The traditional lecture is dying and needs to be replaced. Here comes the micro-lecture. We have 57 micro-lectures on our YouTube Channel to help people learn organic chemistry. All of our videos are less than ten minutes and three videos (about 30 minutes) contains all the information given in a traditional one hour lecture.

How were we able to cut the time in half? Unlike in-person lectures, videos get right to the point. We can post background material for people to read prior to the lecture which we have found to be much more efficient. People can read a paragraph faster than it takes to explain it by a lecturer. The additional benefit to learning online is that people can watch these micro-lectures whenever they want and rely on the discussion board monitored by the professor to get feedback and engage on a particular subject. All of this can be done anywhere in the world and finally breaks us free of the traditional classroom.

We have had a lot of fun teaching the world organic chemistry and all our studio technology gives us a laugh every once in a while.  You have to admit, our green screen presentations are pretty cool and really allows any professor to easily and completely explain any topic.  It is much more personable than just a powerpoint slide and using the power of the internet people can watch it whenever they have time.

We hope all of you out there have been enjoying out work and stay tuned for more!

Sorry to disappoint, but the traditional lecture is dead….for the majority of us.  Professors are still highly valuable and they need to impart their knowledge on the world, but they will just be doing it in a more “Facebook” kind of way.  The days of showing up to class and putting stuff on a chalkboard are numbered.  Instead they will be embracing video editing tools and a “Facebook” style platform for education.

We just finished recording our 18th video tonight and for every 30 minutes of video we spend 30 minutes of editing with a very simple tool called ScreenFlow.  It takes the same time as a traditional lecture, but the videos are broken up into three videos each ten minutes long and they are available to the entire world at the student’s convenience.  So how does a professor answer questions?  For each video there are discussion threads where the professor or teaching assistant can address issues.  This is simple, efficient and people can learn when and where they want.

Think of how television or movies relate to a theatrical play.  Technology advanced to the point where it was easier to be entertained by something recorded instead of having physical actors entertain you at a specific theater.  People will still want to pay for live lectures, but learning online can be just as effective and give you TiVo-like control of your schedule.  You choose.

Our Free Online College organic chemistry videos are mainly being watched by 13-17 year old males.  Very interesting.  I expected the 18-24 group to dominate, but it’s way in the back in 4th place.  Also our videos are being discovered mainly by Google searches by eager students in the US, India and Pakistan.

While it’s great to report 13-17 year olds are online and learning, I am disappointed there are only 29% females.  This is a problem.  Why aren’t they interested in organic chem?

Great to see people are using our resource and I think they will enjoy our next refresh with a new subject and backend infrastructure.

Tutorinyourpocket.com is the mobile textbook that every student of today’s world needs.  This web application provides step-by-step written guidance,  hyperlinks to wikipedia, live and recorded instructional videos, interactive quizzes and a discussion board powered by Google.  It is essential to have an open platform to communicate material via text and video.  Tutorinyourpocket.com gives students a chance to exercise their knowledge and receive instant feedback from interactive quizzes.

Today’s average student is working and taking online courses and needs access to their learning materials on the go.  Simply put, students are busy.  The convenience of being able to review class material and test one’s knowledge with a mobile device does not exist today.

After completing an exam, quiz or homework problem students often are required to wait days for feedback on their performance.  This time can be spent with false assumptions regarding their full comprehension of the material.  Tutorinyourpocket.com provides free online textbooks and video tutorials to learn a particular subject and quizzes to assess comprehension and give instant feedback.

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Here is a decent list of the pros and cons with online learning.  I think we’ve pushed the boundaries more than any other educational institution to make our lectures more interactive and absolutely cost effective – free.  We need these innovations more than ever right now with tuition skyrocketing with no end in sight.

Repost from OnlineEducation.com:

The Pros of an Online Education

Cost: In many instances, online education may be more affordable than a traditional educational environment. There are the obvious savings on transportation costs, such as gas, bus passes, and parking fees. There is no need for expensive housing or meal plans since you will not be living on or near a college campus. Tuition costs can vary greatly among online institutions. Once you have decided upon a field of study, it is possible to compare the costs of comparable programs online. Many times, there is no need to purchase expensive college textbooks. Most often you have the ability to download all the resource information required directly from the internet. Some online programs do charge for this service, however. An important fact to keep in mind is that many online education programs offer the same financial aid packages, including loans and grants, which are available from traditional education institutions.

Convenience: This may be the number one reason for the massive growth in the online education industry over the past few years. When you take your courses online, you have the ability to set your study schedule according to your own personal needs. This flexibility makes online learning a perfect choice for people who are already working full or part time, parents who have small children or other family commitments, or people who travel on a consistent basis. You decide where and when to study. As long as you have a computer and internet access, your classroom is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Level Playing Field: This is a subject that is often ignored when discussing online education, but the truth is that it plays a significant role in the growing popularity of online degree programs. When you enroll in an online course, you retain a considerable amount of anonymity. Certain discriminating factors such as age, physical appearance, race, gender, and even disabilities are largely absent from online education classes. Many students find this open and accepting atmosphere very liberating. This empowers those individuals who might be more reserved in a traditional classroom setting to contribute their thoughts and opinions in online discussions without the concerns of bias and prejudice sometimes encountered in a live classroom lecture. This can have a very positive effect on a student’s self-esteem and success in an online education program.

Setting Your Own Pace: Online education offers you the flexibility to work at a pace which is comfortable for you and your individual situation. You decide how much time you can commit to earning your degree. With the constant availability of online courses, the average time it takes to finish a degree program is 2-3 years, compared with just over 4 years at a traditional institution. No matter what type of online education program you choose to enroll in, you are always in control of the situation as far as how many courses you take during one session and the overall time you want to commit to finishing the program. If your personal situation changes along the way (work or family issues), you can slow down or speed up the process as needed. It’s all up to you.

The Cons of an Online Education

The Technology: Obviously, you must have affordable and reliable access to a computer and the internet to consider enrolling in an online education program. This can be a significant issue if you live in a rural or lower socio-economic neighborhood that has less-than-adequate internet access. If your time online is limited by the amount of internet access you can afford, then instruction and participation in an online course will be severely hampered and success will be hard to achieve.

Both instructors and students need to have a minimum level of computer knowledge in order to be successful in an online environment. You should be able to use a wide variety of search engines and be comfortable navigating on the World Wide Web. You should also be familiar with email and newsgroups. If you do not possess these technology tools, success in an online education program will be difficult to attain.

If you are not comfortable with the latest computer technology or are resistant to change, then an online education program may not work for you. Online students are required to learn new skills, such as researching and reviewing resources from the internet. If keeping up-to-date with the latest computer technology and using this knowledge on a consistent basis to complete your assignments doesn’t appeal to you, you might want to consider a more traditional education environment.

In Conclusion:

An online education program can be a very rewarding experience for those individuals wanting to earn a degree in a non-traditional education environment. Studies have shown that students who are mature, self-motivated and organized are extremely successful in their online learning pursuits. By allowing students to control where and when they study, online programs are best-suited to those individuals who possess strong time management skills and are independent learners. Online learning also offers prospective students who are employed or have children and other family commitments the opportunity to earn a degree without sacrificing other important areas of their lives. Younger students, such as elementary or secondary school age, and students who are dependent learners, may find it difficult to assume the responsibilities required by an online program. Ultimately, you make the final decision as to which education program is right for you.

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Last night was one for the record books.  We incorporated Hollywood special effects to create the worlds first free virtual reality online college lecture!  We’re very excited with our new technology and it will be a Innovative in Education standard from now on.

We took a relatively boring and cold online lecture and turned it into a real-life presentation that makes you feel like you are really there.  We’ve proved that people can indeed learn just as well from the comfort of their home and for a very attractive price – FREE.

Our new technology gives the instructor the ability to project any type of media on a virtual whiteboard.  The instructor can write on the slides, make drawings and highlight topics just like they would in a traditional lecture hall.  We are using the power of the internet to turn a home office into a worldwide lecture hall where students can ask question and learn complex material in real time.

This is the future ladies and gentleman.

Here is the recording from last night:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzXpmhECw1I

We started our live broadcasts yesterday at 6:30pm CST to help students understand organic chemistry and calculus.  Our presentation was interactive and we encourage even more questions via our live chat module.

Join us again wednesday at 6:30pm CST for another class in organic and calculus.  No worries if you can’t make it to ask questions to our live teachers because all out content is recorded and available free online.

We’re excited to connect with you live online and we hope you enjoy our content!

Join us in our live classroom on Monday January 11th 6:30pm CST for Organic Chemistry followed by Calculus I.  Don’t worry if you can’t attend as all of our lectures are recorded and will be posted in the course content for each subject.

We look forward to helping you grow by giving you the information to succeed.