Introduction

Sam looked up from the stack of orders on his desk and glanced at his watch. 3:30, time to work on his project with Andrew. He pushed the orders to one side and turned to his computer. No picture this time, but Andrew's voice came through with sounds of students playing frisbee in the background.

Sam, 28, was a non-traditional student, fitting his course work around his work schedule. Andrew was a traditional first-year student. The two had been partners now for four weeks—though they had never met in person.

The background rock music ceased, and Sam heard Andrew's voice, “Hey Sam! What's it like in the real world today?”

“Usual thing, pushing paper… Better watch out for wild frisbees,” Sam replied.

“Right. But it's too nice to stay inside,” Andrew explained.

“You kids have a soft life,” Sam teased. “OK, let's get started.”

The instructor's discussion of the project flashed up on the screen. It was just text—Professor Rodriguez was not much for adding voice descriptions. Not like Sam's political science prof, who always added a video stream with her verbal instructions.

Sam proposed a plan of work. “OK, we need to find a picture of a cross-section of a chambered nautilus, then construct a model of the shell's spiral curve. And then we compare it with the real thing.