Online courses spark interest among University graduates

After an intense marketing campaign this fall, the University's Educational Technologies Center has seen a significant increase in alumni registering for Courseware — a multimedia educational program led by University professors. Enrollment peaked this year for an online discussion group led by sociology professor Miguel Centeno titled "The Western Way of War," the most recently produced courseware.

"It's a great way to continue what we all started in college," said Barbara Frank Johnson '76, an alumna enrolled in the program. "It is so amazing to be able to interact with the professor and other alumni."

She added that she particularly enjoys hearing the perspective of classmates with various backgrounds.

The specially designed multimedia courseware has allowed University alumni to continue their educations in their homes, without the stress of grades and exams.

The program has been in existence for five years and has included courses on the ethnic conflict in the Balkans, animal behavior and cosmology.

To promote Centeno's courseware, the technology center embarked on an extensive marketing campaign through the Princeton Alumni Weekly, packaging a CD-ROM for the current courseware into the September issue, which was sent to all alumni, not just subscribers.

The promotion generated a lot of response, said David Blair '71, the director of courseware.

The CD-ROM provides access to the course, but alumni must register to participate in the online discussion moderated by Centeno. So far, 179 people have registered for Centeno's discussion, and about 3,000 people have registered for all the courses, Blair said.

Nelson Cheng '00, was drawn in by the free CD-ROM.

"I first saw it in the PAW packaging and it seemed interesting," he said.

Blair said he has been surprised by the amount of participation.

Most of the participants are young alumni, who graduated within the last five years. After Reunions, courseware participation has become the second largest activity for young alumni, Blair said.

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Despite the time commitment needed to complete the course, alumni generally seem pleased with the courseware.

"There have been some difficulties I have experienced with the software, but Mr. Blair has so far been very gracious about helping this relative illiterate through," Stuart Keill '48 said in an email. "The lectures were very good and compared favorably with the better ones I experienced back when I was 'live on the campus.' "