The class of 2001 has graduated via their computers and produced the first virtual MA from Sussex.

Gavin Nettleton, 53, joined fellow students from around the world in accepting an Open University degree at the institution's second annual online degree ceremony.

Mr Nettleton was one of 35 students to be awarded an MA in open and distance education during a live webcast last Wednesday.

He said: "It was a strange disembodied experience in some ways but the idea is very in keeping with the three-year course. I have undertaken all my studies through web-based learning and this is a natural culmination of the process.

"Like at all graduation ceremonies, there was a sense of belonging, achievement and closure."

The ceremony was broadcast from the university's Milton Keynes campus.

Students, friends and families logged on to watch the presentation of the awards by the director of the MA programme Professor Robin Mason.

Professor Mason said: "A graduation is a very special event and the technology exists to allow anybody, anywhere in the world to take part.

"In a busy modern world, virtual ceremonies comple-ment the lives of students whose lifestyle or job requires fast electronic solutions which save time and travel."

Instead of crossing the stage to shake an academic's hand, the student's web page and an audio clip were activated when their name was called. A chat screen allowed students to talk to each other before, during and after the event.

The graduates received a CD-ROM recording of the ceremony, including the electronic yearbook.

The OU has decided to extend the option of a virtual graduation from next year allowing students on other courses to accept their degrees online.

Mr Nettleton, of Preston Park, Brighton, gained his first degree in psychology in South Africa where he grew up before moving to England in the mid-Seventies. His wife, Jacqui, also studied as a post-graduate with the OU to gain a teaching certificate following her first degree in politics from Sussex University. He has two daughters, Kate, 17, and Ella, seven.

Mr Nettleton, preparing to watch the proceedings in his office, was surprised by a visit from his wife and youngest daughter.

Ella said: "I really enjoyed watching the speakers in the little square on the screen, it was very exciting. I am very proud of dad."

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