Teaching undergraduate mathematics on the internet. Part 2: Attributes and possibilities

Internet education in mathematics is developing as a new mode of teaching with its own characteristics and possibilities, different from the traditional way of teaching. In a study presented in two parts, we attempt to capture the world of internet teaching of undergraduate mathematics. In the first part of the study (Engelbrecht and Harding, 2004), we attempt to create some order in the huge number of activities that are available on the web with a graphical classification of the different types of web courses and discuss some of the technologies involved. In this, the second part of the study, we discuss attributes and implications of this mode of teaching/learning mathematics, also mentioning some of the benefits and concerns. Speculation about the future in such a fluid environment is both risky and fascinating but we nevertheless envisage some possible future trends. Research on this mode of teaching is sparse and open research questions are plentiful. We list possible research issues. 1. Pedagogical Issues Although much has been done to develop a pedagogy for distance learning and also for computer-based learning, a pedagogy for driving online courses in mathematics is still only in its development phase. Hopper (2001) believes that “an online pedagogy is not yet in sight”. Most of the research on distance learning was done before the internet was introduced into higher education and had methodologies as subject that are essentially different from those that are employed in web-based courses. Hopper (2001) mentions that Internet teaching is so different from any of the categories of distance learning that preceded it that it is essentially a practice without research foundation.

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