| All the planning and preparation has been completed. Now it's time
to start teaching your class via Interactive Video. Because
of a life of television viewing, students may not expect to actively
participate in videoconferencing. Remind your students that you expect
interaction and active learning.
DURING THE INITIAL
CLASS MEETING
- Welcome
the students to your course. Introduce yourself and the students at
all of the sites.
- Have
the students in each class introduce themselves and have them put
a name tag on the desk in front of them.
- Distribute
and go over your course syllabus. Ask
if anything needs to be clarified.
- Give
your students your office location, office hours, campus address,
e-mail address and telephone number and any other ways that they can
contact you. Let them know when you are available and your preferred
means of contact.
- If
students agree to provide contact information, develop and distribute
a class directory.
- Discuss
the procedure for making up lost class time due to "down time" on
the system, absences due to illness, etc.
- Go over
the technology (push-to-talk microphones, cameras,
document stand camera) located in the room. Use the Student Orientation
as a guide to familiarize the students with how the equipment works.
- Inform
students how you expect them to interact with the equipment.
- Remind
students that they are to participate actively in the class.
- Go over
technology etiquette.
- Let
the students know that this is two-way video and not one way TV. Students
at the other end can see what they are doing and in some instances
hear what they are saying.
- Distribute
the IVC 1st Day Handout.
- Stress
that you will take time for interactions with local students and among
students at remote site locations.
- Introduce
the IVC facilitator if you have one and explain his or her responsibilities.
The initial
class session is very important. A successful first class session sets
the tone for the semester and reduces student stress and dropout.
DURING
THE SEMESTER IN THE CLASSROOM
- Interact,
interact, and interact with the students at all the sites.
- Address
students at each site by name and acknowledge their contributions
to class.
- Monitor
the students attention spans as much as you lecture. Look for signs
they are distracted.
- Work
hard at personalizing instruction, particularly for the remote site
students.
- Vary
what the students see, hear, and do.
- Limit
didactic presentations in which students simply watch you talk. Incorporate
other media such as slides, overheads, videotapes, etc. to enhance
instruction and vary the visual being presented.
- Incorporate
variety into instruction to keep interest and motivation high. Explore
alternative learning methods, such as group discussions, guest speakers,
etc.
- Conduct
periodic assessments and evaluations to assess and to ensure students
at all locations are grasping the material being presented.
- Monitor
the delivery of your presentation.
- Provide
an introduction and review at the beginning of the class period.
- Ask
questions and wait for answers at appropriate times from students
at all sites.
- Solicit
student comments and feedback from students at all sites.
- Provide
smooth transitions between subject material.
- Deliver
an effective closing at the end of the class and ask if anyone
had questions from both sites.
- Give
your students an insight on the next class meeting.
- Allow
time for students to interact informally (chat time) as well as formally
(discussion, debate, critiques).
- Acknowledge
students when they ask questions and thank them for their interest
and questions.
- Periodically
ask if the technology is working properly at both sites.
- Can
you hear me?
- Did
you hear the student question all right?
- Do
the visuals look okay?
- Keep
in mind the delay of the visual and audio via the interactive television
system.
- Remember
your "alternative" delivery modes of instruction in case
of equipment failure.
- Be yourself,
be enthusiastic, and have a sense of humor.
- Even
though you are on television, no one expects an Oscar® winning
performance every time you step in front of classroom.
- Alternate
where you originate your instruction. Go to each site that you teach
at least twice a semester to allow all students to meet you in person.
- This
also allows all students to see what it's like to be at both a delivery
and receiving site.
ORGANIZING
YOUR CLASS MATERIALS
- Sequence
all visuals in the order presented during class.
- Call
class roll, use name signs, or other techniques for several weeks
until you are acquainted with your students.
- Involve
students within first 5-minutes of class. A good way is to ask review
questions about previously covered materials.
- Put
a class agenda on the monitor to let students know what will occur
that class period.
- Distribute
instructional handouts for each class session.
- Pre-assign
activities to get the students more involved.
- Incorporate
short breaks in an activity to give students a chance to stretch and
talk.
- Don't
lecture more than 15 minutes at a time. Alternate lecture with activities,
discussions, or some other learner-centered activity.
- Note
body language of students, especially the remote students, and take
time to query when students seem puzzled or disinterested.
TECHNOLOGY
CONSIDERATIONS
- Vary
the origination sites for instruction. Make sure you visit all sites
several times during the semester. Optimally switch off between sites.
- Good
audio is critical to learning. Ask the students at the remote site(s)
if your audio level is acceptable as you begin each class session.
- Ask
several times during the presentation whether the visuals can be seen
by everyone.
- Remind
students at all sites that they have to hold down the button on the
push-to-talk microphone so the camera will move to them and the other
site can hear their question or comment.
- Be aware
of the delay of movement and audio via the interactive television
system.
- Remember
that you are virtually in the same room with the people on the monitor.
Don't say anything (unless you have your microphone turned off) you
wouldn't want them to hear.
- Avoid
using the MUTE feature unless necessary. When it is used, explain
to the remote site(s) why it is being used in order to keep them from
feeling left out of the class interaction.
BETWEEN
CLASS MEETINGS
- After
class, encourage students to come by during your office hours, call
or use electronic mail to contact you. Make sure students know how
quickly you will respond to their email, voice mail, etc. State this
clearly in your syllabus and orientation materials.
- If time
and room usage permits, use the classroom telephone to contact remote
site students for private conversations.
- If the
room is available before or after your class, check with the IVC Video
Help Desk about having virtual office hours.
- Write
down what you did that worked and didn't work for both the equipment
and instructional materials.
- If the
equipment didn't work, fill out an IVC
Trouble Reporting form so the problem can be corrected.
- If the
lesson worked better than expected, make a note of it for future reference.
- If something
in the lesson didn't work, make a note of it and ask the students
next time what would help with the presentation.
- These
notes will prove invaluable when you do a summative evaluation and
revision to your course at the end of the semester.
IVC-INTERACTIVE
VIDEO CLASSROOM EVALUATION
At the end of each semester, Multimedia Supportwould like the instructor
to take 5-10 minutes of class time for the students at all sites to
do an evaluation of the IVC environment. The purpose of this assessment
is to improve the quality of instructional delivery via interactive
video. Make appropriate arrangements for remote site evaluations to
be forwarded to the DL office.
Coordinate
this evaluation process with the Director of Multimedia Supportat 223-8032.
Sources:
El Paso Community College - Multimedia Support- Video Conferencing
Quick Reference Guide pg. 25
J. Sargent Reynolds Community College Faculty Orientation New River
Community College - Interactive Television Faculty Guide. pg. 13
Video Conferencing-Instructiuonal Strategies - http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/vidconf/instruct.html
|
