Video Conferencing for the curious

1
Video Conferencing for the curious

• Tessa Owens
• Learning Teaching Fellow
• Management Business Centre

2
Objectives for this session

• To outline some recent experience and research
  with this medium
• To give colleagues the opportunity to use the
  video conferencing equipment and consider its use
  within their discipline area.

3
Module Design

• Consider the whole package
• How is this traditionally taught? A series of
  lectures and seminars? PBL? Lab/Field Work?
  Visiting speakers?
• Whats the current blend of your module?
• Whats didactic?
• Whats interactive?
• Why have you chosen the existing learning and
  teaching approaches?
• Whats the best way for students to learn in this
  module?
• How will your module design change if you are
  going to incorporate Video Conferencing?

4
Activity (5 mins.)

• Why might you use video conferencing?
• What benefits do you anticipate?
• What might be the drawbacks?

5
Didactic bits

• VC is probably most suited to the lecture mode.
• It is possible to interact in this medium, but
  addional time and care needs to be taken to get
  it right. (Consider time, classroom layout,
  number of students, etc)
• Two way conversation can be limited
  particularly with larger numbers so consider
  your control of the event and maintain a clear
  and transparent structure.

6
Interactive bits

• Will you meet students face-to-face? (f2f)
• When?
• How often?
• Where?
• Why?
• Will you use Learnwise/VLE, Audio-Conferencing,
  CDRoms? Why?
• When youre using VC what are you using the
  interactive bits for?

7
Student evaluations (semester 1 2004)

• Positive
• Video Conference excellent
• Excellent delivery
• Friendly
• Good discussion
• Good points raised
• Informative
• VC experience useful
• Good assignment guidance
• Excellent email contact
• Forums good idea
• Negative
• Need to improve Learnwise
• Would like more face-to-face contact with
  lecturer if no lecturer then more video
  conferences but only one college at a time.

8
Is Video Conferencing an effective learning
environment?

• Student performance
• Holy Cross average B
• Wigan average B/A
• Blackburn average B
• Recent Research
• Use of Quick Quizzes to assess student recall
  after a f2f lecture and a VC lecture
• Early indications suggest that VC environment is
  not a barrier to student learning, and as time
  has gone on the technology has become less
  visible.
• Interestingly what does appear to be the most
  significant factor for student ability to recall
  is class size.

9
Personal Reflections

• Has familiarisation with the technology overcome
  the relationship barriers expressed by
  students?
• Partially
• Students have multiple other forms of contact
  Forums, email, telephone all of which have been
  used.
• But f2f induction is still considered to be
  essential.
• Is this an effective learning environment?
• Yes but only in conjunction with additional
  supports. It should be considered holistically in
  the design of delivery it should be only one of
  the teaching methods employed throughout a
  module.

10
Technical training

• If you would like to learn to use this equipment
  you must arrange some technical training with
  Sean Hooley in I.T. Services.
• You can learn how to use the controls, move the
  camera at both ends, change the picture, show a
  presentation or video via the VC etc.
• LT able to provide additional support with
  pedagogical design.

11
And now.. Hands on!

• I will now pass control to you.
• I would like 3 of you to come to LTC006!
• 3 others act as their class.
• On your way I would like you to consider some
  questions you may have of this technology /
  pedagogy and prepare to ask them!

12
Any Questions?