"Too many college-bound high school students will be required to take remedial classes this Fall because they are inadequately prepared. Critics of the public school system trot out the usual suspects: unmotivated students, unqualified teachers, uncaring or coddling parents, inadequate budgets, weak principals, the lack of school prayer, the lack of moral leadership, the paucity of role models.

"Technology can give these students a boost to overcome their deficiencies,"says Jack C. Star, director, the Free University Project, "a concept that is lost amidst the recriminations and finger pointing."

Students can use the Internet, for example to improve their writing, math and study skills On the College Prep Online 1999/00 page (www.freeuniv.com/colprep/index.htm), they will learn how to build a dynamic vocabulary, improve their understanding of grammar, and write college-level essays. In addition they will be able to review math from prealgebra to precalculus.

The study skills section leads students to locations on the Internet where they can learn the latest techniques to help them read textbooks, take notes, better utilize their time, and prepare for tests. Students new to the Internet will find sections on Web basics, search engines, and HTML basics.

As an additional benefit, students will also learn how to use the Internet to study college-level material on their own," says Star. Others can also take advantage of this site including currently enrolled college students, those returning to college after a prolonged absence, and adult learners enrolling in college for the first time.

College Prep Online is completely free. Students choose their own hours (the Internet is, after all, open 24 hours a day) and the amount of material they wish to cover. The site is structured so that those with limited access to the Internet, or who use web-TV devices, can also benefit.

"We need heroes in academic administration who will take some of the resources they now have in remedial programs and post those on the World Wide Web so students and prospective students can improve their areas of weakness on their own or with limited guidance," suggests Star.

"This does not have to be a burdensome or costly process. For example, in a state system, each college would contribute one unit of course material to be posted on a centralized website. Private colleges could make similar arrangements through their regional associations. The result could mean a drastic reduction in costs of remediation," notes Star

The Free University Project was established to provide a free college education on the Internet for everyone by posting detailed study guides that incorporate online lectures for core courses offered in the freshman and sophomore years.

Students do not have to be enrolled in a college or university to use the resources of the Free University Project. To obtain college credit for what they have learned, they will have to demonstrate their proficiency to the college or university they are attending, or wish to attend, Star explains.

Many students choose to take inexpensive exams for one or more courses from The College Board (CLEP), the Regents of the State of New York (PEP), or other well recognized agencies (DANTES and TECEP). Students can study at their own pace, at their own time. Tests are given regularly throughout the year at hundreds of test sites across the country and overseas.

"We hope that the College Prep Online experience will encourage more students to use these tests to help them improve their grades, reduce college costs, and provide greater flexibility," said Star.

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(The Free University Project, an independent initiative, is not affiliated with any testing agency, educational or religious institution, commercial organization or government entity.)

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