Effective use of
videoconferencing technology for interactive learning requires
practice and planning as well as attention to a few important instructional strategies.
The teacher in the videoconferencing classroom must know how to use the components of a
conferencing system, manage local and remote classrooms, and connect to and collaborate
with remote experts or guests. Two-way video works best as an interactive medium, but
because we all have years of experience watching video rather than communicating
with it, instructors must make extra effort to involve and engage learners.
Keep in mind that, as an
educator, you already possess a wealth of knowledge and experience in curriculum design
and instruction. The following list should remind you of strategies to considered when
designing two-way video instruction.
To begin with, educators should think about the learner and outcomes
first -- the who, what, why, where and how questions of learning -- before leaping into
preoccupation with logistics or technology. The spotlight should fall on the conditions,
dynamics and outcomes of the learner activity, in ways that motivate students and
encourage active learning behaviors.
Inspiring learner motivation is important in any learning
environment, but it's critical in a distance learning situation. While designing
instruction, take into consideration Keller's ARCS model of motivation,
which emphasizes:
- Attention. Increase perceptual arousal with the use of novel,
surprising, incongruous and uncertain events. Increase inquiry arousal by stimulating
information seeking behavior; pose or have the learner generate questions or a problem to
solve. Maintain interest by varying the elements of instruction.
- Relevance. Emphasize relevance within the instruction to
increase motivation. Use concrete language and examples with which students are familiar.
Provide examples and concepts that are related to learners' previous experiences and
values. Present goal orienting statements and objectives. Explain the utility of
instruction for both present and future uses.
- Confidence. Allow students to develop confidence by enabling
them to succeed. Present a degree of challenge that allows for meaningful success under
both learning and performance conditions. Show the student that his or her expended effort
directly influences the consequences. Generate positive expectations. Provide feedback and
support internal attributions for success. Help students estimate the probability of
success by presenting performance requirements and evaluation criteria.
- Satisfaction. Provide opportunities to use newly acquired
knowledge or skill in a real or simulated setting. Provide feedback and reinforcements
that will sustain the desired behavior. Maintain consistent standards and consequences for
task accomplishments. Manage reinforcement: keep outcomes of learner's efforts consistent
with expectations.
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Because of vast experience watching television, students may not
expect to actively participate in videoconferencing. Use your role as facilitator to help
students understand that you expect interaction and active learning.
A simple way to challenge the television preconception issue is to
communicate expectations to the learner prior to instruction. A brief letter or a few
comments at the beginning of a lesson can go a long way toward helping learners understand
differences between broadcast television and two-way compressed video. Consider explaining
the difference in audio/visual quality along with a few suggestions to optimize that
quality. One might, for example, encourage learners to keep background noise and motion to
a minimum and explain ways to deal with the audio delay. A teacher should also prepare
learners for an active experience. Assign a pre-session activity or begin the lesson with
a discussion. Actively involve learners early and often, using small group or hands-on
activity, reading, writing, discussion, and questions to get them out of the passive
"viewing" mode.
Here are some additional ideas for communicating expectations:
- At the beginning of each conference, remind students that they are to
participate actively.
- Model different types of active learning behavior.
- Remind the students this is two-way video, not one-way TV.
- Discuss etiquette required for two-way video.
- Pre-assign activities to get the students more involved.
- Allow students to participate in equipment operations. This will help
you delegate tasks so that you are able to facilitate and monitor interactions as well as
manage the classroom.
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Here are a few suggestions to help improve communication and
encourage learner involvement.
- Create and distribute an agenda so participants at both sites will
know what to expect.
- Distribute a student guide with clear learning objectives to both the
local and distant sites before the conference. Provide sections with key words or phrases
left blank for the student to fill in. Allow space for note taking.
- When feasible, include graphics shown during the videoconference in
the student guide.
- Sequence all materials in the order presented during class.
- Send a roster of names from your local site, and obtain one from the
distant site before the conference so that you may call on specific students to promote
interactive discussions.
- When explaining a learner activity or assignment, display a slate
with simple, bulleted instructions. Leave the slate displayed during the activity for
reference.
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Incorporate variety into instruction to keep interest and motivation
high. Use relevant visuals or sounds to illustrate points, and if possible, bring in a
guest speaker to share a different perspective, answer questions, or provide real-world
feedback on student projects. Even with thrilling visuals and instructors, nobody wants to
watch a talking head for hours, so make sure learners have an opportunity to focus
attention away from the screen. Assign small group activities with a task that can be
discussed later. Tag a break onto an activity to give students a chance to stretch and
talk. Highly motivated learners in a tightly focused lesson can tolerate lengthy lectures,
but as a rule of thumb, don't lecture for more than 15 minutes at one time. Instead,
alternate lectures with activities or discussions.
To promote interactivity:
- Include the participants in the conference within the first 5
minutes. Involve them early so they don't turn away. Try a name game, or ask a compelling
question that taps their affective domain.
- Devote 30%-65% of each hour to student activity.
- For group work, select individuals at each site to participate on
inter-site teams.
- To encourage interactivity, remember the rule: no more than 10-15
minutes of instructor talk without some learner-centered response. This will enable you to
put the responsibility of learning back in the learner's hands.
- Using the pre-obtained roster, call on students at both sites by
name. Encourage discussion.
- Take as many questions from the distant site as you take from the
local site. To answer questions:
- look into the camera and answer the person who asked the question
- ask the student asking the question a couple of questions to see if
it can be answered by that student or another student
- if there is more than one site, try to get a discussion going or
answer between the remote locations
- Model verbal and visual interaction:
- interact early and often
- move and gesture normally rather than wildly; avoid swaying, rocking
or pacing
- avoid interrupting
To increase variety:
- Change the pace to keep learners' attention. Slow the pace for new or
different content. Increase the pace for reviewing content.
- For discussions, employ any of the following:
- Instructor-directed discussion to clarify content, define
terms, identify assumptions, motivate participation, recognize contributions.
- Group-centered discussion to build on experience, explore
hypotheses, strengthen relationships, raise questions, formulate ideas, examine
assumptions.
- Collaborative discussion to solve problems, share
responsibilities, compare alternatives, test hypotheses, modify assumptions.
- Use others to teach. Vary in format, using:
- Participant presentations
- Small and large group work
- Participant and guest speaker demonstrations
- Role plays
- Debates
- Use different methods to deliver content:
- Instructor-centered to learner-centered teaching
- Alternate between new content and review
- Simulations and games
- Case studies
- Questions, both factual and complex. Avoid yes-no questions. Instead,
ask a question, pause to allow time for student to respond, and call on specific student.
Increase attention with perceptual and inquiry arousal questions.
- Use a variety of complementary media to support instruction. Here are
some ideas:
- book illustrations
- cartoons
- diagrams or charts
- photos
- semantic maps (to minimize text and present relations graphically)
- slates- single screen displays
- PC-generated graphics (these can be shown on many units through a
scan converter)
- brief video clips (discuss relevance before and after showing the
clip)
- Use silence to have learners read or write. Use a slate to explain
what to do (e.g. read page 10, and complete the short answer questions).
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Since variety is so engaging, reduce the potential distraction of
the screen by posting a still image or slate during a class activity. Don't be afraid to
use silence. Though we expect a "busy" screen, music or chatter can distract
students from learning.
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Asking a question can be daunting for students, especially if it
means they must get the attention of a remote teacher and talk to a TV screen. Teachers
can help by noting the body language of remote students and taking the time to query when
students seem puzzled or disinterested. Eye contact and use of names both help make
students feel more comfortable. These people skills are obvious and natural in a
"live" classroom, but may seem awkward in a distance learning situation.
"Eye contact" means looking at the camera and the monitor rather than local
students, and teachers might have to make a special effort to attend to remote learners.
To help out introverted students, consider alternative modes for questions and comments.
Make a fax machine available or solicit e-mail for questions and comments. Consider
holding videoconference office hours or paying a visit to the remote site. Use resources
creatively to establish rapport and help all learners participate.
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Credits
Created by Merry Woodruff and Jennifer Mosby,
Graduate Students at San Diego State University's Department
of Educational Technology, with guidance from faculty members Dr. Bernie Dodge and Dr. Farhad Saba
Focus on Learning
jreed@mail.sdsu.edu