Saylor's plan will also offer courses taught by only the greatest educators of our time. He will be setting up a studio within months that will videotape lectures by the designated educators. Three people have stepped up to become interim advisers of the project. Saylor will announce the names of other supporters of his plan within a few weeks, hoping to include powerful politicians and well-known educators. Dr. Fred Stahl, dean of instruction at PVCC, thinks Saylor's plan is wonderful, but has doubts about the feasibility of duplicating all the components of an ivy league education through strictly distance-learning.
College provides a big social outlet for a lot of people.
Stahl points out that the qualities that make for a great genius are not necessarily a guarantee for effective instruction or good communication. He wonders how many students would actually want to access learning from geniuses. Stahl prefers educators who have empathy for the student, people who can relate to a situation in their own lives. He also favors educators who have the patience to slow down and help students who are experiencing difficulty. Addressing financial issues, Saylor, who attended MIT on a scholarship, says that just one year of tuition would have used up more than his family s life-savings.