Distance Learning > Free personal enrichment

Free personal enrichment

CyberTower

Anyone with access to the Web can enjoy some of the benefits of a Cornell education—free!—through CyberTower, Cornell's "brickless classroom."

CyberTower offers more than 100 video-streamed lectures, interviews, and reviews by some of the university's top professors. Experience it yourself at cybertower.cornell.edu.

Study Rooms

CyberTower Study Rooms features video lectures, links to Web sites selected by the faculty, annotated reading lists, and discussion forums to make it easy for users to "talk" with faculty members and with other CyberTower "classmates."

Study Room faculty and topics include:

Richard Polenberg, "Woody Guthrie: His Life, Times, and Music"
Charles Smith, "Attracting Wild Birds"
David S. Powers, "What is Islamic Law?"
Robert Ascher, "Myth, Film, and Dream"
Drew Harvell, "Coral Reef Sustainability"

Faculty Forums

CyberTower Faculty Forums feature in-depth interviews with inspiring scholars moderated by Glenn C. Altschuler, the Thomas and Dorothy Litwin Professor of American Studies and dean of the School of Continuing Education and Summer Sessions. Interviews are available as videos or podcasts.

Faculty Forums include:

Michele Moody-Adams, Hunter Rawlings, Ed Baptist, Tad Brennan, "Lincoln at Gettysburg"
Jason Frank, "The People, The Founders, and the American Political System"
Michael Kotlikoff, "CyberTower Forum with Dean Michael Kotlikoff"
W. Kent Fuchs, "A Conversation with the Provost
David J. Skorton, "A Conversation with President David Skorton"

Views and Reviews

CyberTower Views and Reviews feature raves, rants, and reviews by Cornell faculty and others of hot topics, current books, films, visual and performing arts, breaking news, and anything else that intrigues or inflames them.

Views and Reviews include:

Ronald Hoy, "Love Songs of the Mosquito"
Carl Hopkins, "Electric Fish"
Joe Regenstein, "How the Oreo Became Kosher and Other Jewish Food Adventures"
Ross Brann, "Moses Maimonides: Loving God with the Mind"

What our visitors say

"I love taking online classes at my local community college. I went to CyberTower in hopes of finding lectures by some of my old favorite professors, interesting discussions about books and current events and to meet old friends in a cyber academic setting. I was so pleased to find exactly what I was hoping for."

"I use these for background information for my teaching assignments in a public high school."

"I am a full-time employee in the medical field. I have for the past two years seriously considered returning to school as a student. It has been many years since I have attended formal classes, and CyberTower is allowing me to venture back slowly to reacclimate myself to a classroom setting. I look forward to continuing my education online and congratulate CyberTower for assisting in my transition back to school. THANK YOU!"

"I greatly enjoy the forums and will spend time on subjects that I wouldn't normally research. The study rooms are a favorite, and I can sit in my own home and listen to lectures on subjects of interest."

"Great to have a way to access Cornell's resources."

"Content is broad, and the variety of courses is interesting. The presentations usually make it easy to follow and learn something."

"Free and easy access to Cornell brilliance."

"The concept of being able to learn online is terrific. My schedule is very busy, and the ease of use and flexible timing are important to me."

"I have enjoyed the chance to learn something new from some professors I liked while at Cornell as well as the chance to explore things that are relevant to my work/life now."

"Information is available everywhere on the Internet, but CyberTower makes it easy to find information on current topics, from reliable sources, and in an interesting presentation. It is the combination of these, which you cannot find anywhere else, that makes CyberTower great."

"I like being able to access fresh and interesting academic material in an informal way, simply to satisfy my own curiosity."