Definition and Design

At GSD, the Center of Design Informatics (CDI)--established about two years ago--is the focus of much of the distance learning action.

"We have realized that this is big," says Pollalis, who is also on the workgroup. "We don't know what it is, but we know it's very big."

CDI is currently trying to figure out how people learn best with this new technology. The goal: "a blurred program between real and virtual," Pollalis says.

One example is the course featuring the guest lecturer from Zurich. The first time the professor visited the class, he was physically there. The second time, he was speaking to the class from Switzerland. And the third time, he was back in Cambridge, using teleconferencing to talk his assistants in Zurich through a lab experiment.

"It was such excitement," Pollalis says.

CDI has a Microsoft grant to pursue web-based learning. According to Pollalis, some GSD courses incorporate Web-based education extensively. In addition to efforts that have connected the school to such remote locations as Switzerland, Holland and Spain, Pollalis experiments within the school, lecturing from his office or his home to his class.

The technology wins kudos from third-year design student Julie Walleisa, Pollalis' teaching fellow, who says it provides flexibility for students of different levels. In basic courses with large enrollments and students of varying backgrounds, the technology makes most materials constantly available--including lectures.