Education On-screen

A Harvard lecture course offered over the Internet this fall has enrolled students living as far away as Sweden and Bahrain, raising the question, "What constitutes a Harvard education?" The Harvard Extension School, which pioneered the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) effort in the on-line education arena with a long-distance course in calculus three years ago, has now taken the concept to a new level. With the support of Henry Leitner, director of academic computing in the division of continuing education, this fall's course (in communication protocols and internet architectures) is the first within FAS to offer video and audio presentation of lectures, generally within 24 to 48 hours of the live event. Students access the recorded lectures through the course's homepage, "https://lab.dce.harvard.edu/extension/cscie131b/", with an Internet browser. Homework assignments, slides from lectures, and discussion groups are on-line, and the instructor may be reached via e-mail for questions.

All this is a boon for the 50 or so local students who miss a class or two. But how will this pilot program work for their long-distance brethren? The answers to these questions are sure to spark debate in University Hall as the possibilities of this new medium expand.

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