© AJC /15 Microbiology and the Web: A Nerd's Eye View Alan Cann Department of Microbiology & Immunology University of Leicester UK.

© AJC /15 Students’ reactions to I.T:

© AJC /15 Alan Kay: "The best way to predict the future is to invent it."

© AJC /15 Global mega universities - your competitors! Open University (UK) - 200,000 students.Open University Western Governors University (USA) - a private university delivering degree programs solely via the Internet, sponsored by the governors of 19 western USA states and territories.Western Governors University HEFCE e-University - UK government proposal.HEFCE e-University

© AJC /15 www-micro.msb.le.ac.uk I began using the WWW for teaching in late Since then, I have developed an extensive set of innovative WWW-based learning materials. Some of the pages on my server are the most popular on the internet (Google)the most popular on the internetGoogle The server currently has: –150Mb of information in 3,300 files –16,500 links (13,200 internal, 3,300 external) –30,000 hits/300Mb per day (?300,000 hits/3Gb per day with caching?) demo

© AJC /15 BS110: Saviour of forests - how to run a paperless course What have computers done for me? 1975: Business Week forecasts the imminent arrival of the paperless office - office workers consume 40kg of paper per year. 2000: Office workers consume 80kg of paper per year! Numeracy and Computer Skills for Biologists

© AJC /15 Numeracy and Computer Skills for Biologists Computer practicals: hands-on computer sessions are held at the start of the first and second semesters. The object of these sessions is not to train students in how to use the available software, but to enable them to learn how to use it! Lectures: describe mathematical, statistical and data handling techniques in the context of biological sciences. At the end of each lecture, a URL is presented where there is a set of numerical problems relevant to the lecture topic. These problems must be completed and the answers submitted over the WWW by the specified deadlines. These are computer-marked, resulting in an enormous saving of staff time. Problem clinics: open to all students, but compulsory for those who fail to achieve a pass mark for the previous problem set or submit their work after the deadline. Students are informed by of their mark for each set of problems and whether they are required to attend the clinic.

© AJC /15 CBLIS 97: ”Online Interactive Computer-Assisted Learning” Mars Pathfinder July 5th 1997:

© AJC /15 Search Engines: Advantages of the WWW - dynamic information (databases, search engines, open learning - tutor is a guide. Microbiology/Virology/Viruses/Herpes_Viruses/ (200 hits/day) Microbiology/Virology/Viruses/Herpes_Viruses/

© AJC /15 The Future of Academics ? “Learning Managers” Intelligent tutors (“learning machines”) Peripatetic Electronic Teachers (PETs):

© AJC /15 WWW in Research: Entrez GenomesEntrez Genomes:

© AJC /15

© AJC /15 The Revenge of the Nerds: (with apologies to Robert X. Cringely) Students’ reactions to I.T

© AJC /15 My interest is in the future - I am going to spend the rest of my life there Charles F. Kettering In the nineties, if you had a website, you were a rebel (!) In the noughties, the WWW will become universal In the teens, websites will be compulsory

© AJC /15 Education costs money - ignorance costs more