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Workshop 5: Distributed Learning: expanding your audience

Workshop Goals:
In this workshop, participants will become familiar with the current range of distributed learning definitions, projects, and trends. They will also discuss distributed learning as a means of developing their professional potential in the academic arena. Participants will view examples of point-to-point and network video enhancement possibilities which may be of value for achieving a student centered teaching and learning environment. Participants will consider resources needed to plan a pedagogically and technically effective distributed learning course. They will develop an action plan for disribution and support of video enhanced distributed learning.

Pre-Workshop Assignment:peruse the distributed learning resources listed on our resources page and those you may find with your own search. Given your experience this week, speculate as to the opportunities created by the instructional technologies we've sampled. What challenges are posed to you by the use of these technologies for teaching, research, and the job hunt? (be sure to include in your comments some consideration of the video conferencing technology we used this week.) Please submit your comments to the Workshop Discussion.

Workshop Outline:

Introduction - summary of our progress; definitions of distributed learning
State-of-the-Art Enhancement for the Distributed Learning Course - three examples, why would be use them?
Incorporating the State-of-the-Art into Your Distributed Learning Course - an exercise

I. Introduction
A. Summary of our progress

Where have we been?
Workshop 1 - learned to publish a page on the web.
Workshop 2 - developed action plan for creating a course site.
Workshop 3 - implemented course site action plan to create a draft course site, including course syllabus and list of useful links.
Workshop 4 - discussed advanced pedagogical and management issues associated with designing and implementation of a web-enhanced course.
Where are we going?
Today - think more generally about exploiting the various features of new information technology for improving teaching and learning.

B. Definitions of Distributed Learning:

Distributed Learning Defined: (class discussion to include synthesizing the results of the Pre-Workshop Assignment. This synthesis will be posted here at the conclusion of the workshop for future reference.)

II. State-of-the-Art Enhancements for the Distributed Learning Course

ISDN - Integrated Services Digital Network - video conferencing on dedicated phone lines. Used for one-to-one or one-to-several sites distribution. Use of dedicated lines allows high quality, two-way video and audio transmission.

typical applications
1) time or distance make it difficult for all students to get to one place (UMSL Nursing courses - multiple metro area sites; U Wisconson courses to remote locations)
2) desire to leverage expertise (Washington U / UM Columbia courses in religous studies)
3) interview
4) small group meetings
costs
Primarily non-budget items such as institutional support. Other possible costs include those involved in renting or creating facilities.

Other high-speed full motion audio/video distribution: POPL's, T1 lines (hardwired or rented fr. sw bell), microwave, satelite, dedicated co-axial cable.

RealPlayer - broadcast medium over network. One of the most common audio/video broadcast formats on the web. Real Networks products allow the user to incorporate both archived and live content into web sites. (System requirements for products targeted to the academic market are discussed on Real Networks' Classroom Server site.)

typical applications
1) recording lecture to allow on-demand delivery of lecture content.
2) broadcast content real-time.
3) incorporate audio/video clips into class discussion.
(Examples of current uses of Real Player in the academic arena may be viewed at RealNetworks' Educational Resources site.)
costs
Relatively inexpensive to get started. Student may download RealPlayer for free. Instructor may create own content by purchasing RealPublisher (~ $50). Costs are more substantial to enable real time broadcasting to multiple students (~$1,900 for 50 viewer capacity).

CU-SeeMe - video conferencing over network. This program was created at Cornell University and licensed for development to White Pine Software which offers a full-featured commercial version. Turns each individual's computer into a conference call site. Users may interact real-time with audio, video, chat, and white board (shared composition space). (For product description and system requirements, see the White Pine ClassPoint Site.)

typical application
use for delivery of educational content is somewhat experimental.
(Click here to find success stories of uses of White Pine products in the educational arena.)
costs
Relatively inexpensive cost to student (~$60-$90). Costs are more substantial to enable simultaneous conferencing of up to 6 people (~$1,000).

III. Incorporating the State-of-the-Art into Your Distributed Learning Course
A. Identifying need: why would we care to use such enhancements?

(class discussion to generate a list of motivations for incorporating instructional technology into a course. Consider the three categories listed below. The results of this brainstorming exercise will be included here at the conclusion of the workshop for future reference.)

Instructional

Institutional

Professional

B. Identifying content: what would you incorporate into your course?

In-class Exercise: for the course you developed this week, identify one enhancement, student assignment, addition of content, etc. which would require use of one of the demonstrated technologies. Be as specific as possible

C. Identifying resources: how do we make it happen?
With a particular enhancement in mind from the preceeding exercise, we are now in a position to assess resource requirements. The following issues should be considered when planning your distibuted learning course.

Technological considerations: identify the technology you suspect is best suited for implementing your idea.
Support considerations: identify personnel on campus with whom you will need to collaborate to implement your distributed learning course; e.g. teaching center, computing organization, instructional technology group, registrar, university college.
Student access considerations: identify the accessibility of your course content to you principal audience.
Training considerations: identify the training you may need in order to distribute your content via your chosen technology.
Copyright considerations: identify that part of your content which may require notification of or permission from original sources.