This article proposes a theoretical framework for the identification and classification of the various processes that constitute Web-based education. The framework is based on the following premises: (1) Education may be regarded as a "corrective process," since it is aimed at bringing about a desired change in students' knowledge and skills. (2) "Failures" in corrective processes (technical problems that prevent the dissemination of information, for instance) necessitate "higher-order corrections" (such as technical interventions). (3) Higher-order corrections might also be subject to failure. The recursive application of Premises (2) and (3) yields an "open-ended, dialectic hierarchy" of corrections and failures. The utility of this framework is demonstrated with a qualitative analysis of focus groups attended by students enrolled in an online Psychology course at the University of Pretoria. The analysis suggests that the problems associated with Web-based education might actually "contribute to its effectiveness" by instigating intrinsically valuable higher-order corrections, such as the cultivation of students' problem-solving skills.