How to Develop a General Biology Course for Interactive Television

Abstract

A homemaker in rural Indi- ana, an Indiana farmer, a full-time reference librarian with a family, and students at a technical school are all people who recently have successfully com- pleted a college-level general biol- ogy course. None of them was sure if he or she would ever have the example, distance education via in- teractive television is one way of providing lifelong education to cit- izens. Ball State University located in Muncie, Indiana, has developed a diverse offering of courses avail- able by interactive television, in- cluding undergraduate courses in general biology, English composi- tion, foreign languages, mathemat- ics, and history, as well as graduate courses leading to a Masters in Business Administration. Many in- stitutions are considering offering televised courses to increase access to higher education. This manu- script will concentrate on how to develop a general studies biology course for interactive television.