Technology at Work on Campus

Distance learning and instructional technology are already all around us at Harvard – and they have been for a while. Following are several examples of current programs involving the use of technology on campus.

Berkman Center for Internet and Society

The Berkman Center for the Internet and Society is in its third year of offering a free, online lecture and discussion series built around law-related topics. The program, during which students interact with professors and teaching fellows via e-mail, chat rooms, and message boards, covered topics this year ranging from intellectual property in cyberspace to non-computer related topics such as violence against women.

The Harvard School of Public Health

The School of Public Health is offering a master’s degree in public health care management for which the courses have a component of distance learning. The program has residential segments on the School of Public Health’s Boston campus combined with extensive interaction via the Internet.

John F. Kennedy School of Government

The Kennedy School has run two pilot programs this year. The first brought young political and civil leaders from southern Europe to Harvard for two weeks, followed by a series of assignments given over the Internet, with feedback via streaming video. The final part of the course will bring KSG faculty to Greece for second face-to-face section. The second was a real-time lecture on strategic management of nonprofit institutions, followed by a series of chat sessions and some online office hours by Hauser Center Director Professor Mark Moore.

GSE– Technology in Education

The advent of distance learning has prompted new programmatic offerings as well. At the Graduate School of Education, the Technology in Education program has expanded its offerings to include related topics in the Masters Program in Technology in Education. New courses include “Interactive Distance Education,” “Designing Educational Experiences Using Networks and Webs,” “Seminar on Emerging Technologies,” “Ethical and Philosophical Issues Arising from the Use of Technology in Education,” and “Culture, Cognition and Technology.”