Well, I can be a bit nerdy sometimes. Thought I would share this on the chance someone else may find this interesting.

----

Podcast U

05.02.07

Dan Fisher-Owens hasn't been an undergraduate student in 14 years, but that doesn't stop him from attending a history lecture on European civilization at the University of California at Berkeley—while walking his dog in San Francisco. Fisher-Owens, a 36-year-old attorney, spent about a month listening to the lectures via podcast available to the public.

"I wanted something that stimulated my brain other than NPR News," Fisher-Owens says.

Berkeley is one of many American universities to offer lectures via podcast to the general public. Harvard creates podcasts of its Extension School courses in subjects such as computer science. Stanford's podcasts include "Modern Theoretical Physics," and the University of South Carolina has podcast lectures in general chemistry and more. Many of the lectures have audiences across the globe, from Texas to Tibet.

"We feel that learning happens the other 23 hours of the day [when students aren't in lecture] and it's great to make that available to life learners," says Ben Hubbard, the comanager of the Webcast program at Berkeley.

For students, of course, listening to podcasts is no substitute for being actively engaged with the class and doing the reading. But "life learners," such as Fisher-Owens, can gain a lot from following an undergraduate survey course, even without the reading load that is required of people who are formally enrolled. And for those considering going back to school, podcast lectures can be a good way to test the waters


General List of Available Podcasts



(Link)