The class on solid waste management is received at both UWSP and the UW-River Falls simultaneously. Chere Gibson of UW-Madison, a nationally known expert in distance education, serves as the project consultant. The three instructors meet between classes on television and through conference telephone calls.
Students contact the teachers and each other with letters sent through computer networks via e-mail.
It gives future teachers the experience of working with different media, something they will be doing in their careers. Methods of teaching are different for television than for face to face instruction. Some of the students may be in the room with the instructor, but some can only be seen on a television monitor. Professors are challenged to stimulate discussion and small group interaction among students in remote locations. The traditional lecture, where the instructor talks and students listen, can strain students' concentration.