From: mcgrath@cs.uiuc.edu (Robert McGrath)
Subject: Short Course not available through UU
Reply-To: mcgrath@cs.uiuc.edu
Organization: University of Illinois, Dept of Computer Science
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1992 16:11:40 GMT

I post the following as a concrete example of some challenging
problems faced in attempting to use UU as a teaching medium.
This is intended to stimulate creative thought and discussion,
NOT to jump over the particular hurdles mentioned herein.

(The preamble is intended my idea of a model for some of the 
information that should be presented as part of the course 
description.)

-----
A Short Course that unfortunately will NOT be done through UU.

Presenter:  Robert E. McGrath

Title:  The Story of a Picture

Topic:  Discussion of the history and recent analysis of the
1936 Wilson photograph, said to portray the Loch Ness monster.

Basic Goals:
-have fun
-learn some history of a famous photograph
-learn a bit about simple photo analysis and physics
-learn about an example skeptical inquiry into cryptozoology

Suggested Background:
The ability to think is required.  Mathematical results will be presented, 
but the ability to reproduce them is not important.

----

I have presentated on this topic in the past and could again in
the future, but unfortuantely I cannot make it work for UU.  
Here are some of the reasons why.

  1.  As the opening event I lope into the meeting room dressed in
  a dragon costume from the local magic emporium, and hand out dinosaur
  shaped cookies.
  (I note that this game is not just fooling around, this is
  an important psychological move.  Making an idiot of myself reduces
  the level of the situation to one of "childish" fun, which I then
  seek to change to "childlike" innocence.  It is vitally important
  to the whole enterprise that the participants forget everything
  they "know" about the Loch Ness monster, and look at things as
  a child would--with a fresh eye.)
  
  2.  The main topic is a photograph, which naturally, I need to show
  and refer to.  A complete workup also includes ordinance survey
  maps.
  
  3.  At times I break into a preposterous "scottish" accent, which
  along with the fact that I am sweating heavily in the stupid costume
  reminds us to be sure not to get too "grown-up" about all this.
  
  4.  The discussion requires several diagrams on a chalk board.
  
  5.  At one point, I indicate how large a 1 meter, 2 meter, and
  a three meter "monster" would be.  This is done by gesturing respectively
  at my waist, at my head, and by jumping up in the air.
  
  6.  At another point, I illustrate the result of one calculation by
  indicating just how a camera might be held under several hypotheses.
  This includes one hypothesis that the camera was held 3 or 4 meters
  off the ground.

Stripped of the human contact, this "lecture" is completely different
and far less effective.  Acheiving the psychological mood with ASCII
alone is very difficult.  Presenting pictures, diagrams, and stupid
accents is difficult.  Gestures are impossible.  I guess you just
have to be there in person.

-- 
  Robert E. McGrath
  Urbana Illinois
  mcgrath@cs.uiuc.edu
Xref: sparky alt.uu.future:136 alt.education.distance:261