[tips] Re: E-learning

[Christopher D. Green]

David Campbell wrote: I am aware of the public access to lectures at UC Berkeley    http://webcast.berkeley.edu/courses/index.php  and at MIT     http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Global/all-courses.htm     and I know about the history of psychology lectures provided by Chris Greene   http://www.yorku.ca/christo/podcasts/       Other than MIT and Berkeley, I haven't found colleges providing full sets of course lectures, video or audio, open to the general public. A few of comments. First, thank for mentioning my "This Week in the History of Psychology" podcasts. I should note, however, that they are not intended as a replacement for in-class history of psychology lectures. They do not collectively form a complete or cohernet "course" on the history of psychology. They are intended as a course supplement (i.e., a set of homework *listening* assignments parallel to the traditional set of homework *reading* assignement).  Second, several years ago I produced a wholly (but for the exams) electronic statistics course (videotaped classroom lectures on DVD ("broadband" wasn't quite broad enough in those for everyone to be able to download video), on-line chatroom office hours, listserv class discussion, etc.). It worked every bit as well as the in-class version of the course (the electronic section did slightly but not significantly better on the very same exam as the in-class section). Third, I have found several (apparently) complete sets of course letcures being offered on iTunes (some on psychlogy, some on other topcis, such as history). Some are better and some are worse. The primary problem with these (as with many podcasts) is SOUND QUALITY. A single desk mike ("octopus") is simply not sufficient (especially considering that poscast are often listened to in noisy environments such as malls, cafeterias, and on public transportation). Recording in large "echo-chamber" rooms is problematic as well. The main speaker must be directly miked (lapel mike at worst), and recording seminars in which multiple peopla speak is almost impossible unless one brings in professional. And one must take the time to EDIT, otherwise there is lots of pointless junk that applies to, if anyone, only people in the classroom. Technical quality counts when you're doing technical things. A crappy production will get a crappy response, even if the content is superb.  (You'd feel the same about a live lecture in a poorly-lit, acoustically-dead room, right? Same goes for podcasts.) Regards, Chris -- Christopher D. Green Department of Psychology York University Toronto, ON M3J 1P3 Canada 416-736-5115 ex. 66164 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.yorku.ca/christo ============================= --- To make changes to your subscription go to: http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang=english