5 Digression
In a typical lecture, some members of the audience would prefer a faster pace, some
are lagging behind, and a scant few consider the pace fully acceptable. A recorded
lecture can be replayed to review what needs reinforcing, but doing so is rare. Why
not videotape a good lecture and upload it to YouTube?
This author has viewed educational videos of lecture by teachers who are
considered excellent but has yet to find one that is very effective. Furthermore,
students may skip class thinking that they can learn enough on the computer. This is
highly unlikely as evidenced by seminars that would transmit information much less
effectively without the speaker.
With web pages or PowerPoint slides, you click to navigate and to select the pace
that suits you. When appropriate, sound clips may have been included to reinforce
the written text.
6 Conclusion
The internet can make life easier for professors. When information on the internet is
very good, it can be assigned to substitute for a lecture. When not quite right for a
course, it can be captured and improved to meet the objectives of the course. Wise
choices about term projects can improve a course while not infringing much of the
professor’s time constraints.
Usually, improvements are aimed at classroom or laboratory instruction with
perhaps homework assignments that depend on the internet, but a passive approach
misses the point. Active participation is better. Information transfer takes several
forms, and the internet provides photos, videos, interactive pages, and educational
games. Entire pages from the internet can be captured for the document, or text and
images can be copied and pasted.
Some logical restructuring of undergraduate education should be sufficient for
filling the jobs for pollution control and for jobs with regulatory agencies. However,
an old-fashioned Bachelor’s degree may not be adequate for skills needed for
pursuing an advanced degree. Restructuring the curriculum and sophisticated use
of the internet will benefit engineers and society.
Dedication I treasure my warm friendship with Donald Aulenbach that started in 1976 and lasted
until his recent death. We were together when the university administration at RPI experimented
with merging environmental engineering and chemical engineering. I continued to teach environmental engineering courses for almost two decades after Don and the other environmental professors went to civil engineering as I opted for chemical engineering. His unique perspectives were
inspirational, and he was outstanding for research in the field while training students at Lake George
and Dyken’s Pond. After retirement, we often sat together at events such as monthly luncheon
gatherings. I pray for his soul.
384
H. R. Bungay III
In a typical lecture, some members of the audience would prefer a faster pace, some
are lagging behind, and a scant few consider the pace fully acceptable. A recorded
lecture can be replayed to review what needs reinforcing, but doing so is rare. Why
not videotape a good lecture and upload it to YouTube?
This author has viewed educational videos of lecture by teachers who are
considered excellent but has yet to find one that is very effective. Furthermore,
students may skip class thinking that they can learn enough on the computer. This is
highly unlikely as evidenced by seminars that would transmit information much less
effectively without the speaker.
With web pages or PowerPoint slides, you click to navigate and to select the pace
that suits you. When appropriate, sound clips may have been included to reinforce
the written text.
6 Conclusion
The internet can make life easier for professors. When information on the internet is
very good, it can be assigned to substitute for a lecture. When not quite right for a
course, it can be captured and improved to meet the objectives of the course. Wise
choices about term projects can improve a course while not infringing much of the
professor’s time constraints.
Usually, improvements are aimed at classroom or laboratory instruction with
perhaps homework assignments that depend on the internet, but a passive approach
misses the point. Active participation is better. Information transfer takes several
forms, and the internet provides photos, videos, interactive pages, and educational
games. Entire pages from the internet can be captured for the document, or text and
images can be copied and pasted.
Some logical restructuring of undergraduate education should be sufficient for
filling the jobs for pollution control and for jobs with regulatory agencies. However,
an old-fashioned Bachelor’s degree may not be adequate for skills needed for
pursuing an advanced degree. Restructuring the curriculum and sophisticated use
of the internet will benefit engineers and society.
Dedication I treasure my warm friendship with Donald Aulenbach that started in 1976 and lasted
until his recent death. We were together when the university administration at RPI experimented
with merging environmental engineering and chemical engineering. I continued to teach environmental engineering courses for almost two decades after Don and the other environmental professors went to civil engineering as I opted for chemical engineering. His unique perspectives were
inspirational, and he was outstanding for research in the field while training students at Lake George
and Dyken’s Pond. After retirement, we often sat together at events such as monthly luncheon
gatherings. I pray for his soul.
384
H. R. Bungay III