With the help of a £600,000 grant from Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's Virtual Education Foundation based in Washington state, venerable Oxford University will soon be offering certificate-granting Continuing Education courses over the Internet. The courses will not be part of a full degree program.

An Oxford administrator says that the courses "are designed around a completely new concept of online tutorial support within reach of the distant learner." Special tutors will supervise students using e-mail, Internet class discussions, and audio conferencing.

(? AP)