encyclopedia of Philosophy (plato.stanford.edu), Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (www.utm.edu/research/iep), the interactive Thinking Critically: a Tutorial (www.harbrace.com/phil/rudinow/review/), San Jose State University’s Mission Critical (www.sjsu.edu/depts/itl/), and Dictionary of Philosophical Terms and Names (people.delphi.com/gkemerling/dy/). By including links to philosophy resources an instructional site can provide a clear and convenient means of creating a range of assignments that can prepare and reinforce classroom discussions.

Because of the World Wide Web’s vast size and web-like structure it often is difficult to pursue on-line research. While a course site can alleviate this problem somewhat by providing a list of "links" to sites, it is difficult to maintain a comprehensive collection of current links. For this reason library sites and philosophy search engines such as Hippias (hippias.evansville.edu/) are becoming increasingly useful. Linking such resources to a web page increases its capacity to incorporate research into class assignments and activities.

This accessibility encourages philosophy teachers to reconsider the ways that research can be used. For example, to prepare for a class discussion addressing human rights, students can read the People’s Republic of China declare that its citizens enjoy such rights as "freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of association, of procession and of demonstration," helping a class discussion move beyond slogans and cliches about rights and ethnocentrism. While web research is not the only way to achieve this, an instructional site is a forum where this and other useful examples are easily incorporated into classroom activities and on-line assignments.

The World Wide Web’s breadth introduces an opportunity for philosophy instructors to consider a vast range of resources to complement classroom conversations. By giving round-the-clock access to these opportunities a course site can perform library functions that supplement and reinforce the classroom experience.

Finally, a class web page can perform a number of on-line functions that complement office hours. In addition to accomplishing administrative tasks such as providing course handouts, clarifying expectations and policies, and indicating deadlines, a course site can offer tutorial assistance, familiarize students with a discipline, and introduce students to their instructor.

There are a number of ways that a web page allows students to seek tutorial assistance. Links to an instructor’s e-mail eases a student’s ability to seek individualized help. The medium’s delayed response minimizes its capacity to foster a philosophical dialogue, often introducing the need for ongoing discussions to return to points more frequently than face-to-face conversations. Still, its accessibility makes it a convenient medium to ask clarification questions. A bulletin board that allows students to post questions on-line not only increases an instructor’s availability by introducing another way of seeking assistance, but creates a resource that every student can review; and by giving students an opportunity to respond to others’ questions, it encourages peer support. While a bulletin board’s delayed response minimizes its capacity to foster a philosophical dialogue, its ability to encourage students to ask and answer clarification questions not only leaves more classroom time for philosophical questioning, but can significantly increase the amount and ease of student interaction in the classroom. No matter how a site lets students ask questions and propose suggestions it not only helps alleviate confusion, but also increases the ways that they can actively participate in the learning process.

As a student begins to commit to her philosophical education she likely will become more interested in knowing about the discipline. Often unfamiliar with philosophy’s abstract character, student interest frequently is motivated by the desire to alleviate confusion as much as by curiosity. By providing features such as 1) a philosophy time-line, 2) philosophical quotes, 3) a list of secondary sources, 4) a philosophy dictionary, 5) a past student paper, and 6) an instructor’s professional writings, a course web page can introduce and orient students to its abstract character, compounding the ways that a her confusion is diminished and her curiosity can be encouraged and enhanced. In doing so a site not only can partly fulfill a student’s desire to understand what philosophy is, but can encourage her to deepen this understanding through face-to-face conversations.

This increasing commitment to philosophy often is complemented by a growing commitment to self-evaluating one’s ideas through dialogue. One of the important ways that a teacher can facilitate a student’s philosophical education is by mentoring this process. Though hard to characterize, mentoring relationships frequently foster some of the most meaningful and memorable moments in a student’s philosophical development. The mediating nature of on-line interaction seems to create obvious limitations to its ability to foster mentor relationships. Yet when a site includes personal touches, it gives students some sense of the teacher’s personality. For example, an instructor biography that includes informal background information such as the fact that the instructor won a childhood freckle contest (one of the "skeletons" from my own past) can create an opportunity for a personable moment during or outside the classroom. While seemingly trivial, such information can encourages students to initiate the face-to-face philosophical dialogue that fosters mentor relationships. When combined with its capacity to address some of the administrative and tutorial tasks performed during a student’s office visit, this ability to encourage meaningful face-to-face interaction allows a course web page to become a 24-hour resource that complements and reinforces office hours.

The Internet and World Wide Web are rapidly introducing new pedagogical possibilities. Their ability to expand the temporal and geographical reach of educational institutions is changing when, where, and how students learn; and the Web’s interactive multi-media nature likely will dominate education discussions in the near future. The swiftness with which the changes are happening is both inspiring and concerning, raising a need to re-assess educational goals.