Distance education programs are becoming more available than ever before, enabling increasing numbers of adult learners to pursue their educational goals. The purpose of this study was to examine whether web-based tutorials would be effective support tools to replace the face-to-face interaction present in traditional classes. The web-based tutorials were designed and developed to be used in the Educational Media and Technology course at Colorado State University-Pueblo in the spring semester 2009. The web-based tutorials had been pilot tested in the fall semester of 2008. In the pre-survey most students recorded responses that they would experience little difficulty with this course, the average score was x=4.04. In contrast, the post-survey mean of x=3.48 was substantially lower. The difference was largely due to the fact that students inflated their perceived technology skills in pre-survey responses. The pre- and post-survey used a five-point Likert scale where 5 is "Strongly Agree" and 1 is "Strongly Disagree." Student interviews revealed positive responses concerning the continued use of the web-based tutorials for not only the Educational Media and Technology course but other courses as well. Recommendations for improvement included: video-based tutorials, hybrid courses, a computer basics course, generic survey, web cams, and optional areas for comments in both the pre- and post-survey.