Bringing Your Distance Class to Your Student’s Desktop

1. Bringing Your Distance Class to Your Student’s Desktop Tom Farrell Wayne Pauli Dakota State University Madison, SD

2. Tom Farrell • Associate Professor Business and Information Systems • Been teaching distance education classes at Dakota State University since 1996 • Started web based only • Pioneered encoded video at DSU • First to teach live internet at DSU

3. Wayne Pauli • Director of the Center of Excellence • Dakota State University • Teaches classes statewide using the South Dakota Digital Dakota Network and encoded video

4. In The Beginning • Dakota State University began distance delivered courses using e-mail and web site based content delivery. • Depended heavily upon student reading of textbooks and asking the proper questions via e-mail or phone. • Assignments were presented only in a written format and not able to be discussed.

5. A Concept is Born • A non traditional student working for South Dakota Public Broadcasting was taking one of the web based courses. • Wanted to come to campus to sit in on one of our on campus classes. • Was totally intrigued with the interchange that was going on in the traditional classroom vs what he saw as a distance student.

6. Sharing of Technologies • What if a video tape of the class sessions complete with students and questions could be encoded and placed on the Internet? • This would be done using existing studio technology on the DSU campus. • SDBP was in the infancy of using the Real products and was willing to share their expertise with Dakota State.

7. Sharing Technologies (cont’d) • A plan was developed where a courier service was used between the libraries on the campuses to shuttle tapes from the DSU campus to the University of South Dakota campus where SDBP is located.

8. The Beginning (cont’d) • Once the video tapes arrived at SDBP they would encode them and place them on their website where link was established from the class website. • This entire process took approximately three days from the time of the lecture until the time the encoded version was ready.

9. The Next Step • After two semesters of doing the class this way a decision was made on the DSU campus to get involved in the encoding process. • A video capture card was purchased and with the use of a VCR the tapes were able to be encoded and placed on a website on the DSU campus. • Reduced total time from days to hours.

10. The Next Natural Step • The next logical step was to go from the encoded video concept to the live video presentations. • The software being used for encoding allowed for this option. • First tried across campus, then expanded to off campus. • Currently used in many MSIS classes on some undergraduate classes.

11. An Instructor in the Studio

12. Students in the classroom

13. The Control Center

14. The V-Tel Cabinet

15. Our On Campus Studio Costs • Listed in the following slides is the studio equipment and its cost. • Keep in mind not all of this equipment is required for live Internet, but is used as a part of our live two way video and two way audio broadcasts.

18. Please note all of this equipment is not required to do live Internet, but rather further supports studio broadcast capabilities.

19. More on the Encoding Machine • The system is a Pentium III 1000 and has 256 mb of RAM and an 18 gig hard drive. • The computer uses an Osprey 101 Capture card that is connected directly to a VCR which becomes the mechanism for recording to tape, digitizing the signal for live broadcasting, and storage on a hard drive on the video server.

20. Real Producer Software • Real Producer Plus7. • The cost of the Real Producer Plus is $1,999.95.   • The Real Producer Plus handles the live Internet broadcast, the Digitized files that are stored and linked for later viewing. • The same software can be used to edit the digitized files.

21. The minimum systems requirements • 233MHz Intel Pentium II processor / 64MB of RAM • 28.8Kpbs modem (audio only) • 16-bit sound card and speakers • 65,000-color video display card set to display at 800x600 (video) • Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows ME, Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 4 or later, Windows XP • IE 5.0 or later

22. The recommended systemrequirements: • 300 MHz Intel Pentium III processor or greater • 128MB of RAM • 56Kpbs modem • Full Duplex sound card and speakers • 65,000-color video display card set to display at 800x600 (video)

23. Recommended (cont’d) • Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows ME, Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 4 or later, Windows XP • IE 5.0 or later • Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000 (Workstation or Server), Windows XP Workstation are the operating systems recommended on the Intel Pentium Platform.7 In addition the Sun Sparc, the IBM RS/6000 Power PC, the HP PA RISC 2.o and the Alpha at all supported.

24. The Video Server • Gateway 8400 Windows 2000 Server • 2 Intel Pentium III Xeon Processors • 1024 MB using 4 –256 MD modules • 5 36GB Ultra 160 SCSI SCA 10K RPM Hard Drives • RAID Level5 – Striping with Parity • Cost July of 2000 was about $16,0000

25. Student Requirements • Optimal viewing is possible using some type of a broadband connection such as a cable modem. • Students have been able to view either the digitized lectures or the live lectures using a minimal 56 K modem for a dial up connection. • The power of the computer is less important than the speed of the connection. • At a minimum students have reported having success with a lower end Pentium II computer.

26. Student Requirements for Live Participation • In addition students who want to participate while the class is being live broadcast will need to have some type of other phone connection which may well be in the form of an additional land line based phone or even a cell phone if they are using their phone line for connection to their Internet Service Provider.

27. The Concept Goes Mobile • With the successes of working from within a studio an idea emerged of making the concept mobile. • That is to not tie the live Internet capability to a particular building and room. • The mobile configuration was developed. • Total cost about $20,000

28. Cabinet 1 The Production Cabinet • A drawer that is used to store the wireless microphones • A drawer that contains a 7 port switcher that is used to control video inputs • Four 8 inch monitors that are used to display the final output, the input from camera 1, the input from camera 2, and a fourth monitor that is used to check input from a play VCR • A video mixer board that is used to control what signal is being sent out

29. Cabinet TwoThe Record Cabinet • A 1 X 10 Distribution Amp for output • A Gateway 9500 1.066 GHZ laptop system with 512 mb of RAM a 40 GB hard drive • 3 VCR’s • Drawer space for cables

30. Cabinet ThreeThe Audio Cabinet • A play VCR for the addition of input from tape • Audio Mixer that will accommodate 6 microphones and has 6 additional line inputs • A radio for monitoring purposes when doing a dual broadcast with the local radio station • Drawer space for the cameras

31. The Smartboard • The SMART Board is an interactive whiteboard that turns your computer and projector into a powerful tool for teaching, collaborating and presenting. • With a computer image projected onto the board, you can simply press on its large, touch-sensitive surface to access and control any application. • Using a pen from the SMART Pen Tray, you can work naturally at the board to take notes and highlight important information.  

32. The Smartboard http://www.smarttech.com/

33. Conclusions • Students who have been enrolled in the classes have been most appreciative of the added dimension that both the digitized lectures and live Internet broadcasts have provided. • They find that not having to travel to a site is where they can receive the class using the more traditional two way video and two way audio far outweighs the disadvantages of the broadcast or digitized lectures..

34. Conclusions • Historically students who have participated in the live Internet option will phone in at least twice during a class session to ask a question or to provide input into the class. • They certainly are able to feel more a part of the class environment.

35. Sample Video • ddn.wmv