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First-Hand Observations on Tele-Course Teaching
Thus the role of a site manager, technologically and
administratively, is a significant factor in success. As a teacher becomes
more comfortable with the technologies of teleconferencing, the
presence of a site manager in the classroom as a camera operator may
become less important; it would be cost prohibitive for every tele-class
to require two teachers. However, it is essential to have immediate
availability of a site manager who is responsible for ensuring that the
system is "up and running"; for setting up videotaping and audio-visual
equipment; for managing class registration, distributing textbooks and
prepared classroom materials; and serving as liaison between the
student and other college services. A site manager must possess both
technological and administrative skills.
Why Tele-Teaching?
This article has focused on a number of the difficulties of teaching a
tele-course. There is much that is positive, however, and which can
enhance the learning experience and one's personal teaching approach.
Upon viewing a videotape of my first class, for instance, I realized that
after 18 years of teaching I had taken many aspects of my approach for
granted; I was lousy. I have generally felt that my classroom
methodology allows for spontaneity on the part of myself and my
students, that my classroom is a comfortable environment for learning.
However, perhaps those distractions which are so vividly exaggerated
on camera to remote students are as obvious to students in an
on-campus classroom too. And perhaps the instinctive "order" that a
teacher who has spent many years in a college classroom thinks is
present in his presentations, is perceived as chaos by a student who is
first entering a college classroom. Video instruction forces a teacher to
re-think and fine-tune his methodology, through whatever medium it
may be practiced.
Much has been made of the term "interaction" and the fear of teachers
that this must be sacrificed in a tele-course. While it is true that video is
primarily a presentation rather than interactive medium, is this not true of
the majority of conventional campus courses-in which a body of
information is presented to a group of students?
Teachers know that quantity of information d'es not equal education,
yet information is significant raw material, and is the primary thrust of
many types of courses. Video technology enhances, by making more
visually powerful, this aspect of teaching. It is required, of course, that
the teacher learn the specialized techniques of tele-teaching. Teachers of
a tele-class should include a review of Public Speaking 101 as part of
their preparation.
