Richard: This is a very thoughtful response. I believe the risk of students disappearing when they hear of the written expression rquirements is high; but not at the university level at which, for major projects, they may be required to follow either thre institution's Style Guide, or another Publication Manual. The other side of th coin---I have seen talented multimedia developers, graphic designers, software developers etc who fail to produce acceptable products because they failed to comprehend the Specifications to which they were required to abide. With great sincerity, I also share your thoughts of McLuhan. Many may view me as old fashioned; hovever, if I were given the option to teach on-the-ground or online, I will choose on-the-ground. I maintain that "Humans are gregarious". We have always been and are likely to continue to be so. The synergy generated in a face-to-face learning environment cannot, in my opinion, ever be replicated in an online environment. Satrohan