As the new school year started this April, one change in education stood out. Some universities in Japan have started to offer lectures over the Internet, on their Web sites, for free!
Kyoto University is the latest to upload free lectures on its Web site, following the lead of Meiji Gakuin University and Kaetsu University, among others.
This will not come as a surprise for the computer savvy for whom video clips are everyday stuff. However, offering genuine university lectures to the public online is something new to Japan. Credit toward a degree is not available, but the free educational material indicates an expanded and renewed public role for universities.