Compressed Videobased Learning from Student and Instructor Perspectives

1
Compressed Video-based Learning from Student and
Instructor Perspectives

• Yi Guan
• Educational Technology Specialist
• In Collaboration with
• Brian Donohue-Lynch
• David Emigh
• Julius Sokenu
• Leslie Potter
• David Hopcroft
• Richard Andrew (Alice Lloyd College)

League for Innovation
Quinebaug Valley Community College Orlando,
Florida, Feburary 28, 2000
2
PictureTel System
Hartford
Danielson

• Video conferencing system
• Video and audio signals were delivered through a
  T1 line synchronously.
• A central bridge (control unit) assisted the
  communication between two sites.

Willimantic
3
PictureTel Distance Learning

• Spring 1999
• Cultural Anthropology
• Spanish
• Geology
• Humanities
• Fall 1999
• Social Problems
• The Movies

Willimantic, CT
Live two-way audio and video were delivered in
compressed format.
Instructors alternated locations weekly.
Danielson, CT
Quinebaug Valley Community College
4
Willimantic Site
Control Unit
Spring 1999
5
Danielson Site
Control Unit
Spring 1999
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PictureTel Courses in Fall of 1999

• Social Problems
• The Movies

• Danielson
• Campus

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PictureTel Courses in Fall of 1999

• Social Problems
• The Movies

• Willimantic
• Campus

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Video Capture - Social Problems
Danielson Campus
Willimantic Campus
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Student Survey

• Biographical Information
• gender, status, course name, degree/non-degree,
  location, experience with compressed video,
  technology used
• Rating Questions for Satisfaction
• In-class interaction, instructors skills, visual
  quality, audio quality, class size
• Qualitative Questions
• Reasons of taking the course
• Assistance to learning
• Drawbacks of PictureTel
• Future plan to take the PictureTel course
• Recommendation to other students
• Additional comments

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Faculty Survey

• Course Name, Technology Used
• Rating Questions
• Class size, in-class interaction, visual quality,
  audio quality
• Qualitative Questions
• Reasons of teaching the course
• Contributions to teaching and learning
• Problems encountered
• Changes if taught the PictureTel before
• Future plan to teach a PictureTel course
• Recommendations to colleagues
• Additional comments

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Student Results-Biographical Information

• 97 (81.51) responses
• 23 male and 65 female students, 9 blank
• 42 full time, 48 part time
• Anthropology, 19 Spanish, 18 Geology, 13
  Humanities, 13 Social Problems, 18 The Movies,
  18
• 76 degree and 17 non-degree
• 9 out of 97 have taken the compressed video
  course
• 63 in Danielson 27 in Willimantic
• Technology tools used web browsing, 24 e-mail,
  37 electronic bulletin board, 11 chat room, 5
  web development, 5

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Rating Questions-Spring 99





13
Rating Questions-Fall 99

14
Rating Questions-Comparison





15
Qualitative Questions

• Why are you taking the compressed video course
  this semester?

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Other Reasons

• I didnt really know that this was going to be
  taught using the PictureTel, but I am open to new
  technologies.
• I felt this would be a good learning opportunity.
• I also wanted the experience of using the
  interaction through video.
• When I registered, I did not know this course
  would be taught using video (4). However, I like
  this kind of class as well as any other way of
  teaching.
• because the college wanted to try it out with
  Spanish II.

17
Other Reasons

• I will try anything once. Plus this was the only
  Spanish II course available at the time.
• I had already bought the book for Spanish I and
  wanted to take Spanish II. I would have taken it
  elsewhere if they used the same book.
• to continue my instruction in Spanish.
• I wanted to try something new.
• because it was recommended from my advisor.

18
Qualitative Questions

• How does the compressed video instruction help
  you learn?

19
Ways that PictureTel Helps in Learning

• It helps me gain insight into other peoples
  opinions.
• It lets you have a break from the stress of the
  teacher. However the course is as stressful if
  the teacher is not here.
• It broadens the experience by combining both
  campuses.
• It allows me to take a class that is not at my
  immediate school.
• When I got chance to watch movies from different
  cultures, it helped me learn more about different
  cultures and ethnic groups.
• Maybe by having someone elses answers to compare
  with my own.

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Ways that PictureTel Helps in Learning

• I think PictureTel would work only for certain
  classes but not for all classes ( i.e. Spanish,
  Geology).
• It would be more difficult to go to Danielson
  most of the time, so offering the course in both
  locations made sense.
• I have more self-confidence now.
• It could give varied opinions if used properly.
• PictureTel allows us to share ideas, but many
  times both sites are answering at the same time,
  or there are problems with communication.
• It helped me a little. It was better when he
  (instructor) was here.

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Ways that PictureTel Helps in Learning

• It held my attention. It encouraged a
  competitive attitude to get the most knowledge.
• You can get views from more than just a closed
  classroom.
• It provided a larger peer group to learn from.
• It reminds me to project my voice and listen
  closely.
• It gave us additional insight in the classes
  without having more crowded.
• I feel I was able to voice my opinions better
  when I wasnt making eye contact. It also
  allowed me to get over the shyness of being on
  camera. You get used to it after a while.
• It enhanced interconnections with other group of
  students.

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Ways that PictureTel Helps in Learning

• This is a small school, and we tend to end up
  with the same people in every class. It really
  helps to interact with people from another
  campus.
• It allows you to interact with and reach a
  broader audience.
• Well, I guess it allows others to take a class
  that might not normally be available. Or might
  other wise be only available once every other
  semester.
• It helped teacher separate groups in 2 separate
  locations.
• It allowed more people to learn from different
  locations. However the fuzziness of the videos
  hampers the full effect of what you are watching.

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What PictureTel Does Not Accomplish in Learning

• I dont think it helps. I think it just lets
  other classes learn from the same class teachers.
  It is merely a link, not a learning tool!
• It does not help me learn. We have more problems
  with the system, which interrupted our learning
  process.
• I dont think this compressed video instruction
  can help me successfully to learn.
• It made it very hard for me to learn. I missed
  out on a lot of information that I wanted to
  know.
• It does not teach patience.
• For this particular class, the compressed video
  was not conducive to learning. It made learning
  very difficult when the instructor was in
  Willimantic (Spanish).

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What PictureTel Does Not Accomplish in Learning

• It actually slowed down the learning process. It
  took longer to cover material, ask questions, and
  even get answers.
• It did not help me. It actually makes me
  frustrated and sometimes confused.
• It is very difficult not to have a teacher here.
  I would not take another class like this again.
• It does not help. It only made it available in
  Willimantic. There was more repetition.
• It did not help me learn at all. In fact, I feel
  that it made a potentially interesting class very
  difficult.
• I dont think it helps in any way except that the
  course wouldnt be offered here until who knows
  when

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What PictureTel Does Not Accomplish in Learning

• I dont think it has helped. If anything it
  wasted too much time. Between getting started
  and having problems with either the microphone or
  camera a lot of class time was wasted.
• I think in this course it was more distracting
  (Humanity).
• It was very difficult and caused confusion.
• It didnt really help me learn more than usual
  Instead, it slowed down our class.
• I feel it is not successfully. It takes away
  from the spontaneous interaction.
• I like in class instruction. It is extremely
  hard to ask questions over the PictureTel.
• It occasionally delays class. The class loses
  its spontaneity.

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What PictureTel Does Not Accomplish in Learning

• It makes me very frustrated when I cant hear
  what the others are saying.
• It really didnt help. Most of the time the
  other class only had 3 people and they hardly
  interacted.
• I dont like it because the instructor was too
  involved with teaching the other class more than
  interacting with this class rather than
  interacting with this class although interaction
  with Willimantic students was great.
• It didnt really help me learn. It is just an
  excuse for a teacher to take on more students
  than he can handle. I feel like I am going to a
  big college instead of a small one. This
  compressed video should not be used in the
  future. Nothing beats a live teacher.

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Qualitative Questions

• What do you think are the drawbacks with
  compressed video?
• When it breaks down or loses connections.
• Difficult to hear and speak because of a bad
  microphone
• Low video resolutions
• Numerous technical problems caused class delays
• Wasting time to set up videos
• Hard to get attentions and to voice opinions
• Distracting noise
• Remote classroom could not keep up with the
  syllabus.
• De-personalized robot-like teacher
• It takes away from the learning. Too much focus
  on problems

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Drawbacks with Compressed Video

• Less interaction with remote students
• TV inhibiting conversation
• Audio delay and poor quality
• Camera shy people
• Difficulty in communicating with remote
  instructor
• Slower class, hard to learn, confusion
• Switching from movies to document camera slow and
  not smooth
• Difficult for a language class
• Hard for group discussions
• Seating arrangement (Fall 99)
• Competition between the two sites
• Poor picture and sound quality make judging
  motion difficult

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Qualitative Questions

• Would you take a compressed video course in the
  future if necessary? Yes, No, Undecided. Please
  state the reason (s).

30
Qualitative Questions

• Would you recommend a compressed video course for
  a friend? Yes, No, Undecided. Please state the
  reason (s).

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Additional Comments

• Positive Opinions
• The course and teacher are ok.
• I really enjoy the material and content of this
  class.
• I got a fair chance to explain my research
  project and ask questions.
• It will become a major tool in education.
• The professor did a fantastic job of involving
  students and making the information clear.
• I enjoy this type of class because I met more
  people.
• It is a good way to offer a course that may not
  be able to get enough student interest at one
  campus.

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Additional Comments

• Negative Opinions
• Very frustrating
• Lost interests because of PictureTel
• Convenient for my schedule but not good for a
  class involving labs, group work, and discussion
• Makes things very confusing.
• The Humanities course is not designed for
  PictureTel.
• Not good for math and language courses.
• Disorganized
• Not looking forward to the two PictureTel class
  next semester.
• Wasted time
• The technical problems affected the quality of
  teaching.

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Additional Comments

• Suggestions
• Need wider angle camera and better microphone
• A class with fewer interaction would be
  beneficial.
• Should be more organized.
• Hire another teacher or cut one of the classes.
• Train instructors in operating the equipment.
• More microphones and better preparation by the
  instructor
• Rearrange the tables (Fall 99)
• Get a bigger class on the other campus that is
  willing to get involved in discussions.

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Faculty Survey Results

• Six faculty participated. Additional tools used
  electronic mail, 2 web browsing, 2 library
  on-line resources, 1 message board, 1
•  Rating Questions

35
Faculty-qualitative Questions

• Why are you teaching the compressed video course
  this semester?

• I believe in the potential its the way of
  creating a community of inquiry that exploits the
  diversity of both campuses.
• I wanted to explore this and try to make it
  work efficiently as I see it could be a useful
  tool linking otherwise unlinked groups.
• I wanted to explore the viability of teaching
  and learning languages via compressed video.
• I taught the course in Fall '98, but it was a
  fairly hurried venture and I wanted to try it
  again with more opportunity for students to
  register in Willi. Also, I feel that the
  Picture-Tel format is especially suited to
  teaching a film course which utilizes videos.
• Compressed video is the only way we will get a
  science lab course to Willimantic. Also, without
  the half dozen students at Willi there is a
  chance the course would not go at all.

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Faculty-qualitative Questions

• How does the compressed video instruction help
  your students learn?

• It offers the Willi and Danielson students an
  opportunity to engage in learning in a dynamic
  way. They get to be at the other campus, thus
  extending the boundary of the classroom.
• Enables students to access education within a
  comfortable commuting distance from home.
• Gives students an opportunity to experience
  emerging technology in an educational setting.
• I'm not sure that it makes a difference, except
  that it gives them access to the course and the
  more diverse student body.
• Except for that which is mentioned in 10 above,
  at best it does not hinder instruction.
• The students were able to interact with the
  students from the other campus.

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Faculty-qualitative Questions

• How does the compressed video contribute to
  teaching?

• Mainly it gives the opportunity to include people
  who otherwise couldnt make it to Danielson.
• It enables the faculty to build learning
  communities across campuses. It also focuses the
  leaning/teaching experience for the faculty
  person. In addition, it provides students an
  engagement with technology that ultimately
  challenges them to learn differently.
• Provides an opportunity to reach a more diverse
  audience and teach the course in Willi without
  risking a low-enrolled course. My teaching of
  the course is not significantly different or
  enhanced as a result of the compressed video
  itself.
• The only time compressed video has a positive
  influence on the class is when I am going over
  software.
• It enhanced the teaching experience.

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Faculty-qualitative Questions

• What do you think are the drawbacks with
  compressed video?

• Technical problems such as breaking down, sudden
  lose of video, poor audio quality.
• Reduced opportunity for teacher-student
  interaction, both during and outside of class.
• Students lack of enthusiasm for PictureTel.
• Advanced preparation and extra organization are
  needed.
• Some problems with transmission of videos
• The current Picturetel room is too small for the
  number of people originally signed up for the
  social problems class.
• There were intermittent problems with the unit.
  The setup at Willi is extremely bad.
• The screen (monitor) is too small. Camera
  focused on backs of students.

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Faculty-qualitative Questions

• Would you teach a compressed video course in the
  future if necessary? Yes, No, Undecided.

• All 6 said Yes.
• We want to give students a high quality
  experience, and to do so means that we need a
  guarantee of high quality support within the
  system.
• I believe that technology enables faculty to
  model various kinds of learning opportunities and
  techniques. I like a challenge.
• If necessary, especially if the sound quality
  improves.
• I enjoy the class, I feel it provides a valuable
  service to students, and I would like to improve
  my techniques and skills for future courses which
  I might teach in this or other distance-learning
  venues.
• In order to give the students at Willi a chance
  to take a science lab in Willi
• It exposes me to new teaching experience.

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Faculty-qualitative Questions

•  
• Would you recommend a compressed video course for
  your colleagues? Yes, No, Undecided

• All 6 said Yes.
• Yes, with reservation. The system needs to be
  more reliable and trustworthy so that faculty
  arent intimidated.
• This is hard work and time consuming and
  colleagues must make more time for preparation
  and reflection with certain guidelines in place.
• If there is no other way to provide access to
  courses for students.
• It is a great way to increase the audience for
  low-enrollment classes, it expands the
  instructors contact with all QVCC students, and
  it is a new challenge to old ways of teaching.
• An instructor needs to have a very good reason
  to use PictureTel if they do then they will use
  it.

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Faculty-qualitative Questions

• Additional comments

• Locally, teaching support (as well as
  administrative support) has been superb likewise,
  students have been great in weathering our
  first-time efforts.
• I recommend that class size be limited to 17
  total (both sites combined). Training of new
  faculty or faculty new to the technology ought to
  be more comprehensive. Aspects of pedagogy and
  practice ought to be central to the training. We
  need better support from the central office.
  Student workers ought to be in the class to
  support faculty, and these students need maximum
  training with the technology as well.

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Faculty-qualitative Questions

• Additional comments

• Despite the drawbacks and problems, I am grateful
  for the opportunity I have had to learn about
  PictureTel. I am eager to share my technical
  skills with others.
• Upgrade the server, if possible, to speed up the
  audio transmission. Provide a simpler, more
  reliable way of providing far-end coverage (a
  monitor, teaching assistant, EDUC 200 students,
  student workers, etc.). With all my other
  planning, I find it hard to remember to make
  those arrangements myself. Do a workshop on the
  hardware and software set-up for instructors so
  we can troubleshoot some problems ourselves. Put
  a telephone in each room with a list of numbers
  to call in case we need assistance.

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Summary-students Satisfaction

• Students were satisfied with instructors skills,
  the class size, the in-class interaction with the
  instructor at the remote site, and the video
  quality (3.51, 3.32, 3.15, 3.00, 2.78).
• They were not quite satisfied with the in-class
  interaction among students across campuses and
  the audio quality (2.56, 2.55).
• The average satisfaction ratings for all items
  were higher in Fall 99 than in Spring 99. The
  difference was not significant.
• The satisfaction rate varied significantly in the
  four courses in Spring 99 but not significantly
  in the two courses in Fall 99.

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Summary-students Qualitative Questions

• There were more negative than positive views from
  students toward PictureTel distance learning
  courses.
• More students (4329) believed that PictureTel
  courses did not help in learning. They felt that
  it had problems, including technical failures and
  bad audio and video quality. It lacked in-class
  interaction and was impersonal.
• More students (4834) would take the PictureTel
  courses again.
• Fewer students (2743) would recommend PictureTel
  courses to their friends.
• There were more negative than positive opinions
  (2416) in comments.

45
Summary-Faculty

• Six instructors were satisfied with the in-class
  interaction with the students at the remote
  site, the video quality, and the class size
  (3.50, 3.50, 3.17, 2.83).
• They were not quite as satisfied with the
  in-class interaction among students across
  campuses and the audio quality (2.33, 2.00).
• All six instructors are willing to teach a
  PictureTel class again.
• All six instructors are willing to recommend
  teaching PictureTel classes to their colleagues.

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Summary

• The significant advantage of PictureTel courses
  was that they enabled students to take necessary
  courses on a campus near them.
• PictureTel courses also give students the new
  learning experience of exchanging ideas across
  campuses.
• PictureTel based learning has potential flaws,
  including low audio and video quality, a
  machine-like instructor, lack of interaction,
  technical failures, and etc.
• PictureTels flaws must be addressed and overcome
  for the program to be successful.
• As technology advances, PictureTel has great
  potential.

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Suggestions

• Technical problems should be minimized.
• Be aware that PictureTel hinders in-class
  interaction. Classes engaging in substantial
  interaction will have difficulty using this
  technology.
• When an interaction-intensive course (e.g.
  language course) has to be offered via
  PictureTel, instructors should be well trained to
  control the equipment effectively, pay close
  attention to responses from the other site, and
  seat the classes on both campuses in a way that
  makes it easy to communicate with those at the
  remote site.
• Students should be seated so they can be seen on
  an overview screen in order to be viewed by the
  instructor and students at the other site. This
  way, when students have questions, they will be
  noticed by the remote-instructor. It also makes
  it convenient for students to communicate with
  each other over distance.
• When speaking or asking questions, students
  should always face the microphone.

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Tips for PictureTel Courses

• Courses suitable for PictureTel
• Lecturing and discussion based with graphics and
  illustrations (anthropology, history, philosophy,
  literature, etc).
• Courses not suitable for PictureTel
• Courses that emphasize hands-on experiences and
  detailed visual display, particularly in motion
  (chemistry, physics, computer software)
• Courses that require extensive-interaction among
  two classrooms (language)

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PictureTel Teaching Advice

• Seats should be set up around the microphone and
  within reach of the video camera.
• Limit students to a maximum of 10 per classroom
• Operate equipment effectively (switching devices,
  hanging up, redialing, etc.)
• Set camera view to whomever is speaking.
• When writing on the board, dont cover the
  writing.
• Use slow and smooth camera movement.
• Do not wear pure white (dark face) or striped
  shirt.
• Uses a document camera to show books, magazines,
  newspapers, notes, or other items.
• Set a moderate audio level.
• Encourage students to speak out facing the
  microphone.

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Contact Information

• Yi Guan
• Educational Technology Specialist
• Quinebaug Valley Community College
• 742 Upper Maple Street
• Danielson, CT 06239
• Qv_yguan_at_commnet.edu
• PictureTel Distance Learning Evaluation Site
• http//www.commnet.edu/qvctc/people/picturetel