For distance students, the internet creates new opportunities to communicate with lecturers, tutors and other students. This reduces the sense of isolation that distance students often experience.

Some students find iit easier to voice their opinions online than in a face-to-face situation, where strong personalities may dominate.

Sending an email to a lecturer can be less scary than phoning them.

Online communication is usually written, so you don't get to hear other people's tone of voice, or see their body language. This can create misunderstandings.

Some lecturers receive hundreds of emails from students evry day, and they struggle to keep up.

See the netiquette section for tips about online behaviour.

If your question will benefit other students, use the online discussion board instead of email. Then the lecturer only has to answer than question once.

The internet is non-linear. This means that you can click your way through enormous amounts of information in whatever order you choose.

Following links can lead to very interesting discoveries and lots of incidental learning.

It's easy to lose track of where you've been and what you're supposed to be doing when you're surfing the internet.

Set goals and time limits if you find yourself adrift in cyberspace. Keep sight of the big picture.

Some web sites are well organised and provide clear directions about how to find things on the site. This can help you to see the overall structure of the site.

Some web sites are poorly organised, and provide confusing directions.

If you find any UQ web sites confusing, tell someone who's involved with that site (politely, of course).

Resources from all over the world are only a few clicks away.

Students often rely on second rate sources of information from the internet. This can mean poor marks for assignments.

Learn to use the Library properly to find high quality sources of information.

Lecturers can place back-up copies of course materials on the internet e.g. course outlines, lecture notes, powerpoint slides.

This can be very useful for on-campus students who miss a class or lose a handout. It can also be useful for distance students, who get a taste of what's happening on-campus.

Distance students often have low internet access, and it can take ages to download and print everything.

Sometimes on-campus students do different assignments and practicals, so the material on the internet can be confusing for distance students.

Graphics, audio, video & animation can make learning much richer and more enjoyable.

These files can take a long time to download, and you often have to download plug-ins like Flash and Quicktime as well.

Get used to downloading plug-ins because it gets easier after you've done it a few times. Find somebody to help you if you don't feel confident.