By Matt SpectorThe Daily Northwestern

Northwestern might join a program next year that allows students to learn unusual languages, such as Yoruba or Macedonian, from teachers located hundreds of miles away.

Although a final decision has not yet been made, NU might subscribe to a program called CourseShare, which uses video conferencing to create a real-time virtual classroom across several university campuses, said Mary Finn, NU’s associate dean of undergraduate studies.

CourseShare allows collaboration between the member schools of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation, which includes the 11 Big Ten schools and the University of Chicago.

The 12 schools have shared resources and library materials since 1958. The organization has used CourseShare since a trial run in 2003, but NU has never participated.

“This is one of the latest collaborations among CIC members,” Finn said. “With technology that allows for courses done over the Internet, CourseShare is an opportunity for schools to take advantage of their strengths in language and for other schools to expand what they have beyond their campuses.”

Students at NU would be linked to the professor and to classrooms on other campuses over a live Internet feed.

CourseShare was developed primarily for language courses because students need to be able to see each other and converse in a classroom setting, said Amber Marks, one of the CIC administrators responsible for CourseShare.

The program was developed in response to an increasing demand for classes teaching uncommon languages, according the program’s brochure.

“Deans from the Arts and Sciences schools came together and saw that each campus has roughly thirty languages available, but added together (CIC schools) have over 100 languages,” Marks said.

The organization hopes to make low-enrollment classes cost-effective with CourseShare. The program is targeted primarily toward graduate students, who require instruction in more specialized language courses, Marks said.

“Seven Ohio State art history grad students are actually taking Tibetan, and anthropologists and scientists involved in studies in different countries need the less-common languages for their research,” Marks said.

Finn said NU’s administration had not figured out how the classes would fit into the school’s course offerings.

“We are a smaller place than most of the other schools, and the asymmetry is greater,” Finn said.

Marks said the CIC would encourage NU professors to teach through CourseShare if the school decides to take part in CourseShare.

“A lot of faculty are concerned about it initially,” Marks said. “They’re afraid that jobs could be lost, which is really not at all the intention of the deans who are funding it.”

Communication freshman David Wille said he would support the expansion and diversification of classes at NU through CourseShare.

“I’d like if they had a more advanced program,” Wille said. “In terms of the importance of Arabic and Asian languages, I think the program would be worth it.”

NU’s lack of involvement in CourseShare does not mean they are not dedicated to expanding foreign language offerings, Finn said. The availability of classes depends on student interest and student involvement in the program. Finn added that NU is interested in “beefing up” programs in Persian and Turkish.

“CourseShare has given us a lot of ideas and options, and it keeps the idea of developing new language programs in the front of our minds,” Finn said.

Reach Matt Spector at [email protected].