The English department is offering a course this spring that students only will need to attend four times.

English instructor Katherine Wright created an online version of ENGL 315, which will cover nine plays written by William Shakespeare.

“I think it will be a good course,” said Doris MacDonald, director of undergraduate studies for the English department.

Wright got the idea for the online course while teaching at one of NIU’s branch campuses. Teaching the course involved commuting for Wright, who lives in DeKalb. Several of her students were commuting as well.

“It just made sense to try and use technology to make it easier for all of us,” Wright said.

She said the Internet-based course serves off-campus students very well.

The class only will meet four times in person. The first of the four meetings will be an introduction to the course on Feb. 1, in order to show students how to use computers for the course. The class will meet a second time in early March to attend Shakespeare’s play, “A Winter’s Tale.” They will rehearse scenes from plays during the third meeting on April 26. The scenes will be performed at the fourth and final meeting on May 3.

“It’s a much more interactive type of learning,” Wright said.

She said the class will use Blackboard to communicate, and it will be supplemented with online video and audio files. Readings will be assigned every week and Wright will give introductions for each reading. The class will hold discussions over the Internet, and write papers on the material.

“I feel very comfortable going into it,” Wright said.

Wright first taught an online Shakespeare course in spring 2001, and she said she is looking forward to teaching it again. MacDonald said it was the first online course ever offered in the English department.

“It was very experimental the first time we did it,” Wright said.

MacDonald also said the course was quite successful when Wright first taught it in 2001.

Sylvia Lawrence, a junior English and psychology major, said she would consider taking an online course, although she would prefer a regular one.

“I like Shakespeare and would want a more hands-on class,” Lawrence said.

Senior English major Christopher Yucus said he took an Internet course in the past because it was easier to fit into his schedule.

The online course will be available in addition to regular versions of the course in spring 2003. Wright said the maximum number of students in the course should be about 20.