Contact Pauline Austin (541) 346-3129 July 28, 1997 EUGENE--If you can't attend classes during the day, you can still earn regular college credits at the University of Oregon this fall--without once stepping on campus. All you need is a computer, a modem and a telephone. High school students who want to get a head start on college, adults who cannot take time off work to attend classes and former students who need only a few credits to finish a degree already have discovered the convenience of attending university classes by logging on to their home computer. The UO Continuation Center launched the Internet class offering just last fall. When students enroll for the 1997 Fall term that begins Sept. 29, they'll discover a few choice UO Internet classes that offer all course work entirely on the Internet--there are no textbooks and tests will be on-line. Typical Internet classes involve a combination of required textbook readings and e-mail conversations or telephone consultations between students and instructors. In some Internet classes, students take final exams at proctored sites both on and off campus. "This program allows us to make the classes we are already offering on campus available to new audiences," explains Jo Anna Gray, associate dean for social sciences, UO College of Arts and Sciences. "We expect distance education to play an increasingly important role in the future of higher education. The UO is helping to shape that evolution," she adds. The UO program is offering classes this fall in Astronomy 123, Cosmology and the Origin of Life; Economics 201, Introduction to Microeconomics; Economics 202, Introduction to Macroeconomcs; Geology 201, the Earth's Materials and Its Interior; Geology 202, Surface Processes; Geology 306, Volcanoes and Earthquakes; Geology 307, Oceanography; Physics 161, Energy and the Environment; Physics 162, Solar Energy; Political Science 201, United States Politics; and Political Science 204, Introduction to Comparative Politics. Previously enrolled students who left before completing work toward a degree will have to fill out a re-enrollment form to sign up for classes. Students not already admitted to the UO will register through the Community Education Program and may enroll for up to eight credits per term. For more information or to enroll in classes, contact Shannon Murphy, UO distance education program coordinator at (541) 346-3537 or toll free at (800) 824-2714; e-mail<smurphy@continue.uoregon.edu. You also can learn more on the web at http://center.uoregon.edu. -30- #P-6002/Local,OrDailies,SBUS,PDX