The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1959-01-23
lie Pioneers In
Adopting Atomic
Physics Ty Course
Seven Teachers Are
Enrolled In Early
Morning Experiment

I0hgWOod College is among i've
other Virginia institutions offering
credit for continental Classroom,
a televlsed experimental course in
atomic age physics inaugurated in
October on coast-to-coast network
4. A. McCorkle, coordinator of the
program at LongWood. said today
the three presons taking the course
for credit did very well on their
midterm examinations ! In addition
10 the three area high school
teachers enrolled for credit. four
more audit the course
The registrants at LongWood are
scattered as far as 40 miles and
have little trouble keeping up with
assignments. mailing them to the
school within "a hours. according TO
McCorkle- Some difficulty is ex-
perienced from time to time be-
cause Of television reception. but
the students make UP any classes
missed this way. since any time
they are in trouble they drop in to
sec McCorkle
No Scheduled Labs
Some Of the $50 colleges and uni
yersities participating in the pro-
gram have regularly scheduled lab
oratory periods. but LongWood does
not require the laboratory since the
students are so spread out. Instead.
the coordinator re pit ) appoint
ments with any Of the students who
encounter difficulty with their prob
lens And they do have difficulty
y sometimes said AIcCorkle. only
yesterday l was visited by teacher
from Apponlattox who wanted her
problems checked over
The course is telecast from $50 to
Z am Monday through Friday over
NBC in this area Channel 8 in
Petersburg and Channel 10 in Roa-
mckee. Supported by six major in
dl.s.rial corporations and the Ameri-
can Association of Colleges for
Teacher Education, the program
marks the first time in the history
OF mass communications that a
course for college credit has been
offered on a nationwide basis
The national teacher is DR.. Har-
vey E. White. professor and vice
chairman Of the department Of
physics at the University of Cali
fornla. Other internationally known
scientists serve as guest lecturers.
Semester Exams Set
Lessons during the first semester
have been devoted to those aspects
Of physics necessary for an under
standing of nuclear physics. In the
second semester which begins on
February II, m p h a ST will be
placed on nuclear and atomic
physics The first semester ends
February with final examinations.
Longwood S participants will assem-
bic in Stevens Hall for the written
exam under the supervision of the
local cOordinator-
Throughout the first semester
demonstrations n d experiments
have been an integal part of the
course The TV presentations are
supplemented by eric di C tests.
textbook assignments and out-of-
class activities
Students taking the course at
Longwood will be granted three Sc
nlester hours undergraduate credit
for satisfactory completion of the
first semester, and three semester
hours in graduate work for salts
factory completion Of the second Sc
mester which ends on June g.
Both educators a n d scientists
have expressed enthusiasm for the
project which has been developed
at a time when the improvement OF
science education is vital and when
classrooms and teachers are in
short supply.
Advantages Cited
McCorkle. professor of chemistry
and physics at LongWood, cited sew
eral outstanding features Of the
televlsion teaching While the TV
course would not be substitute for
our required courses. it does offer
an excellent medium for keeping
our science teachers abreast Of the
latest developments
He noted that equipment used on
the experimental program. particu
larry that used by the guest lee
turers. who are specialists in their
field. would be impossible to obtain
for the average college laboratory.