Good questions, Jack. I agree that initially this can cause students worry - I know it did for me when I was first introduced to the whole idea of email connections without going directly to my professor :) Of course the more you work online with students the more you realize that although it takes a lot of effort to create connections and develop communities of learners with students, when it happens successfully, the connections can be much stronger than in a face-to-face class. I'm interested in reading more from others on this subject...
