CONNECTED EDUCATION, INC.
By Gail S. Thomas

There's a university inside my microcomputer. In February
1986 I started attending graduate school through my personal
computer and modem. My reasons were straightforward enough, to
complete California Community College Instructor life
credentials in the subject areas of communications, computer
technology, and computer science. Earning the credentials
involved completing a degree program at the Master's or higher
level. Unable to find an appropriate degree program locally,
I turned to my computer. Through my modem, I dialed up
Connected Education, Inc., and started exploring the new
country of the "virtual campus." In May 1988 I will receive my
degree during the regular, in-person commencement ceremonies of
the New School for Social Research, New York City.

Connected Education, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation,
offers graduate level seminars for university credit through
computer conferencing. Since fall 1985, the Media Studies
Program of the New School for Social Research has granted
credit for successfully completing Connected Education's
seminars on the same basis as credit is granted for in-person
attendance at the school's physical campus in Greenwich
Village, New York City. The electronically linked students,
faculty and staff of Connected Education refer to their unique
campus as "Connect Ed."

Matriculated students can earn the degree of Master of
Arts in Media Studies partly or totally through on-line study,
attending classes via modem and personal computer from
virtually anywhere in the world with international telephone
connections. When Connect Ed first went on-line in the fall of
1985, most students hailed from the greater New York City area,
with the notable exception of inaugural students studying from
Singapore and Japan. Connect Ed's national and international
student body has continued to grow (with over 250 registrations
since the fall of 1985), and I was the first person
matriculated in the Master of Arts in Media Studies program
telecommuting from outside the Northeast. Since that time, my
seminars have included faculty and students telecommuting from
as far away as England and Colombia, and as near as San Diego
and Texas. Connect Ed plans to launch an online Ph.D. in
Philosophy of Technology with Polytechnic University of New
York during the 1988-1989 academic year.

Also being planned with the New School is a Connect Ed
M.A. in Technology and Society, and a Certificate in Electronic
Publishing. Connect Ed hopes to begin accepting students for
both programs by the Fall of 1988. Groups of New York
State employees regularly study continuing education subjects
on-line through Connect Ed and the state's Public Service
Training Program.

Instead of a conventional, brick-and-mortar campus, the
physical central system of Connect Ed resides in a host
computer at the New Jersey Institute of Technology [NJIT],
Newark. The common functions of a university operate
through a computer conferencing system, the Electronic
Information Exchange System, abbreviated to EIES and pronounced
"eyes." Telecommunications links and packet switching
technology let students, faculty and administrative staff
cross time zones and geographical barriers to jointly
participate in a "virtual campus."



The "virtual campus" builds on research performed by Dr.
Murray Turoff, an NJIT computer science professor and director
of the university's Computerized Conferencing and
Communications Center. In 1971 he developed the first computer
conferencing system, used by the White House Office of
Emergency Preparedness. Dr. Paul Levinson, President of
Connected Education, Inc., designed the pedagogical, social,
and many of the technical aspects of the Connect Ed campus on
EIES. Along with Tina Vozick, Connect Ed Vice President,
and their growing staff, Connect Ed continues to refine,
design, and expand the electronic campus on EIES.

New courses start every two months, except in August and
September. Course enrollments range from five to fifteen
students. Topics range from popular culture and journalism,
through management and telecommunications law, to philosophy
and technology. Courses in progress during the Spring 1988
semester include Desktop Publishing, Electronic Publishing,
Computer Networks and Professional Writing, Technological
Forecasting, and Artificial Intelligence and Real Life. Each
seminar carries three units of graduate credit. Undergraduate
and noncredit registration is also available. Tuition
and registration fees equal those charged to students
physically attending the New School's New York campus. These
fees include all necessary connect time for courses except
local calls to data packet networks.

With every passing two-month cycle of courses, Connect Ed
takes on more of the attributes of an established campus. Two
years ago there were classrooms (conferences), a campus hangout
(the Cafe), and a small collection of on-line papers (the
Connected Education Library). The Cafe provides an informal
atmosphere form student, faculty and staff discussion of topics
ranging from computers to current events. Another Technical
Forum conference centers on the problems, products and
possibilities of microcomputers and associated software.
Next came visiting lecturers. In the past two years, the
Library has taken on the aspects of a main reading room with
associated special libraries. The Connect Ed Library contains
a specialized and growing collection of papers, articles and
essays on such subjects as computer conferencing, ecology,
technology, education and popular culture. Connect Ed has also
instituted a special program of on-line tutoring in English as
a second language--of special value to international students.
Now, just in time for the spring 1988 semester, comes
Bookorder, a special on-line version of the bookstore found on
every traditional college and university campus.

Granted, Bookorder differs somewhat from the traditional
college and university bookstore. Bookorder does not sell
Scantrons, blue books, #2 pencils, yellow highlighting marking
pens, software, hardware, newspapers, magazines, candy, Granola
bars, or stuffed toys wearing miniature T-shirts with the seal
of the college or university. At this time, neither does
Bookorder sell mugs, banners, bumper stickers, sun visors, or
human-sized T-shirts or sweatshirts printed with the school
seal. However, I am investigating the possibilities of Connect
Ed coffee mugs. Stay tuned and keep the coffee brewing.

Bookorder's stock consists of textbooks, publications
authored, co-authored or edited by Connect Ed community
members, and "specials." These "specials" comprise books
obtained from time to time at sharply discounted prices, on
subjects of likely interest to Connect Ed community members.
Additionally, in the audio-visual section, Bookorder carries
the complete line of the Powersharing series, talks on
audiotapes featuring some of the most creative and innovative
individuals of the information age, from Seymour Papert
to Bill Gates.

Computer conferencing enables adults to obtain continuing
education and complete academic degrees without leaving their
homes or offices. Participants can stay current with their
courses while traveling, simply by plugging a modem-equipped
portable "laptop" computer into the telephone jack of their
hotel room or other temporary location. Persons on-line at the
same time can "chat" with each other in "real-time."
Asynchronous computer conferencing provides more serious
educational and training benefits than casual conversational
remarks flashed across a computer monitor.

Connect Ed's courses take place in conferences,
essentially electronic meeting places restricted to the
instructor, registered students, and designated staff members.
Generally the instructor begins the seminar with introductory
remarks, a general indication of the topics scheduled for
coverage, and a discussion of his or her background. Each
registered student signs on at his or her convenience, from
anywhere in the telephone-equipped world, at any time of day or
night.

Usually the students respond to the instructor's initial
remarks by introducing themselves and commenting on the topics
and course contents. Participants may compose their
contributions on-line or else use word processing software to
formulate their thoughts off-line and then upload the
completed contribution to the conference. The EIES system adds
each participant's finished contribution to the conference as
an electronic comment. The comments form an ongoing discussion
archived in electronic form. Participants often print out the
accumulated comments or store them on floppy discs for
reference. Preserved on paper or disc, the comments for each
conference form a file of the total activity within a given
seminar.

Connect Ed even offers some extracurricular activities.
Students, faculty and staff combine efforts to produce a
periodic newsletter, "Synapse," published completely on-line.
Each semester Connect Ed sponsors a low-cost online
subscription lecture series. In each on-line lecture a scholar
or commentator enters comments into a special conference over a
one-week period. Members of the electronic audience read the
comments, then respond or ask questions as they would in an
on-line seminar. Recent lecture topics range from computer
software development to the relationship between earth
environments and outer space exploration.

Connect Ed also consults with business and professional
groups about computer conferencing, and designs electronic
environments, manuals, etc., for their needs. The Connect Ed
Cafe, Technical Forum, Library, and Synapse are all copyrighted
features of the Connect Ed Campus. Connect Ed will also soon
be entering the field of electronic publishing--with
distribution via disk of original, significant scholarly
manuscripts. (And the first volume of ELECTRONIC CHRONICLES:
A COMPENDIUM OF THE CONNECTED EDUCATION INTELLECTUAL
ON-LINE COMMUNITY will be published by JAI Press of Greenwich,
Connecticut later this year.)

------
author's note: For further Connect Ed information, contact Dr.
Paul Levinson, President, at 92 Van Cortlandt Park South #6F,
Bronx, New York 10463.

Gail S. Thomas, a businesswoman in Long Beach, California,
earned the first Master of Arts in Media Studies degree granted
by the New School totally through on-line study. She serves on
Connect Ed's administrative staff.