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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 10, 2000)
ON NOVEMBER 10TH, 2000 THE ASSOCIATION HAS PLANNED A PARTY IN YOUR HONOR! i * HERE’S WHAT YOU DO TO JOIN IN THE CELEBRATION: • Come pick up a numbered ticket anytime after 8:00 a.in. • Return to the building around 2:00 p.m. to enjoy the festivities we’ll have food, drinks, and games set up for your enjoyment. • Then at 3:00 p.m. we will start delivering rings!!! CONGRATULATIONS! WE'LL SEE YOU ON NOV. 10TH AT THE CLAYTON W. WILLIAMS, JR. ALUMNI CENTER! SPONSORED BY The Association OF FORMER STUDENTS lA/bartaJltb Aggie, NetbUonJc! TM O Page 4 CAMPUS THE BATTALION rida'.. Noveml A&M students log onto information superhighwavi By Sommer Bunge The Battalion The Internet has been used by college students for everything from researching papers to downloading MP3s. One new trend, however, has the potential to solidify the Inter net’s necessity in students' lives — online classes. Whether a student opts to stay home one semester or needs a class that will not lit into his or her sched ule, Web-based, telnet and other forms of technology-mediated instruction are becoming more available and ac cessible to Texas A&M students. “These classes give students some flexibility in their schedules,” said Dr. Beth Thebeaux, director of dis tance education. “The reality is that students don’t have to be in a seat three times a week. People have dif ferent ways of learning, and we’re just trying to tap into that.” Within the next five yearss The beaux said, she predicts online classes will dramatically change the university experience. Already, the University offers nine master’s de grees online. Faculty members experiment with different technological tools for education, she said, explaining that there is no common way to teach an online class. Each professor chooses the tech nology that would best support his class material, she said. Students enrolled in Dr. Graham Allen’s online Math I5l classes use a scientific notebook program to ac cess the complete course on the Web. WebCalc, co-authored by Allen, Dr. Michael Stecher and Dr. Phillip Yasskin, brings together years of the professors’ teaching experiences to present a complete course to online students, including text, exercises and online quizzes. Allen’s students meet in a com puter lab on campus at specified times to cover the day's lessons in dependently, with each student read ing material and working problems. Spontaneous learning groups form, Allen said, and students approach him with specific questions and gain knowledge from self-taught, infor mal learning. “When you lecture, you have to address your talk to a generalized au dience, leaving some students bored and others feeling snowed-in,“ Allen said. “But the type of learning defi nitely has merit in this. I cruise the room, and I find that students in this format are actively engaged during the period, working at their own “These classes give students some flex ibility in their schedules. The re ality is that stu dents don't have to be in a seat three times a week” — Dr. Beth Thebeaux director of distance education pace, not sitting idly by, like in the lecture format.” Math I5l was first offered online in Spring 1998 and has since had about one to four sections each term. The classes serve as an experiment in the format of the distance education class Allen said he hopes to create. Professors first need to be cog nizant of students’ needs to make math courses that would benefit dis tance learners. A&M began its first fully online own Biuan R \e Battali After its course with a section of ted writing in 1994. The online of that class currently dents. However, telnet classes must have limits,jusi other class, Thebeaux said, classes are not yet at a levs students can take gradeder Champion quizzes. a si weeke Allen's Web-based stud, sfo. 9Texas a common exam alongsideS) looks t Math I5l students. Ben it ho “Teachers still have to gn he 2000 I student's paper." Thebea mental the “These classes may bediffereBlhe Ag they are still very muchtlieMh-ranke fundamentally.” Bgies. In preparing an onlineoiBlVlarquei based class, a professor mii the second \ ci t a lecture into a classikBcmme \ understood and accessedbyB Marque he may never meet in peruBte Gord< Dr. Lloyd Korhonen. dir, wjth a sho A&M's Center for Distance goalkeeper ing Research. mLtch. Ma Classes over the Interne straight Ct emerging form of distanceec.,| that covers the needs of one students first and thenseektopd classes that will attract their students A&M would liketo the campus, Korhonen said. “The trick is to keep all te in perspective,” he said.“Alli is very possible, and with Ik net we can reach anyone. B; By Diane } are a lot of people out there wtoipe Banal they can deliver anythingtoi'pi After ft — lout you have to stay wiMonships, th you know, and who you canre: ready to pi be effective. We deal will) Bentral Re groups, the cadre of students it ing at Nort can identify with.” i The wo Online and telnet classs« T ami. and th are listed by department and:■ The eve alongside traditional classes it 0 * ^ seas schedule book. Students can access Distance' Learning http://cdlr.tamu.edu. o 1 jualify for jnship No 1 The top who are n< to national A&M c Got FreedomP Come hear how it all began. Veteran s Day Sat. Nov. 11th 10am- Veteran’s Day ceremony and reception in MSG Flagroom. Sponsored by: anked woi Cheer Card eason eve 'orite and tie. The tt Champion: “We’ve ear long, Friday - November 10 ay at the 'ere up ag i the nati< Hartma juads to p “Ithinh on will r artman s; e have tc “Also,' e running A&M i 'hristian am’s sea ASM vs. OU tickets Come by Barnes & Noble on Friday, November 10 between 1-5 pm and get your FREE “Beat the Hell outta OU” cheered with the purchase of The Eagle, only 500. Take it to the GAME” and cheer for your Aggies! The drawing for a pair tickets will be at 5 pm during our... LIVE REMOTE with MIX 104.7and THE EAGLE (You can also purchac your Eagle at any retail outlet and vending machines and get your “Beat the Hell outta O.U.” cheer card on Friday 10"') mi Barnes & Noble The Eagle Booksellers y< — y Since 1873 P'lvtMO- V» 1 *»*■ mmrir /loir Flying higher everyday