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Re: DISTANCE LEARNING


4) Students learning at home will depend on Internet browsers. An
interactive tool for students and teachers (a software layer above
a browser) is often needed. Such tools are being developed very
intensively. For example, TopClass and webCT, which do not depend on
special software to be sent to each student, or FirstClass, which does.

share what we know (and think) about it.


Ludwik Kowalski kowalskiL@alpha.montclair.edu, MS at MSU, New Jersey
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For any of you interested in such experiences, the Catalan Open University
is one (the first?) that works completely over the web. Students have
to buy a PC with modem and basic software (Netscape,Netexploter...) and
that's almost all. Their comments I have heard are very positive as
Harald Schenk's comments. Students have a meeting with Teachers I think
once or twice over the course. Exams as well as Lab classes are taken
at selected sites (not virtual, but real ones). They do not teach physics, yet.
But they do teach Computer Engineering, Political Sciences, Psico-pedagogy,...

Students may find it easier to contact with others via chat or e-mail than
in real life. The ones of the Spanish National at Distance Education University
have their own mailing list where they help each
other; they also organize Working Groups to study together selected
topics.

For those who want to take a look at their web pages: www.uoc.es (Catalan O.U.)
You will probably need to know Catalan or at least Spanish. Altough
they may have some english pages too, but this I can't remenber and
my Mac has just advertised me with an error type 1 when have tried to
open my Netscape for checking this.i

Me I have some doubts. I think that there some skills that can
only be developed within a face-to-face discussion. At least, chats
or e-mail's won't do the work as well as the classical (natural)
way does.

Regards,
M.A.Santos
msantos@etse.urv.es