24—The Daily Collegian Tuesday, Aug 10 1983 College credits offered via cable TV By BEVERLY M. PAYTON Collegian Staff Writer Billed as the world's largest cable television network of its kind, PENNARAMA will go into service Thursday, making college credit courses available to an estimated 1.5 million cable tele vision subscribers throughout the state. The cable classes represent a joint effort between the University and the Pennsylvania Educational Communications System, a nonprofit organization of 11 cable companies. The statewide network will serve, in addition to larger cities, many small and rural communities that do not have educational programming The system will enable users to earn college credits and work toward a degree through tele vision classes. Program coordinator Jerry A. Sawyer, of the Division of Learning and Telecommunications Services, said most subscribers would not be able to complete their degree requirements through PENNARAMA, but the system is helpful to non traditional students, allowing them to "get started." Also, with the exception of a speech communica tions course, a student can fulfill the requirements for the associate degree in arts and letters through the cable network and independent learning, he said. "It will be a while before there are complete degree programs offered through PENNARAMA, ›- --, • • • • • • # -- • . . - 1 Va. . . 11 :1 1101 I \ 3. 1 7 ff Nc7, • • , 4--. 24.50 Levis Prewashed Boot Jeans $4l 6 87 • I 1 1141i11415.11ci11i 1 , NEW 9 • 1 I .I. 5 0 al LOCATION 0 S FRI 9.9 ' = ; ---‘---- n . r Er nl MCALLISTER ALLEY i t ,"„ BRAND NAMES AT l .3 3. . > WAREHOUSE PRICES ' ois _. . 4 OLD STORE ern N 4vrd s 2 OU/All 0 It 'W' V 0 U IL m - 0 . •..N;'...:Ti'-E5 : " 1 "..wEp;::AT.:.'9 . 5t30.ir:..•: - .:',''.';:...:,:•.:i.'..:..•.'-;....,.:T.-HI):RS-:::•:.Flii.,•;.-9'_..9•::p...M.-..:,:::...:...:,.'..::...::•::•.:::.... 145 W. Third St., Williamsport Calder Way Two, State College Susquehanna Valley Daily 9.5:30, Mon. & Fri. 9.9 Daily 9.5:30, Thu., Fri. 9-9, Sat. 9-5 Daily 10-9, Fri., Sat. 10-9:30 but I see it in the future," Sawyer said. Another important aspect of the expanded sys tem is that the network courses will eventually be available to users all the time, instead of only a few hours a day, he added. "A big advantage is that now there will be a complete channel dedicated to hard-core educatio nal course . programming," Sawyer said. In State College and Bellefonte, PENNARAMA now shares air time with a news service on cable channel 12. The courses will be offered through correspon dence from the University's Independent Learning Program which has been in effect for 60 years, Sawyer said. PENNARAMA has operated in State College and in some cities in northeastern Pennsylvania since 1980. The expansion will make it available to Viewers in the southeastern and western part of the state. Among the most popular courses are English 10 and 20, business logistics and management. "Teacher education courses are also very popu lar," Sawyer said. The integrity of TV courses has been questioned by some colleges and universities, but that is changing, he said. In some cases, PENNARAMA courses are more difficult than classroom courses, he added. "Standards are set by full professors; they also oversee courses offered by other institutions and add or delete as necessary to make it a true Penn LEVIS Levi's® 1 7,P,AP Blue Jeans No fads or fancy stitches. Just the classic look and exceptional quality that never goes out of style. Levi's® blue jeans. From the sturdy rivets to the heavyweight denim. They look and feel better every time you wear them. 14 50 Levi's Prewashed Jeans Just the Way Levies You Like 'elm --EAR. It used to take months to get your jeans just right. But now you can get Levi's® heavy weight denim jeans pre•washed. And that means they're soft and subtle from the day you buy them. So try on your exact size. They're so comfortable you'll want to wear them home. ES:-4 - 9 PM LEVIS CORDS The Ultimate Cord New Durability and Washability JEANS CORDS Compare at $21.50 1 525 15 95 State course," he said Proctored exams for PENNARAMA courses are administered through the campuses. If no local campus is available to the student, his exam can be mailed to the principal at a local public school who will make arrangements to have it proctored. Student Instructional Services coordinator Linda K. Ellinger said independent learning courses are recorded on a student's ti anscript exactly as any other Penn State course would be. "We work very closely .with the departments to make sure that only those •courses that meet rigorous Penn State standards are approved. We don't simply take any course that comes down the airwaves," Ellinger said. Ellinger said she was concerned with the miscon ception that someone can "just sit in front of the tube and get credit for it." "There is a lot of reading; this is not simply watching TV and getting credit. There's a lot more to it than that," she said. Lucille M. Diehl, a University employee in man agement services who has taken several courses through PENNARAMA, said she thought the course content was good and she' did not feel alienated from professors. "I have called the instructor and if she did not answer the phone, she always returned my call," Diehl said. "Other times I have written down questions and sent them along with my assign ments and have always received an answer." IVelcome back students. Bring out your bea PSU. professor emeritus dead at 88 in San Diego By KELLY YALE Collegian Staff Writer Franklin C. Banner, 88, Univer sity professor emeritus and long time head of the Department of Journalism (now the School of Journalism) died June 5 in San Diego, Calif., the University learned recently. Banner became the first head of the Department of Journalism in 1933 and helped to build the de partment until he retired in 1955. As head of the journalism depart ment, Banner was an early sup porter of The Daily Collegian, then known as The Penn State Colle gian. Along with Ralph D. Hetzel, former president of the Universi ty, then known as the Pennsylva nia State College, and A.R. Warnock, dean of men, Banner encouraged editorial freedom and independence for the Collegian and thus helped to make its incor poration in 1940 possible. In 1954, Banner expressed his support of the Collegian in a letter to a Collegian editor: "In the fall Of 1926 I met the first Collegian staff, struggling to produce a semi-weekly in a tiny downtown back office furnished with four battered typewriters. I was deter mined that the Collegian should be brought to the campus, should share equally with the department of journalism what equipment was available from our funds, should lose neither its liberty or opinion nor responsibility of action despite these relations with the depart ment, and that it should become a daily to serve better the commu nication needs of a growing col lege . ." In 1929, Banner founded the Pennsylvania Newspaper Pub lishers' Advisory Committee to the Department of Journalism. He served as vice president of the American Association of Teachers of Journalism in 1930 and asso ciate editor of its publication . ©Anheuser-Busch, Inc St Louis, Mo
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers