[sdpd] Re: Only 5 subscribed for the SDPD Internet Course ??!!

[Armel Le Bail <armel... @fluo.univ-lemans.fr>]

>What I mean: You have 5 eggs sold at 10 c. each so far. You will be more
>successful if you sell 10 eggs at 5 c. each. Even if the income is the same,
>you will have 5 customers more, that will come again next time. Especially,
>if you sell knowledge, your customers will probably make money out of it,
>and be able to buy next portion from you at better price.

Teaching is not just as selling eggs. Eggs are eaten, and you do not have
much to discuss with the buyers after that (except if the eggs were not fresh
enough). The big part of Internet courses is supposed to be fast mail exchanges
on any point the student would like to discuss. Because students (as well
as teachers) do not like to discuss on mailing lists (where everybody will
be able to see exactly what they are ignoring - just verify the low
level of discussion on this mailing list or on the Rietveld mailing list), it
is generally necessary to have private discussions. Selling 5 eggs means
having 5 private discussions during 12 weeks (minimum, because I guess
that the exercices are so hard -this is a serious course- that 6 months or more
could be needed), and selling 10 eggs may start to consume a lot of 
teacher time...

About fees, I looked at the Birkbeck College ones before to decide.
There is also one on powder diffraction, more general than the SDPD
Internet Course :
       http://www.cryst.bbk.ac.uk/teaching.html with the following fees :
- Full rate (industrial and institutional sponsors) GBP £1008 pounds sterling 
- Concessionary rate for self-financing students from European Union countries
         and students from "countries in transition" and certain "developing
         countries" GBP £324 pounds sterling 
- Concessionary rate for self-financing students from other countries 
          GBP £648 pounds sterling 

The SDPD Internet Course fees are equivalent to the lowest Birkbeck
College costs : £648 and £324.
Anyway, the SDPD database is still there, for free, with a tutorial, for
the autodidact. And this mailing list is supposed to help answer any
question.

Best,

Armel Le Bail
http://www.cristal.org/course/