esz001@cck.coventry.ac.uk (Will Overington) (05/21/91)
I remember seeing an item in sci.virtual-worlds some time ago which mentioned an opportunity to see some video tapes about virtual reality at some educational establishment in the United States. (Was it West Coast? Was it California?) Anyway, the item made mention of people registered at the establishment as able to count credits for viewing the tapes. Well, I've been wondering if it is possible, and I know little about the American education system, for some sort of virtual reality course to be put together as a distance teaching package. This could involve video tapes and whatever else is available. In the case of video tapes there would need to be a conversion to British PAL 625 line television from American NTSC 525 line television, for those of us in the UK. This can be done, but it would be best if it is only done the once rather than having to be arranged by each end user. Naturally there would need to be assessments and, perhaps, examinations. Materials to be assessed could be put in the mail. Any examinations could be invigilated locally almost anywhere in the world. It would simply be a matter of arranging matters with a local college, who may not charge very much if the examination is taken when some other, local, examination is taking place. Is this in any way a practical proposition? Is there any organization out there that might like to run it? Is there anyone in the group who would like to enrol on such a course if it existed? +-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+ Will Overington Department of Electrical, Electronic and Systems Engineering, Coventry Polytechnic, Priory Street, Coventry CV1 5FB, England. +-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+ Coventry is a city in the centre of England, about a hundred miles from London, and about twenty miles north of Stratford- upon-Avon. +-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+ [Moderator(Mark): Prof. Tom Furness taught a class last quarter on Virtual Reality Technology at the University of Washington, which was videotaped. I wonder if this could be what you are thinking of? We'll have to wait until Bob Jacobson comes back to see.]