2. The learning is free of charge.
Participants pay nothing for taking part
in the classes.
(However, if an instructor wishes to charge
for a class,
he or she will pay the MFU the amount charged
of one participant
to have that course description posted for
one year.)
3. When study materials are needed,
(a) electronic copies may be available on
the internet,
(b) books may be borrowed from a library,
(c) study materials may be purchased in person
at the meetings of the class,
(d) study materials may be purchased by mail,
or
(e) books may be purchased thru a bookstore,
including on-line booksellers.
4. The course description for each class
indicates the time and place for the meetings.
When meetings have not yet been established,
an e-mail address is included to register
your interest,
so that you can be informed when time and
place are set.
When a class has a distant
learning option,
the instructor may establish means
for the distant learners to participate in
the class.
Or each distant learner may proceeds at his
or her own pace
and communicate with the instructor by e-mail
as appropriate.
Under this open-ended distant-learning option,
the class has no definite beginning or end
but instruction is continuously available
for anyone who wants to take part.
5. If the course facilitator chooses,
distant learners may send comments and questions
to the leader of the discussion by e-mail.
Selections from these comments and questions
—along with responses from the discussion
leader when appropriate—
will be posted on the MFU home page,
linked to the course description.
And other participants may respond
to this electronic discussion as they please.
6. Distant learners will be invited to join
the face-to-face discussion
whenever they are close enough to the location
of the meetings to join in.
This option will also be helpful for participants
who normally attend the classes but who miss
one or two sessions.
The electronic discussion may help to keep
them up to speed
with the face-to-face discussion.
7. The privacy of distant learners will be
protected
—unless they freely choose to disclose who
they are.
They might decide to include their e-mail
addresses with their comments,
thereby inviting e-mail from class participants
and other distant learners.
8. How will this electronic component differ
from a chat-group,
other such discussions, e-mailing lists,
or bulletin boards on the internet?
All participants will have read the same
resources.
So there will be no irrelevant or poorly-informed
comments.
The discussion mediator is solely responsible
for deciding which comments and questions—or
selections therefrom—
are posted on the page for that particular
class.
9. These operating principles can easily be
modified
if someone suggests useful changes.
Each class is free to create a different
format
if that seems appropriate to the facilitator
and the participants.
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Existential Philosopher's Museum.