Thanks to the miracle of computer technology, students at the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration can currently take a graduate course taught by 160 "professors."
The so-called "shadow faculty" program allows Tuck alumni to teach current students at the school over the Internet, using the World Wide Web.
The program is similar to last year's "Dartboard" program, with the one difference being the "shadow faculty" alumni design their portion of the course ahead of time, according to Business Administration Professor Philip Anderson.
The course, called, "Information Technology Competitive Positioning," utilizes web-conferencing to connect the 80 Tuck students in the class with the 160 alumni who agreed to share ideas and give input on the lectures, said Anderson, who is the in-class teacher for the course.
Fifty-one alumni -- who serve as "shadow faculty," each with a specific topic related to their "real-world experiences" -- initiate the discussion for their topic, according to a Tuck School press release.
Anderson's course, which students receive one course credit for, is the only one currently being offered under the "shadow faculty" program.
Tuck recruited people to contribute to the program last year by e-mailing 1,800 alumni and offering them a chance to a participate in the program as "shadow faculty," Anderson said.
He said the program is "smarter than the professor" since the "reservoir" of knowledge from 160 experienced alumni is much greater than his alone.
Students participate in the program because they know it will make their Tuck degree "different" than ones from other business schools, he said.
Other business schools have web conferencing, but the Tuck program is unique, Anderson said.
It is the only "active effort to involve alumni as coeducators," Anderson said. He says Tuck is able to run the program because of the "fairly unique relationship with alumni."
Anderson said he thought the Tuck alumni network is "the strongest in the world" and is a "community" that is a considerable asset for the students in the business world.
There is no "shadow faculty" program planned for next term, because Tuck plans a six month analysis of how this year's program has worked, Anderson said.
