EPGY Distance-Learning Courses

All EPGY courses use the computer as an essential instructional resource. Typically, multimedia lectures with animations provide students with expository content. These lectures capture the informal nature of classroom instruction, while preserving a level of rigor appropriate to the subject matter. Lectures are often supplemented by real-time virtual classroom sessions in which students and instructors interact.

Most courses include exercises in which students answer questions and receive immediate feedback from the computer. These exercises depend on the subject matter of the course. In mathematics courses, for example, they range from simple multiple-choice questions to more difficult questions in which students enter mathematical expressions, to more advanced exercises in which students use sophisticated mathematical software to construct proofs that are evaluated by the computer.

In addition to the work that students do within the EPGY course environment, students may also have more traditional assignments that they submit electronically for instructors to evaluate: for example, problem sets for mathematics and physics courses, essay assignments for English courses, and programming assignments for the Computer Science courses.

The Instructors

EPGY students are assigned to course instructors who are available for additional instructional support by phone, electronic mail, and virtual classroom. Instructors monitor student progress, review student assignments, and help identify and address particular student difficulties. The EPGY instructors have been chosen for their thorough knowledge of the subject, their dedication to teaching, and their expertise in using technology to provide advanced instruction to gifted students. As with traditional classrooms, it is the instructors who are ultimately responsible for teaching the students.

The Virtual Classroom

Most of the EPGY courses have weekly sessions in the EPGY Virtual Classroom. In the virtual classroom, Students connect via the internet, using voice and shared whiteboard conferencing software to create a real-time interactive version of the EPGY lecture environment. The virtual classroom gives students a robust electronic forum in which they can interact with instructors and other students. These sessions are mandatory for the English courses and are strongly encouraged for other EPGY courses. Students who want to work more intensively with an instructor, one-on-one, or in a small group, are also encouraged to attend virtual classroom sessions.