Whether you’re a preteen exploring robotics, a high schooler filling out college applications, a parent struggling with distance learning or a teacher looking for videos to engage your students, UCTV’s Education Channel has something for you. In fact, the new channel offers high-quality resources for learners of all ages.
“The Education Channel as it stands today attends to the needs of a diverse global audience, providing engaging, leading-edge educational programming across the lifespan,” said Morgan Appel, assistant dean of UC San Diego Extension’s Education and Community Outreach (ECO) Department, which supports the channel’s programming.
The Education Channel evolved from UCTV’s STE+aM Channel, which focused on science, technology, engineering, arts and math. The new channel incorporates STEAM-related content but covers a much broader range of education-related topics and serves a wider audience.
“The Education Channel can perhaps be best characterized as the next logical step in our work in television,” Appel explained. “This transition was in the works but was given a sense of urgency and accelerated as a result of the onset of the pandemic.”
Content for the channel draws on an impressive pool of experts, including faculty from UC San Diego and across the University of California System, as well as Extension instructors. Contributors also include community partners, such as schools and nonprofit groups, and recognized authorities in education, public policy and more. Most programming is underwritten by ECO; the Girard Foundation and other organizations also provide support.
Here are a few examples of resources you’ll find on the Education Channel:
- Staying Sane: Tips for Parents in Unprecedented Times – This video series from educators Shelli Kurth and Nicole Assisi offers advice, encouragement and inspiration for families struggling with distance learning. Topics range from “Reading with Your Kids” to “Your Self Care Toolkit.”
- College Admissions – Extension instructor Steven Mercer hosts a series of videos to help with the college planning and application process, ranging from “College Tuition Costs” to “The UC Application and Admission Process During COVD-19.”
- College Transition – A series of videos from the Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP) at UC San Diego shares tips for the transition to college. Subjects include “You Got into College! Now What?” and “Navigating College as a First-Gen Student.”
The Education Channel is available on the UCTV website and on a variety of other platforms, including YouTube, Amazon and Roku. Videos are categorized for ease of access. Companion guides are available for some topics, such as remote learning during the pandemic.
Appel emphasized that ECO strives to provide educational resources in a wide array of formats. “Our work in television is part of a more comprehensive approach to instructional delivery that includes courses and workshops, companion guides, podcasts, and video in English and Spanish,” he noted.
The Education Channel is helping ECO reach the broadest possible audience, Appel added: “We serve pre-kindergarten to post-retirement with programming designed to meet viewers where they are – be that creating a home-learning environment for elementary students, applying to college in uncertain times, exploring careers in education, or gaining insight into the state of education and workforce development in the 21st century.”
Browse all programs available on the Education Channel.
By Margaret King
The number of people infected by the coronavirus continues to grow every day as does the number of deaths. We have learned a great deal about the virus, treatments and ways to slow the spread since the outbreak began. 
