Returning to classes after winter break means new classes and students. Unfortunately, it also means having to brave the cold Arctic wind to get to those classes.

But with a new computer program, it’s possible for Iowa State professors to teach a three-credit class from the comfort of their office or home.

Project Bio is an innovative program that offers biology classes on the World Wide Web.

Full audio and video lectures, as well as tests and other important course information are offered with the class on the Web.

Students in the online classes are required to listen and watch lectures pre-recorded and sequenced by the professor, said Doug Bull, director of Project Bio.

In addition, class notes are displayed at the Web site.

Students are also given a deadline detailing when to take various tests and turn in homework assignments over the Web, Bull said.

“They are courses that are good for organized and motivated students,” said John Pleasants, teacher of the WWW Biology 109 course. “It takes some real getting used to.”

Iowa high school students make up half the students taking the courses, mainly because of the Post-Secondary Enrollment Act.

This statewide legislation allows high school students to take courses unavailable to them in their own school districts.

Bull said the cost of the course is then picked up by the school board at a maximum of $250.

“High school students are able to get a jump on their university education,” Bull said. “These students could get a whole year of university done before they get out of high school.”

This type of class can create a more personal relationship between the student and the teacher, Bull said.

Students are able to communicate with the teacher via e-mail letters and phone calls.

There are also chat rooms offered for students interested in the topic of the course.

These chat rooms provide a forum for the students and professor to discuss and share ideas and personal views.

“I feel I am having more personalized interaction with students than in a regular classroom setting,” Pleasants said.

He said an effective monitoring system lets students know how they are proceeding, because everything is done over the computer.

The system also allows the teacher to aggressively monitor each individual student’s progress.

“Ultimately, there is a lot more work for the teacher because of the need to record and sequence the visual aspects of the lecture, in addition to responding to e-mail questions,” Pleasants said.

This type of teaching program can be a great recruitment tool in bringing new students to ISU because of the high number of high school students enrolled in the classes.

However, in a letter to the Ames Tribune on Monday, a Nevada High School math teacher criticized the Post-Secondary Enrollment Act, maintaining that the local school districts had to pay more for students’ education.

The letter pointed out that “monies” came from schools’ general funds, which are intended for the running of school districts.

But individuals associated with Project Bio say this legislation has made the program a success by allowing all Iowa residents to take previously unavailable courses.

Still, students may want to wait on changing their majors to biology just to take advantage of the new online feature.

Next fall, economics and geology courses also will become available. To find out which classes are offered, see the Project Bio Web site at http://project.bio.iastate.edu.