 "Photo: Nicolas Martinez, Brian Ray, Matt Noris")
Ubiquitous iPods may soon find a more academic use, as teachers prepare to put downloadable lectures on the Internet for $5 per lecture.
Pick-A-Prof, an online service that allows students to anonymously review their teachers, has linked up with three advertising professors at the University to record and offer downloadable audio files titled "Coursecasts."
So far, the program is being tested only here and at Texas A&M University. Three UT professors have signed on to allow their classes to be guinea pigs: William Cunningham, William Carner and Gary Wilcox. All three teach undergraduate advertising classes with 350 students or more.
"I've always been one to experiment with new technology in the classroom," Wilcox said.
Half of the revenue from the downloadable lectures goes to Pick-A-Prof, which would use the money to pay for the actual recordings and for the online server space. The other half will go to the professors, who said that they would donate the money to the University.
Both Pick-A-Prof and the professors involved insist that providing audio recordings of lectures online will not actually relegate educators to a land populated by eight-tracks and laser-discs.
"We're not looking to replace attending class," said Karen Bragg, the director of university relations for Pick-A-Prof. "Most students will agree that you'll learn more through attending than by just listening to the lecture."
Although they have not noticed any drop in attendance, all three professors acknowledge that it's probably too soon to tell. Nonetheless, the professors will continue to administer pop quizzes to keep the students coming.
Students said that they plan to take full advantage of the program.
"I'll definitely use it a couple times," said American studies junior Janice Woods. "I think that people will definitely start skipping classes, because it'll be easy to just think, 'Oh I'm tired, this class is early, and I can just pay five bucks and get it later.' It makes an easy out."
Few students thus far have made use of the offer. Pick-A-Prof won't release official figures, but Carner said that in his two 500-person classes, he's only heard of about four or five people who have purchased the lectures.
Bragg said that if the endeavour is successful, they'd expand the program, but ultimately professors decide if they want to sign on.
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