Significant aspects of the context include the following. The University of the Western (http://www.uwc.ac.za/) has adopted the mission to - "Assist educationally disadvantaged students gain access to higher education and succeed in their studies". Consequently, the university has provided access to students from previously disadvantaged communities. As a consequence our classes are ethnically and culturally diverse. Moreover, the quality of the educational experiences of these students also vary widely. From such a heterogeneous student population, one infers that a rich learning environment, that accommodates individualisation, flexibility and self-paced learning, would be ideal. Over the last few decades computer assisted learning has been suggested as a resource to meet such needs. The technological infrastructure at the institution is still underdeveloped, but it is improving rapidly. Despite the enormous inequalities of the past, the recently established democracy brings the promise of rapid progress. Such a context requires rigorous evaluation of the impact of the new technologies on education in order to ensure that our society reaps the maximum benefits and avoids possible pitfalls (Reeves ,1998).
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