To Quote Martin Fowler "Often when you come across something new it can be a good idea to overuse it in order to find out it's boundaries. This is a quite reas

To Quote Martin Fowler "Often when you come across something new it can be a good idea to overuse it in order to find out it's boundaries. This is a quite reasonable learning strategy. It's also why people always tend to overuse new technologies or techniques in the early days. People often criticize this but it's a natural part of learning. " http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=8&cts=1331730135496&ved=0CFsQFjAH&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmartinfowler.com%2Farticles%2Frake.html&ei=x5ZgT7WDFMrl0QGRmd2RBw&usg=AFQjCNF4PjGt8mT_6udz3lqVZNyOUnGGDQ http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&#... It is good to see some studies being done in this area (even if the one in the article is not particularly rigorous). I am convinced that there is tremendous value in the new online opportunities (Khan Academy, Stanford, Coursera, Udacity, etc), but there are limits to what they can accomplish. For one thing, an online course being done individually requires a higher level of student discipline than a learning activity involving the personal interaction of a teacher. My mind is less likely to wander when a teacher is staring me down :).