Videoconferencing in Teaching and Learning

BOZENA MANNOVA

Czech Technical University in Prague, Czech Republic

This "telephone" has too many shortcoming to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently no value to us.

Western Union internal memo, 1876

This videoconferencing has still many shortcoming, but we have to use it in education, because this is the way of work in future.

Boba Mannova, 2000

Introduction

Videoconferencing has great potential for teaching and learning. The potential lies in creating greater opportunity for dialogue which facilitates more effective learning than working in isolation. Dialogue may be between tutors and learners or amongst learners. However, the success of videoconferencing may well be dependent on factors other than the technology. These factors range from institutional issues, to cost, to student and tutors attitude to the technology. The technology is in a transitional state and many may feel it is currently unsuitable for education. This makes videoconferencing highly challenging and exciting to some and a nightmare to others. Like the telephone in the past, we as users must learn how to make best use of videoconferencing. It may well be the next mode of communication to be universally accepted.

 What is Videoconferencing?

Videoconferencing in its most basic form is the transmission of image (video)  and speech (audio) back and forth between two or more physically separate locations. This is accomplished through the use of cameras (to capture and send video from your local endpoint), video displays (to display video received from remote endpoints), microphones (to capture and send audio from your local endpoint), and speakers (to play audio received from remote endpoints).

In understanding the role that videoconferencing could play, consider two general situations:

¡       those where you are already able to communicate with someone who is not physically nearby,  but you wish that communication could  be richer

¡       to access or communicate to a location that may or may not be nearby but is limited by situational or physical constraints.

Technology

Videoconferencing actually encompasses a range of technologies used in a wide range of situations, often it is not just video and audio that is transmitted, but also data, allowing collaborative working though shared applications.

Videoconferencing may be:

• One-to-one meetings, also known as point to point communications, usually involving full two-way audio and video.

• One-to-many communications involving full audio and video broadcast from the main site, where other sites may be able to send audio, for example in a lecture situation, students could ask questions.

• Many-to-many conferencing, known as multi-point communication, provides audio and video between more than two sites. With most multi-point systems only one site in a conference can be seen at time, with switching between sites either controlled manually or voice activated (i.e., the loudest site is on screen).

Delivering videoconferences may use different technology:

• standard telephone lines

• ISDN (Integrated Service Digital Network)

• satellite broadcast

• VSAT (very small aperture terminal)

• co-axial cable

• fibre-optic cable

The most appropriate choice of system will depend partly on the physical configuration of sites to be connected, the applications which are required, the amount of traffic to be carried, and the distances between sites.

From a technical perspective videoconferencing falls into two categories:

• Desktop videoconferencing - usually a small camera is located on top of the PC or workstation monitor. The actual video is usually displayed in a small window, and shared applications, such as a shared whiteboard are often used.

• Studio-based systems - a studio is specially equipped for videoconferencing. This will normally include one or more cameras, microphones, one or more large monitors, and possibly other equipment such as an overhead camera for document viewing. Usually used for more formal meetings .

The former assumes inherently the use of personal computers, unlike the latter, in which  integration with data communication is a relatively new experience.

Desktop videoconferencing

Desktop application brings videoconferencing back into focus. However, the frame rate and the tiny picture window makes it uninteresting application. But when it is used in conjunction with other collaborative work software, such as whiteboards, shared screen and shared control, there is adequate functionality to entice users. This type of videoconference is most useful when the documents and information to be exchanged are stored on the computer and of importance rather than the presenter. Information can be shared and discussed quickly over the network. Cutting out the time and cost of a courier.

The first software for Internet videoconferencing, CU-SeeMe, was developed at Cornell University and was originally used by the Global School House Project. NetMeeting from Microsoft and Internet VideoPhone are other desktop conferencing packages available.

The basic hardware components are:

• camera, usually attached to the top of the monitor

• microphone

• speakers - even where speakers are built in to a workstation, external ones will provide better quality audio.

Alternatively:

• headphones may be useful, particularly in a shared office

• video board - to capture the signal from the camera and convert it to digital form

• network card - usually an Ethernet card for connection to the LAN, or an ISDN card .

There is a wide range of software available, from free software such as Cornell's CUSeeMe to commercial software.

Why use Video Conferencing ?

New communication technologies are blurring the distinction between traditional and distant teaching. It has potential uses in both situations. The main pedagogical issue is to understand where the new technology will have real impact on learning effectiveness.  Some of the technology will support a second generation approach, bringing new impact and efficiency to the second generation model. Other aspects of the technology, however, allow the constraints  of time and distance to be greatly lessened in bringing the power of small-group face-to-face teaching to the individual desktop, in home or office. The opportunities within open learning is less clear. The reasons for using video conferencing in traditional and distance teaching are very different. There is also a role for video conference on an international basis.

In the following table are reasons why use videoconferencing in different type of teaching and learning:

Videoconferencing is very useful whenever there is a clear communication need, and the benefits described by those using videoconferencing systems include:

• reduced travel costs

• face to face rather than telephone meetings

• better quality teaching

• easier collaborative working.

In the Czech Technical University in Prague we use videoconferencing in many different projects activities. We used this also for teaching of seniors.

The educational system is very quickly changing. When in the pass the people were educated at school and then they left for the jobs and work for whole life, now they have to learn all the life. Life long learning is one of characteristic of life in an information society.

As a part of life long learning system was in the Czech Republic introduced Third Age University  (U3) for senior citizens. The Czech technical University in Prague offer in frame of U3 course "Basic ICT Skills". The course is design for two terms, the seniors are using computers laboratories at CTU, they have an account number and E-mail address as other university students. Because of  the most participants have no previous  experience with computers and they are even afraid of to use a computer, we are trying to motivate them as much as possible. Our courses starts with WWW search, continue with writing letters, using E-mail and finish with creating their own web pages. At the end of course there is public presentation of the projects which the participants are working on in the second term.

This course is quite different from other IT courses. The seniors need more support during laboratories, but they work harder and their results are very good. The topics for their projects are very often link to their professions  (we have in course M.D., lawyers, writer etc.). They feel that education keep them younger, they can help the wife and husbands in work, but what is may be most important, they feel as a part of society. A lot of them are saying, that this is very helpful to them, because before they had no contact with family members, but when they send them emails their relation improve dramatically. This is special good when this is relation between grand parents and grand children.

In frame of Basic ICT Skills course we used also videoconferencing. This was used to link together seniors in Prague and in Brno, seniors in Spain and in the Czech Republic and what was the most interesting was videoconference between the seniors and students of one high school in Prague. The discussion between those two groups take 4 hours on many different topics. This was probably also because the seniors were use videoconferencing before and for high school students it was the first time, so there were no gap in technology between those two groups.

Conclusion

Video conferencing has been around for sometime, and it is now gaining in popularity. It cannot replace person to person completely, but in many situations being able to see and hear remote co-workers, does improve communication and cut down on travel time and costs. If the particular problem requires many short simple questions and answers, it is more effective to use videoconferencing, telephoning (Internet telephoning) or real time text communication (Chat). However, it is important to set the agenda before the communication, especial for videoconferencing.

You need fulfil the following conditions for a good desk top videoconferencing:

• You have to try technical conditions before you start. Minimum conditions are PC Pentium, 32 MB RAM, camera, microphone, loudspeaker, Internet NetMeeting, E-mail or telephone contact

• You have to prepare scenario of a session. Try to use chat, shared applications, video communication and sound communication.

• You have to co-ordinate all participants, it is a good to have a moderator of session.

Internet videoconferencing or telephoning has special features compared with normal telephoning. The signal is usually delayed. If you tell a joke, the response does not come at the right time! The signal is not always of perfect quality. It is better to speak slower and pronounce carefully. It also helps to overcome the language problems. We used Microsoft NetMeeting, PC cameras and Internet for videoconferencing. It worked relatively well during videoconferences. Our long term experience is also good. The quality of transmission depends on Internet traffic and can be problematic during busy periods (drop outs of the sound, low quality pictures). This will probably improve in future years.