How Courses are Delivered
Interactive Television (ITV)
ITV courses are broadcast live by faculty from the university campuses to University College centers and sites across Maine. The ITV system uses one-way video and two-way audio. As a student, you can see the instructor, but the instructor cannot see you. You participate in your class by calling toll-free into the broadcast classroom. Broadcast classrooms are located at all of the UMS campuses.
ITV classes can be broadcast to over 80 sites, 11 University College outreach centers, and UMS campuses. A typical class is broadcast to 30-40 locations. Class sizes range from fewer than 30 students to more than 100. Click here for more information about ITV and other courses.
Online
Many courses are taught entirely online, using the Web for communication, course research, and information resources. You complete course requirements at home or at an off-campus center or site. If you don't have high-speed internet access from home, you can participate in these classes from the computer lab at your local University College center or site.
Some online courses include video segments, allowing students to watch class lectures at times that are convenient to them. These courses require a computer with specific multimedia capabilities. You may take these classes at home if you have broadband internet access and an adequately-equipped computer. Please visit the course Website to check for all technical and course requirements before registering.
On-site
On-site courses are traditional classes where the university instructor is in the classroom with the students. All eleven University College centers offer a selection of on-site courses. Visit your nearest center's Website to view courses offered on-site at the center this semester.
Videoconference
The videoconference system is a two-way audio and video system, which means that all participants in classrooms across the state can see and hear each other. Microphones on each conference table allow students in distant classrooms to speak to each other and the instructor. Cameras allow students and the instructor to share documents or graphics. Because the videoconference rooms are small, enrollment is generally limited to 10 students per location. Videoconference is often used for seminar-type, often upper-level courses.