CollegeTube

By Brad

Recently, a psychologist at the State University of New York held a test on podcasts of lectures vs. listening to lectures in class. Now a computer science professor at the University of NSW in Sydney, Australia is taking online learning a step further—by offering college credit for “attending” class on YouTube. Read Write Web has the scoop:

While there’s really little difference between physically showing up in a classroom to sit and listen to a lecture and viewing a video of the same lecture, few universities have allowed this type of unstructured remote learning to count as college credit for those who are not already enrolled in the university. Instead, colleges that support distance learning initiatives usually require students to apply for admission and pay tuition, just as any other student attending classes on campus would have to.

The fact that [Prof. Richard] Buckland is not charging the high school students who are remotely attending his courses but is still giving them college credit is what makes what he’s doing so different…and perhaps groundbreaking.

For more on the Internet and education, check out the IIA Broadband Fact Book.