Distributed Education

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Distributed Education

• A case study in distributing
• the Computer Science curriculum
• -Andy Harris

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High Praise?

• Professor Harris,Thank you very much for your
  excellent session this semester, I think toothat
  this semester the class went much more smoothly
  than previous semesterbut for this I think that
  far-reaching in this semester was  that
  thetechnically this semester was greatly,
  normally and we have  most experiencewith
  distance learning.

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Computer Science Dept.

• Grad Students
• Majors
• Certificate
• Service

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Student Ability

• Some students are extremely talented, have latest
  hardware
• N100 students are selected for fear of
  technology, often have outdated equipment and
  poor connections
• Overseas students provide particular challenges

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Constraints

• RCM Funding Model
• Need for Credit Hours
• Required Class Demands
• Instructor Challenges
• Consistency
• Flexibility

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Student Population

• Non-Majors
• Working Adults
• International Classrooms
• New Media, CGT, Informatics, Science

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History of Distribution

• Televised Courses
• Streaming Broadcast
• Dedicated Streaming Content
• Synchronous Instruction

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Current Offerings

• Archived
• 10 Courses approx 30 hours each
• (280 hrs)
• 100 hrs seminars, speeches
• 15 hrs reusable material
• Synchronous
• 2 courses / semester outgoing
• 1 course / semester incoming

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Lessons Learned

• The Real Distance is Time
• Archived Content is Good
• Modular Curriculum Design
• Multi-Modal Delivery

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Time is the real distance

• Students want flexibility
• They will spend MORE time, if they can choose
  when to do it.
• Real-time 2-way lectures do not provide
  flexibility or interactivity
• Synchronous technology best for lab, office hours

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Archived Content

• Dedicated encoding is much more powerful than
  canning a classroom lecture
• Production quality matters
• All content should be packaged with lecture
• Archives can be retrieved in multiple ways

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Modular Curriculum Design

• Object-Oriented Instruction
• Design reusable instruction modules
• Mix them up to make new courses, custom content
• Shorter segments give more flexibility
• Replace segments as they age

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Multi-Modal Delivery

• Its not the technology, its the education
• Audio-enhanced web pages are great
• PowerPoint with Embedded mp3 files also very good
• Real Producer, Stream Genie
• email, Text Chat, IRC, VOIP, cell phone, PolyCom

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Serendipitous Rewards

• Consistence in Curriculum
• Instructor Training
• Enhanced Summer Offerings
• Backup for Live Lectures
• Frees Instructors for research, course development

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The Three Cs

• Computing
• Communication
• Culture

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Examples

• Audio Linked in a Web page
• http//wally.cs.iupui.edu/aharris/n355/texture/te
  xture.html
• A video with custom applets
• http//wally.cs.iupui.edu/n100/update/index.html
  (230, 1600)
• A full Course
• http//wally.cs.iupui.edu/n351/indexProto.html

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Questions?

• Please email me
• aharris_at_cs.iupui.edu
• Ill be happy to meet you in person or set up
  some other communication (polycom, voip, phone,
  whatever)