In disseminating lectures, the University would be adopting a policy that is in accordance with its demonstrated interest in academic transparency. Such a policy would ensure that lecture content is not confined to the Gothic halls of Princeton and that a diverse array of individuals is able to enjoy the intellectual gains that come with listening to a Princeton lecture. With seemingly no substantive difference between journal articles and lectures, it would be inconsistent to promote a policy of transparency in one field while perpetuating the ambiguity of the other.
Princeton would not be venturing into uncharted territory in publicly disseminating its lectures. Numerous other universities have already begun to make lecture content available online. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has uploaded an impressive number of its lectures onto the Internet, and it has even gone so far as to upload certain exams, assignments and lecture notes. This program has grown substantially since its inception in 2001. Princeton should take note of its success in promoting public knowledge and MIT’s recognition that such dissemination does not diminish the value of its undergraduate or graduate programs. Similarly, increasing accessibility to our lectures would benefit the public without detrimentally impacting the value of a Princeton education.
The costs associated with procuring video cameras and filming lectures would obviously preclude the immediate recording of all courses. But the University should begin with those lectures containing materials with presumably high levels of public demand such as ECO 100: Introduction to Microeconomics, ECO 101: Introduction to Macroeconomics and PSY 101: Introduction to Psychology and slowly develop the capacity to broadcast a greater number of courses.
University officials continuously remind students that our unofficial motto is “Princeton in the nation’s service and in the service of all nations.” By allowing individuals not affiliated with the University to benefit intellectually from the content of Princeton lectures, the University would be taking a small but meaningful step in realizing the spirit of our motto. Promoting the intellectual awareness of the citizenry is among the most powerful ways in which Princeton can serve the nation’s interest.
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