LECTURER DROPS LECTURES FOR PODCASTS

From: berquist <berquist@PA.NET>

LECTURER DROPS LECTURES FOR PODCASTS
A lecturer in microbiology at Bradford University in the United Kingdom
has said he will eliminate traditional lectures from his biochemistry
course and replace them with podcasts. Students in Bill Ashraf's class
will review the podcasts on their own time. They will submit questions
to Ashraf through text messages, and he will respond to those inquiries
on his blog. In addition, students needing to meet with Ashraf will be
able to check his schedule online and make appointments with the
professor through the Web. "Some lecture classes have 250 students,"
said Ashraf, "so I question the effectiveness of a didactic lecture for
an hour." He said the new format will be especially beneficial for
distance and part-time students and those with less flexible schedules.
BBC, 26 May 2006
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/west_yorkshire/5013194.stm