UK professor fulfills dream and takes UK Across America

This summer University of Kentucky family studies professor Greg Brock hopes to fulfill a dream he thought he'd never have the chance to make a reality.

"I've always wanted to bike across the country," he said. "I never thought I would, because I'm always needed on campus to teach during the summer."

But with the refinement of Internet technology, Brock will try to make his dream come true. He will bike from Santa Monica, Calif., to Savannah, Ga., and teach an introductory undergraduate family science course along the way. Brock will teach via an online course, which includes lectures, quizzes and exams.

"The technology we have today has freed me up to be virtually anywhere I want to be and still do my job," said Brock who wrote the online course himself.

As UK strives to meet the Kentucky General Assembly's challenge and become "America's Next Great University," Brock said his trip will showcase the University's strengths coast-to-coast.

Titled "UK Across America," Brock's 3,000-mile bike ride across the southern United States will begin June 1 and, he anticipates, will last 60 to 90 days. A typical day will find him riding 80 to 100 miles during daylight hours and checking in on his class after and during stops in the trip. With wireless telephone service provided by GTE, he will chat with whomever calls on everything from his trip to family issues. UK alumni along the route have been invited to ride with Brock as far as they can.

Brock will stay in touch with students via e-mail, monitor their use of lectures and materials, review assignments e-mailed to him and check in on online discussions among students on class topics. He said teaching in this manner offers a good opportunity to work directly with students.

"One of the advantages of online teaching is the freedom faculty have to interact with students in a new way," he said. "You can make sure you interact with all the students, not just those at the front of the classroom or those who seek you out."

Even while on campus, Brock is teaching two courses online. An earlier version of one course was first taught by Brock while he was a Fulbright Professor in China in 1997 and 1998.

Brock is an avid jogger and won the 1999 5K run gold medal in the 50 to 54 age group at the State Games of America, the amateur version of the Olympic Games. He is director of UK's Family Center, is a fellow of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) and a winner of the AAMFT Post-Graduate Research Award. He has served as board director and ethics committee chairman for AAMFT. He is the founder of FAMLYSCI, the oldest and largest family science discussion list on the Internet.

By: Selena Stevens
Editor of UK News