Since 1992, California State University, Dominguez Hills’ Center for Mediated Instruction and Distance Learning has been at the forefront of providing video courses to the university’s distant learners. This semester it continued that trend by offering live streaming on YouTube of the nine courses it is offering this spring.
In December 2013 YouTube opened up live streaming capabilities to all users of the popular video-sharing site, and with it, the CSUDHTV YouTube channel opted to take advantage of that new services, said Warren Ashley, director of Mediated Instruction and Distance Learning.
“We are not the only university that is allowed to stream programming live on YouTube, but we believe we are the first university to stream complete college courses for the first class meeting to the last,” Ashley said. “Anyone, anywhere in the world can watch the classes and participate by calling the toll free number or sending in an email during the class.”
The Center for Mediated Instruction and Distance Learning started its CSUDHTV YouTube channel in 2009, archiving the taped recordings of its video courses that are broadcast via local cable television as well as the Internet at http://dhtv.csudh.edu/. The channel has over 1,600 subscribers and provides, Ashley said, the university with an added level of exposure.
Familiar Face Helps Promote Distance Learning’s
Planetary Science and Astronomy (PHY195) video course
One of the courses streaming live now on the CSUDHTV YouTube channel is Planetary Science and Astronomy (PHY195), one of the courses offered to high school students for college credit through the Young Scholars Program, which turned 20 this year.
Read more about the Young Scholars Program:
To promote the courses, the team from the Center for Mediated Instruction and Distance Learning worked with PHY195 instructor, Bruce Betts, of the Planetary Society in Pasadena, and received additional support from Planetary Science CEO Bill Nye, better known as Bill Nye the Science Guy, to produce a video about the course.
