" My students are all over the place. I have some in China and they're all in different time zones … but they still (understand) interactivity,&lrquo; said Dr. Clare Brett, assistant professor of curriculum, teaching and learning at the University of Toronto's Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.

" Instead of students just sending things to me, we all talk in a common area where we all see each other's work and ideas.&lrquo;

Distance learning has come a long way since the days when the concept meant snail-mail correspondence courses between a solitary individual and an anonymous instructor.