Comments on: Boilercast: Perdue University lecture podcasts

Boilercast: Perdue University lecture podcasts

stbalbach — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 15:51:47 -0800

Purdue University has begun providing podcasts of lectures of some courses, intended for students who miss a class or who want to review specific lectures. Users of the service can download a specific lecture or all of the lectures from an entire course. Apparently also open to the public it is called Boilercast, about 50 classes are starting now for Fall 2005.

By: peacay

peacay — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 16:08:12 -0800

Um..I've been looking around but there doesn't seem to be an easily found page to advise what the course codes represent. Going to the download page for each file gives the lecturer name but no other identifying info. Anyone got a key to this? I mean, this is likely a good thing but I don't want to download urban planning material if I want a medievel english course etc.

By: esquire

esquire — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 16:13:57 -0800

I am fired up about this. I always wondered what people learned in "agriculture" classes. Now I can start with Agriculture 101 during my morning through metropolitan Washington. Maybe I'll learn how to plant corn or radishes or something. Thank you, Boilermakers.

By: Phantomx

Phantomx — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 16:14:03 -0800

Here's the course listing This comes out less than a year after graduating =\ Alas, no AAE courses offered anyway.

By: Phantomx

Phantomx — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 16:16:51 -0800

I suppose I should add that to get to course descriptions you sometimes have to go a few clicks deep.

By: stbalbach

stbalbach — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 16:31:24 -0800

A couple example classes (using link provided by Phantomx) ANTH379 - Indians Of North America - General survey of North American Indian cultures. FNR240 - Wildlife In America - History of the occurrence, exploitation, and management of North America's wildlife resources.

By: gyc

gyc — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 16:33:23 -0800

Wouldn't a vidcast be much more useful to see, for example, what the lecturer has written on the board?

By: peacay

peacay — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 16:34:59 -0800

Phantomx, that gives the general gist, thanks. Obviously if this was a set-up aimed towards the general public they wouldn't be so esoteric in their page content.

By: maryh

maryh — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 16:42:52 -0800

Thanks for posting this, stbalbach. Looking forward to learning a little botany in the wee hours!

By: stbalbach

stbalbach — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 17:13:37 -0800

Wouldn't a vidcast be much more useful The only complete courses online (for free) in video format, that I am aware of, are about 10 classes at MIT's OpenCourseware. I recommend the first episode of Physics 101 for high entertainment. The Teaching Company offers audio/video courses (for money), but they are not university classes, more like adult education (of high quality). I look forward to the first university that releases its classes in opensource, available for re-mix in both audio and video format.

By: stbalbach

stbalbach — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 17:19:01 -0800

..also if the Purdue syllabus were online that would make it more complete.

By: blendor

blendor — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 22:15:41 -0800

I was actually just telling my girl I'd send mp3s of my neuroscience course to her. How awesome that they would actually provide this service to students. Is there concern that the student-only podcasts would be shared with non-students?

By: OmieWise

OmieWise — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 05:42:48 -0800

This seems like a cool thing, but I agree with peacay, that the site does not seem at all interested in catering to people who are not already students. I don't really understand that, since it's supposed to be the degree and not the knowledge that costs money.

By: mds35

mds35 — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 07:14:38 -0800

I listened to "Indians of North America" this morning on my way to work. Very interesting! You miss a bit by not being able to see whatever visual aids the instructor might be using, but it's pretty neat, nonetheless. Also, does it seem odd to anyone else that thare are so many Pharmacy-related feeds?

By: Phantomx

Phantomx — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 11:06:58 -0800

Omiewise, many of my professors would make sure that their notes that they put online could only be accessed from Purdue servers. That's if they put stuff online at all. You gotta remember that a lot of these lectures are stuff that they've written and prepared and are more than just a recitation of a book. Especially if the material comes from many sources and there is no main book that they are teaching from. Also not everyone thinks that information should be absolutely free to everyone. I think the boilercast is a great thing, but until a video is included, I see this as not being a blip on the radar for any technical classes (above entry level courses) because of all the equations.

By: peacay

peacay — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 13:21:34 -0800

stbalbach writes "The only complete courses online (for free) in video format, that I am aware of, are about 10 classes at MIT's OpenCourseware." I kind of wonder about that. I didn't check the site but presume it's American. Sometime if/when I remember in the not too distant future, it might be worthwhile checking around a bit for other western english speaking nations' University sites. It might be that there's more available in NZ, UK & Oz online for instance - I don't know this but I'd presume that they tend towards being more social with their materials. And Phantomx brings up something I hadn't thought about - copyright. It's my experience that lectures are derived from multiple sources and they may not be overly happy if the cherry picked diamonds from their publications are presented online (but then there's fair use, hmm?). (on preview...MIT...of course it's American...it's late....the brain is drained)