I have a question for anyone that happens to read this.  Does anyone have any ideas as to why online tools aren't replacing traditional text books and paper tests very quickly?  We probably all used something like Blackboard (or Telesis at Wash U) in college, but I didn't have a single class that really made any good use of the internet.  And I was a CS major, so you'd think the professors would be down with that stuff.

I ask this because my dad is currently looking for a tool that can help him deliver content to his students and then give tests with intelligent automated feedback and all that good stuff.  There's probably something out there that does what he needs, but I don't understand why my professors didn't do something similar.

First, let me address the obvious reasons:

• Professors aren't very tech savvy - I already mentioned that I was a CS student so this argument doesn't hold water for me.
• Nothing can replace face to face contact - Most classes at most colleges are just lectures.  I don't think there were ever more than three or four professors at Wash U that actually knew who I was.
• People can cheat at online tests - This is true, although many professors give take-home tests.  Also, I think that students should be allowed to "cheat" as much as they want (where cheating means using a calculator, google and friends for help).  I'll discuss this in a future post.

So what are the other reasons?  Why did I have to buy $200 text books when I'd be happier reading everything online?  There's no ctrl+f with a book.  That always drove me crazy.

It also looks like there's a chance that I'll be building something either for my dad or for work that administers this type of thing.  If you've got any brilliant things that you've always wanted to see out of online education, hit me up in the comments.