If students are looking to take classes Iowa State does not offer, there is an option many people are not aware of — taking classes via the Iowa Communications Network.

Ray Pregitzer, supervisor of media resources, said ICN is “an infrastructure of fiber optics laid across the state of Iowa.”

He said the network connects all three of Iowa’s regent universities and many private colleges, K-12 classrooms, public libraries, hospitals, National Guard sites and state and federal agencies. As of Wednesday, 597 classrooms in Iowa were connected to the ICN.

There are eight ICN distance-learning classrooms at ISU.

Pregitzer said there are many benefits for students taking classes over the ICN. As an example, he said a high school student who desires to take Russian, but whose school does not offer it, can participate in a Russian class originating at a remote location via the ICN.

Another advantage Pregitzer mentioned is reduced road time for commuter students.

“The most obvious [benefit] is not driving two to three hours to the Iowa State campus every night [to take classes],” he said.

Pam Pfitzenmaier, director of educational telecommunications for Iowa Public Television, coordinates the production of educational applications for transmission over the network.

She said ICN provides the opportunity for ISU and other regent universities to reach out to more students who otherwise would not be able to take classes at a university.

“The public access to resources at a land-grant university is widened,” she said.

According to the ICN Web page, the network is capable of voice, data and two-way interactive, full-motion video.

Pfitzenmaier has overseen several projects transmitted via the ICN. The most recent project was “Prairie Connections,” an interactive field-trip project for fifth through 12th grade students.

She said the program gave schools the “chance to take field trips to the prairie” without having to leave the classroom.

Students in the ICN lab are able to view experts in the field and correspond with them, she said. Students may ask the experts questions about the prairie with a microphone and the experts are able to respond.

Dave Anderson, supervisor of media resources for Extended and Continuing Education, said the number of students enrolled in ISU’s extended classroom service is up by 70 students from last fall.

“As of now, we are at 290 students [registered] for this fall,” Anderson said.

In the fall semester of 1996, there only were 132 students enrolled in classes broadcast over the ICN.

Anderson stressed that ISU offers more than classes for college credit over the ICN. He said conferences, seminars and short courses also are offered.

On Wednesday, ISU instructors will give seminars titled “Learning Teaching Systems” and “Grain Fumigation” over the ICN.

According to the Extended and Continuing Education Web site, courses ranging from agricultural education to English are offered over the network.

Information on ISU classes offered via the ICN may be found at www.exnet.iastate.edu/Pages/ece.

According to the ICN Web site, “By the year 2000, all accredited K-12 school districts, intermediate service agencies and public libraries will have had the opportunity to connect to the network.”