Description:
According to numbers cited in the introduction to this fascinating and useful study, in the United States in 2002 more than two million students are expected to enrol in distance learning courses (read ‘online courses’ – the terms are conflated in this study). Of these millions, the average student is 34 years old, employed part-time, has previous college credit—and is female. Cheris Kramarae calls this “a social phenomenon,” and has led the research on which this publication is based in order to document these women’s assessments of their experiences and concerns. The hope is that awareness of women’s problems and actions required to help overcome them will increase the women’s success in online programs.