Apparently you need to spend more time at a real university to strengthen your vocabulary and understanding of human communications. You used the metaphor 'Brick and Mortar' no less than 8 times and have failed to understand that a quality education is more than reading a bunch of web pages.
Human communication is far more complex than can be expressed in a set of online documents. The interaction with fellow students, professors and the scholastic environment are all critically important to the educational process. Were this not true, distance learning would have become the standard for higher education long ago with the advent of the modern printing press and the ability to take colleges courses by mail.
Of course the idea of fulfilling any type of laboratory requirements online is simply laughable. The very notion of a laboratory requirement is to force the student to practice what he or she is studying in a controlled environment with fellow students (lab partners), some type of supervision and assistance. Even a lousy TA is better than none at all. There is also the practical problem of the equipment required for any lab be it chemistry, biology, physics or even CS. Even lowly English majors benefit from a real library and fellow students with whom to exchange ideas. Laboratory time also fosters the ability to work together on a project. A skill that is becoming ever more rare in the field of computer technology.
A higher education that has any worth is much more than simply completing the reading requirements outlined in a syllabus and taking a few fill-in-the-blank tests. Itâ(TM)s a dynamic, challenging and serendipitous experience. The web makes a great reference manual and poor substitute for something real, deep and meaningful.
As for substitutes for the term âoeBrick and Mortarâ, how about: real, genuine, tangible, physical, actual, corporeal or manifest?