Mechanism vs. Policy

• Mechanism concerns protocols and procedures
• Policy concerns enforcement of synchronization rules between a pair of master and slave.
• Distance education values more at learner autonomy in its nature
• Avoid exceeding synchronous control over slaves
• Separation of the mechanism from the policy
  • "Synchronization level" agreement
  • Allows more flexible learning behavior
  • Makes self-paced learning possible
  • Assistance, rather than confinement
• For example, novices and experienced users