A system for improving distance and large-scale classes

The emergence of large-scale classes and distance education has created problems that cannot be adequately addressed by the traditional student-teacher based model of interaction. Students in large-scale classes and distance education environments do not receive the same kind of interaction with the instructor they may have received in smaller, more traditional classroom settings. Our experiences have resulted in "lessons learned" and solutions that address issues that arise in distance and large-scale education. This paper presents these solutions and an in-progress system that facilitates the interaction and information flow of students, raters, and instructors.