The importance of the interconnectedness of academic, student, and technical support processes intrinsic to the provision of on-line instruction has been frequently depicted as a “service Web,” with students at the center of the infrastructure. However, as programming to support distance learning continues to develop, such service Webs have grown complex; it is increasingly probable that students are becoming “caught in the Web,” unable to navigate an intricate virtual systems of resources, services, and programming. In the absence of clarity, coordination, planning, and ongoing evaluation, institutional resources may evolve to become inaccessible to students. Without the requisite infrastructure the best attempts to retain distant students can actually have the unintended consequence of further isolating them in vast institutional cyber-mazes. The focus of this article includes a discussion of best practices to support persistence of distant students, using Web-based systems as the primary mechanism to promote cohesiveness, consistency, and affiliation.
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