Berkeley orgo webcast

It looks like Berkeley will be webcasting their Organic Chemistry class this term, starting January 17, 2006. This is a great opportunity to compare my screencast lectures with another teacher's approach.

This is an example of how open courseware can benefit everybody. The students get another learning resource and the teachers get to refine their teaching methods by getting feedback from students about the effectiveness of their teaching style in comparison with other approaches.

For teachers who don't feel comfortable with that, they really don't have much choice. Students are actively searching for and using open courseware. I have been getting emails from students taking organic chemistry at other institutions and using my recorded lectures as a supplement to try to learn certain concepts in a different way.

The landscape of higher education is changing and everyone, including those who choose not to participate, will be affected.