The Cadre + 7Aprili998

Virtual university comes to UPEI

BY SUZANNE WILLIAMS

The Information Tech- nology and Education Centre, found in the newly renovated area around the Pit, is not just a new computer lab as many students have thought it to be, but rather a university unto itself.

Next year, two courses will be offered in this lab to students: University 100, which will be called University 101, and Philosophy 111, which will be called simply Logic.

The staff employed to facilitate these courses via computer are for the most part students and are all under 30 years of age.

In tne fong run, these courses will not be restricted within walls; they will be of- fered all over the world. A facilitator at UPEI may have students from China, or Aus- tralia, conversing over the com- puter between them. By tak- ing courses via computer, us- ing chat rooms, E-mail, and message boards, students may have their bouts of stage fright lessened, since they are not involved in face-to-face con- frontation with other students.

Dale Mattock, an edu- manager for ITEC, hopes that this will link UPEI with Hol- land College, hospitals, high schools, and libraries, as well as many other institutions where learning is necessary.

Mattock is trying to get people to understand the vir-

tues of a technology in the clasroom

“Technology is a tool, it isn’t a god. It does not take away or create jobs; people do that,” she said, and adds that she hopes that “every young person will critically think about the repercussions of technol- tay.”

Mattock is looking for- ward to eventually using video and audio conferencing in the classrooms as well

But this lab will not just be restricted to classroom use

For one day a month, the room will be open to all stu- dents for a fee of ten dollars per morning or afternoon. Stu- dents can learn how to make a webpage, how to browse or surf the net, or even how to develop graphics for presen- tations.

“T would love to see stu- dents debating this [the new technologies coming into ex- istence],” Mattock said.

She is sure that in this debate, the biggest question raised would be, “What is tech- nology doing to the province,” not just the world in general

“{I hope] the community of PEI will eventually come to see ITEC as theirs,” Mattock said.

For more information regarding the courses of- fered by ITEC over the internet, please search at Attp://www.unb.ca/coned notemakers.

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