From: technews <technews@ou.edu>
To: "'it-fyi@listserv.ou.edu'" <it-fyi@lists.ou.edu>
Subject: it-fyi: Professor's Site Teaches History, How to Study It (Chron
Date: Thu, 30 Sep 1999 19:09:52 -0500
A Professor's Site Teaches History and How to Study It
By BIANCA P. FLOYD
"It was Sir Francis Bacon who coined the phrase 'Knowledge is power,'" says
Steven Kreis, "but I added, 'only if you have access to it.'" Mr. Kreis, a
professor of history at Meredith College, in Raleigh, N.C., created a Web
site called the History Guide to offer his students that access -- through a
set of 60 class lectures, through study aids, even through autobiographical
essays that tell students what a scholar's life is like.
When it is finished, the History Guide (http://www.pagesz.net/~stevek) will
cover the development of western civilization from 40,000 B.C. to the
present. It includes sections on ancient and medieval history in Europe,
modern intellectual history, and 20th-century events, along with links to
additional on-line resources about history as an academic discipline. It
aims to teach students not just the facts of history, but also how to mine,
manage, and analyze historical information.
Mr. Kreis put the guide on line in August 1996. Although scholars are often
apprehensive about putting their lectures on the Internet, because of the
possibility that someone will usurp the information, Mr. Kreis says that
"making the lectures available on line gives students a chance to
familiarize themselves with each day's topic and makes for better discussion
in class." He says a course Web site should offer more than just
syllabi, notes, and assignments.
And he's eager to make knowledge available -- not only to his students, but
also to a wider audience. For him, the History Guide is a labor of love. It
is not housed on a university server and is not supported by a foundation.
The guide was inspired by his own experiences as an undergraduate and a
graduate student, Mr. Kreis says. In an autobiographical essay on the site,
he recollects being an undergraduate and trying to figure out what he wanted
to major in. He also offers a glimpse of his life as a graduate student,
describes the fits of starting, stopping, and then finally finishing his
dissertation, and entering the job market after receiving his doctorate. In
offering such a personal look at his academic career, Mr. Kreis says he
tried to do for his students what he wishes someone had done for him --
depict the life of a real scholar.
The site also features essays on such topics as how to have the proper
attitude, how to take notes and study for an exam, how to write a research
essay, and how to choose the right books. "My site has two purposes," says
Mr. Kreis. "To empower my own students, and to show people what they can do
with this sort of information. I figure students want the knowledge. My
attitude is to give it to them."
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Copyright 1999 by The Chronicle of Higher Education