John, This is certainly the response of many administrators regarding the higher freshman courses for brick and mortar schools. I would argue the point about student not wanting to interact. Many students just want to get through these courses with 100-500 students and do what is necessary to make that happen. In many cases the less interaction, the less headaches and easier process to get through it. However, is it BEST for the students? I would argue if you did an experiment and compared students satisfaction with the 500 seat class, versus classrooms of 20-25 with direct interaction and discussion, the mass majority of students would prefer the smaller classes - they would also likely view the class as more "meaningful" than the 500 seat lecture. Herbert Brown III