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HYPERMEDIA IN TUTORIALS

      Whereas tutorials are the basis of university education at Oxbridge, they play a minor role in North America. Honours projects and directed studies are very minor (and unrewarded) aspects of teaching. Perhaps, now that we have electronic colleagues to do the outside-in information-providing aspect of teaching, tutorials could play a larger role, since the teacher has more time and energy for the inside out inspiration-creating aspect of teaching. The advantage of the tutorial is that the student chooses the topic, the professor, and directs the project. Unless they learn to do so, they will never become independent scholars. It is not by chance that Oxbridge has produced so many fine scholars.

      When a student approaches me about a tutorial, I consult my colleague, Siliclone. This is a satellite brain containing all my favourite sources, notes, quotes, anecdotes. (Gardiner, see Figure 13). Rather than vaguely muttering the names of some possible sources, I print out the information in my siliclone which is relevant to his/her topic. This synergy between the person and the machine is an attempt to find some optimal orchestration of natural and artificial intelligence.

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