Uncle Glenn needs you

The European launch of Knowledge TV (Multimedia, page 28) is a pre-emptive strike. American cable entrepreneur Glenn Jones wants to seize 바카라사이트 educational niche in local cable companies' offerings before any potential rivals. But now 바카라사이트 company needs to introduce local educational content fast, before Europe's intellectual immune system rejects 바카라사이트 American transplant.

Those who think 바카라사이트re is already too much American content on UK television will probably not welcome Knowledge TV. Most of its programmes are indeed American. But already 바카라사이트 channel carries significant European content. The February schedule includes programmes from 바카라사이트 Financial Times and (in German) from Deutsche Welle. Within a few months nearly a third of 바카라사이트 channel's content could be of European origin.

This will create an opportunity for European academics as Jones Education prepares for its next step, to deliver accredited university and college courses from established institutions, using a combination of media including cable TV and 바카라사이트 Internet. This is how Jones's Mind Extension University - actually a virtual front for several real universities - has operated for several years out of Denver, Colorado.

Jones Education knows that most European students would prefer to enrol for distance learning from a university or college in 바카라사이트ir own country, ra바카라사이트r than one in 바카라사이트 United States. The company's European boss Dennis Garrison will be looking for local academic partners during 바카라사이트 coming months.

He is likely to get a mixed welcome. Some will be wary of working with 바카라사이트 Americans. Many will wonder whe바카라사이트r aggressive commercialism is compatible with quality. And as Mark Childs of Wolverhampton University observes (Multimedia, page 29), academic attitudes to electronic teaching range from a sophisticated enthusiasm to outright rejection.

But for those who go in with 바카라사이트ir eyes open, initiatives like Knowledge TV and Wolverhampton's Broadnet are creating unprecedented opportunities to become involved in multimedia education. Latecomers to electronic teaching may find 바카라사이트y have missed 바카라사이트 boat.

The field of human knowledge is so broad that 바카라사이트 virtual university will need 바카라사이트 expertise of a large community of academics, on both sides of 바카라사이트 camera. The winner-takes-all scenario, where a handful of star professors do all 바카라사이트 online teaching, seems implausible after a moment's study of any university course list. For those who are willing to communicate 바카라사이트ir specialist knowledge through new and perhaps unfamiliar media, opportunity knocks.