Picture a medical student learning how to operate – using computer simulations. Or a budding artist who can visit the world's great museums – with a few keyboard clicks. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, the wonders of virtual education. And why some critics worry that on-line classes could destroy academic life.
Mary Beth Susman is CEO of Kentucky Virtual University. She tells Jim Fleming how her institution assists students in earning the degree they want, and says her typical student is a working mother in her thirties who does class work between 10pm and midnight. Also, Hank Bromley runs the Center for the Study of Technology in Education at SUNY Buffalo. He fears the economic implications of virtual education mean economic disaster for existing faculty and explains why to Steve Paulson.SEGMENT 2:
We listen in on a commercial for an on-line college, as "Academic Al" (aka Doug Gordon) does his best to sell us on being smart. Also, Greg Brock taught a college course on-line while he made a cross-country bicycle trip. Brock tells Steve Paulson why this is a good thing for everybody; why it requires a great deal of organization; and why the technology works against flexibility within courses.SEGMENT 3:
Earl Shorris is the author of "Riches for the Poor," and founder of the Clemente Course in the Humanities. He tells Steve Paulson how he began teaching a rigorous course in the humanities to poor people, including several former convicts, and remembers some of his most striking students. Also, a commentary on Earl Shorris from Wisconsin Public Radio talks how host Jean Feraca.Cassette copies are available at 1-800-747-7444. Ask for program number 01-02-04-A.
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