Anytime, Anywhere Classes: Does a University Need a Campus Anymore?

Mrudula Patri

You know what? It's not necessary anymore that students sit with a teacher showing them how to solve a math problem. Students don't have to sit in a lecture hall with hundred others listening to a lecture by their professor! In this day and age the same thing can happen sitting at home in front of a PC or on your couch with a notebook, or in a restaurant with your Smart phone, or even in the back seat of your car or traveling in the Metro! All you need is a computer and an internet connection. Hey you think I am kidding? Not at all. This is happening right now. A single teacher is lecturing in front of a camera in his/her university classroom and thousands of students from all over the world are listening to it!

Did you know? Stanford Engineering Everywhere (SEE) is offering its Engineering courses free of cost to students everywhere including course materials, quizzes, tests, all at students' convenience. There's more! Check this out too! 'Udacity and the future of online universities'

Sebastian Thrun, of Stanford and Google, or formerly of Stanford, put up his lecture on 'Introduction to Artificial Intelligence' online. 160,000 students from all over the world enrolled for it. There were more students form Lithuania alone than there were from Stanford! Ooh yesss way Jose! It's all true. That's the power of technology! Is that amazing or what!

Here's something else! Has anyone heard about the technological innovation by Khan Academy? Whoa! What an awesome job Khan! Khan Academy developed thousands of online videos on math, history and science. Take a look!