Could Skype be used instead of a toll free number for your distance students? I’ve been hearing about Skype for many months now, and the NY Times just ran a story on in, and it struck me that this would be a good alternative if you couldn’t offer your distance students a toll-free number. Or even if you could, but they were scattered around the globe. I’m sure there are toll free numbers that work from international locations, but I’ll bet they get to be pricey. One of the first things I did when I took this position at the U of C was get a toll-free number for our Canadian students, but it won’t work for our students who are overseas. Skype would though! It’s a perfect match: Our DE students are tech-savvy (at least a little) or they wouldn’t be doing a distance program. From all reports (and I admit I haven’t yet initiated a call through Skype) setting it up and using it is a piece of cake.
Is anyone in DE Libraryland using Skype to support their students?