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First-Hand Observations on Tele-Course Teaching
However, the conference room was designed neither as a classroom nor
a broadcast studio. Students are placed behind the instructor at the
table, who must then choose between facing either the on-site or the
remote students. (This is not a problem if the onsite class is small
enough, six students maximum, to sit beside the teacher at the table.)
Placing monitors on the same wall as the whiteboard is also a problem.
When the teacher lectures in a traditional "in front of the board"
situation, he must look into the presentation camera to establish eye
contact with his remote students. If he looks at his remote students on
the monitor, then he is presenting a camera profile to them and also
turning away from the onsite students. Putting additional monitors
beneath the presentation camera would solve this.
During class discussion, to allow remote sites to see a host-site student
speaking requires selection and focus of the table camera, necessitating
an onsite operator to reduce disruption. The set-up of the local site also
did not allow me to see both remote sites simultaneously; as a teacher
who likes to observe the "facial language" of his students in order to
direct questions to them, I found managing classroom discussions more
difficult.
Teaching Observations: Video-switching
Voice-activated video switching requires a deliberate approach to
management of class discussion. If other sites cannot be viewed
simultaneously, the teacher must direct someone at a remote site to
speak in order for that site's video to be displayed.
The sensitivity of switching is important. Switching should require a firm
voice yet not a shout; neither should it occur during ordinary classroom
noise. The differences in individual speaking voices can sometimes
cause inadvertent switching or a teacher having to say, "Speak again."
Some of the spontaneity of the in-person classroom is lost; however,
there will be no sacrifice of classroom interaction and dynamics if the
teacher is aware of the necessity for a more formal, choreographed
approach to class discussion.
The industrial firm that employed the students also wanted to tape each
video session. The local site had only one tape deck; thus, when I
wanted to show an instructional videotape, taping the class had to be
done at another site, somewhat complicating tape distribution to remote
students. The host site needs full capabilities to handle course
requirements without depending upon other sites. For instance, a site
manager was not always present at each remote site to do that site's
taping and distribution.
