University to night school, to graduate school, to training, to short course

Abstract

Observations from teaching and learning over a 50 year span in various venues are made. The emphasis is on optics/photonics, but excursions are made into lower frequency electro-magnetic waves. Night-school students have priorities and necessities that are different from full-time students, visiting foreign students have another goal, graduate students (and their supervisors!) have a focus on research, contractual programs and short-course participants have specific interests in equipment and projects. The requirements place different demands on timing, assignments, emphasis, etc, for the lecture/teaching/laboratory aspects of the programs. Lessons that have been learned over the years are outlined. © 2009 SPIE.