Colleges Courses

Every Thursday, history students file into a stately old building here at the University of Illinois for classes about Alexander the Great, the Federalist period and . . . Oprah. Oprah? Yes, Oprah; specifically, "History 298: Oprah Winfrey, the Tycoon." Tenured professor Juliet E.K. Walker, a specialist in the history of African American business, introduced the course this semester.

It's usually late at night or Saturdays when Bambie Argyle shows up for graduate school at the University of Nebraska. Done with household chores and other duties, it's her turn at the family computer in a rugged Wyoming town called Mountain View. The Lincoln campus is 770 miles away. Argyle settles into the playroom and logs on to read lecture texts, get assignments, join class discussion by e-mail and take quizzes. She also does research, such as a required virtual museum tour.

Noel Korn, 76, a lifelong educator who was instrumental in televising college-credit courses over Los Angeles' PBS television station, KCET. Educated in anthropology at New York University and UCLA, Korn established learning centers for minority and nontraditional college students at Cal State Northridge and Los Angeles City College. He taught anthropology and English at Valley Junior College, Northridge and UCLA.

The county's community college students are taught fewer hours by full-time faculty than students in most other districts in California, figures from the state chancellor's office show. According to the findings, part-time and full-time faculty members at each of the county's three community college campuses split about 50% of the instruction time, whereas statewide, full-time faculty members, on average, teach 62% of the instructional load.

California's two public university systems have approved a plan to standardize college-prep courses required for all incoming freshmen, making it simpler for high school students to stay on track for college. California State University trustees gave the plan final approval Wednesday, six months after it was adopted by the University of California regents.

Ian Gordon might be the most obscure gold medalist and national champion of any contest, event or competition in the country. Not everyone, after all, follows the world of precision machining or, frankly, even knows what it is. But to those in the know, Gordon is a star. With the dexterity of a neurosurgeon, the 19-year-old Costa Mesa high school senior can fashion a piece of metal to within half a hair's breadth--one of several skills that have earned him numerous awards.

Damian Brown whips his head left and right in a struggle to see what the other students are doing in his management information systems class at Cal State Northridge. Professor Glen Gray tells the class members to insert their computer disks and tries to make sure everyone is following along. "Any other access questions?" he asks. Brown, who is deaf, furiously scribbles a question on a piece of notebook paper, but Gray doesn't see him. "Well, let's mosey along then."