Forget iTunes U: Students Now Getting College Credit via YouTube
A computer science professor at an Australian University is doing something revolutionary with YouTube - he's offering students who can't attend his classes college credit for watching his videos. Richard Buckland, a senior lecturer at the University of NSW in Sydney, Australia, was frustrated that high school students with a passion for computing and capable of studying at the college level were not able to make the commute to the university fit into their school day. Buckland then decided to turn YouTube into a remote classroom where the students could attend lectures virtually and then complete coursework just as his other students do.
Although several universities today use YouTube as a repository for lectures posted by college professors, they are generally offered as supplementary material for their enrolled students - the videos offer a handy way to go back and review previous classes. In addition, the public nature of those videos allows people from around the world to view the educational material that once took thousands, if not tens of thousands, of dollars to access.
Universities such as Duke, Stanford, MIT, and the University of California, among others, already post videos online both to YouTube and in iTunes U, a section of iTunes featuring audio and video podcasts. However, what UNSW is doing is unique - they're providing college credit to those watching the YouTube recordings.
YouTube U
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 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.
The process of UNSW's "YouTube education" is not entirely without structure, though. Only a limited number of high school students are chosen each year for this opportunity. Those who wish to attend must submit a statement as well as an academic reference from a teacher. In other words, receiving college credit for watching the videos isn't something available to anyone, anywhere - there is still a selection process that is adhered to.
Higher Learning or Marketing Campaign?
Colleges who want to follow in UNSW's footsteps could easily take this idea and turn it into a recruiting or marketing campaign for their university. By offering high school students transferable college credits valid at their particular institution, they could encourage the brightest young students to consider their university over others long before it came time to fill out the admissions packet.
No matter what reason a college may have for pursuing this type of remote learning, giving students the chance to work ahead - and at no additional expense to them - is an idea that hopefully spreads to other institutions worldwide.
Share
Facebook
Comments
Subscribe to comments for this post OR Subscribe to comments for all ReadWriteWeb posts
Awesome. Although I didn't attend class enough to remember now whether Richard was one of my Computer Science lecturers, I did used to work with him at UNSW CSE and remember him as someone who didn't mind pushing the envelope. Nice work Richard!
This seems like a natural evolution of education and a taste of things to come. I finished the physics syllabus at school well before the end of the year and my teacher was pissed when I didn't volunteer to have a crack at one from another state. Had I have been able to get a head start on first year university physics instead then I may well have made a different choice.
Sam
in 10 years from now everything will be done from the computer: taking college courses, shopping, working from home laptop. Everything will become virtual. I'm actually eating in front of my computer, so don't take me in serious :))
Sarah, great article! I believe the future of higher education will not be confined to a single physical institution, but will be accessible by students and instructors anywhere. I am the founder of Podclass.com, which we designed specifically for online teaching and learning for the masses. Unlike YouTube, Podclass enables professors to upload entire online course content including video, audio, homework assignments, lecture notes, etc. and students can access it online.
We've also introduced our Podclass Facebook app, which enables instructors to offer their students access to their course content from within Facebook.
Thanks again for the interesting post.
Gary Gil
Founder & CEO
Podclass.com
It’s a right step in direction but it’s the same kind of pedagogic as before, an old professor telling his students how to do. The net is so much more and offers far more revolutionary methods than Richard Bucklands.
ICT in education and working life empowers people to create and participate in knowledge sharing and communities. Communities as blogs, wikis, podcasting and Learning Management Systems (LMS) are effective tools to build collaboration between different kind of stakeholders and civil societies. We work with these tools in our courses in order to reinforce learning and prepare students and learners for acting in a connected world. End-to-End- eLearning™ contributes to increasing access to learning, improving employability and citizenship and develops societies in general. The relationship between life-skills, internationalization and educational practices is needed to generate life long learning.
Here is a suggestion to Richard from MKFC; less lectures and more communities!
I used to be involved in computer based learning. But this is definitely an interesting trend.
I can't help but wonder what is going to happen when YouTube exerts it's ownership of everything you put on their site? Will these same universities and professors be interested in having their work taken from them?
There are still serious issues out there with the T&C's of most web 2.0 sites. Just no one has really looked at them. The fact that YouTube claims ownership is a fault with the system that is currently in place.
We have an online graduate-level course called "YouTube for Educators" at Boise State University, Department of Educational Technology. It was offered for the first time in the fall 08 semester and will be offered again this summer and fall. We just had a permanent course number approved for the course as it will be offered regularly from here on out. YouTube can be surprisingly academic and educational. It takes an open mind and adventurous spirit to step off the beaten path and explore YouTube as a legitimate educational technology.
This will make the students to sat infront of the computer, having two windows, one with this class and another window used to chat with friends. And will attend the class only for askking the doubts.
Students can now easily share files too..
Uploading your file to more then one place is always a good idea.
This not only makes sure that people gets the file but also gives an option to people to use their favorite file hosting provider to download.
Upload Mirrors allows you to upload files to multiple hosting providers in one click.
(RapidShare, MegaUpload, EasyShare, DepositFiles, ZShare, FlyUpload, SendSpace, Badongo, NetLoad, MegaShare, ZippyShare and UploadedTo )
and then provides you one link which contains links to all these sharing service.
This makes it easy for anybody to distribute ebooks, movies, mp3 files or Dj Mixes to share with his friends.
keep your files online! No more broken links!
http://www.uploadmirrors.com
It was offered for mantolama the first time in the fall 08 semester and söve will be offered again this summer and fall. We just had ısı yalıtım a permanent course number approved for the course as it will be offered regularly from here on out. YouTube can be kartonpiyer surprisingly academic and educational.
Way after the fact LOL @ Kalle:
Richard Buckland adores wikis, he's been using them in his courses for years.