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First-Hand Observations on Tele-Course Teaching
All locations had fax capabilities onsite. This is a great advantage; the
best laid plans still sometimes require last-minute "handouts" for
students.
One communications link I would like to have had was the capability of
data transfer; a PC at the host site would have allowed me to use an
introductory, animated presentation and to generate text for display and
discussion. The absence of a computer was not a critical loss for this
class, but it would be essential for multimedia presentations. Also, an
electronic whiteboard would have facilitated spontaneous presentation.
Observations: On-camera Presentation
Every aspect of a tele-class requires an acute consciousness of one's
appearance, movement, voice, technique-indeed all of the basic visual
components of public speaking. There is absolutely no escape when
one is on camera. Every action is exaggerated, as if you are being looked
at through binoculars.
In a campus classroom the students' field of view is wide; they are aware
of everything at the front of the room and around them. For the remote
student, however, the focus is entirely upon you, the teacher. (Yet, so
powerful is the TV medium that even onsite students often focus upon
the monitor instead of the live teacher.) Unconscious characteristics of
one's presentation, such as head scratching, are thrust upon the
students' consciousness. Thoughtful reflection or pausing for emphasis
is dead air-time. Looking at the ceiling and "thinking" aloud becomes the
same as saying nothing at all.
All of these activities are exacerbated by the limitations of non-studio
lighting; facial dimensionality disappears in ordinary room lighting. A
successful tele-class requires conscious coordination of all classroom
activities, and makes one appreciate the director of a stage play, who
makes everything appear natural, whereas in actuality nothing is left to
chance. For the remote student, class is as much a visual as an aural
experience.
The two-dimensionality of monitors, lighting limitations and modulation
of reproduced sound creates an interesting difficulty: Because I could
not see remote students' lips move or hear voice nuances, I had
considerable trouble associating names with faces; this remained a
difficulty throughout the course. (A 35" monitor should be the absolute
minimum for a tele-class.) I had to keep a list in front of me of students'
names and site location. All of this makes the spontaneous calling upon
students for comments a bit more difficult. From the students' point of
view, unless the teacher speaks and looks directly into the camera, what
he says may not be heard; we hear with our eyes as well as our ears.
