Previous reports in this series have indicated the growing acceptance of video-conferencing in education delivery. The current report compares a series of video-conferencing methods in an activity requiring precision of expression and communication: theatre and performance studies. The Accessing and Networking with National and International Expertise (ANNIE) project is a two-year project undertaken jointly by the University of Warwick and the University of Kent at Canterbury, running from March 2001 to March 2003. The project's aim is to enhance students' learning experience in theatre studies by enabling access to research-based teaching and to workshops led by practitioners of national and international standing. Various technologies have been used, particularly ISDN video-conferencing, computer-mediated conferencing, and the Internet. This report concludes that video-conferencing methods will gain acceptance in education, as academic schools themselves are able to operate commonly available technology the assistance of specialised service units.
Of the activities carried out in the ANNIE Project between March 2001 and late 2002, nine have been conducted via video-conferencing (see Table 1).
Table 1. List of Videoconferences Conducted as Part of the ANNIE Project
Evaluations of these sessions were carried out by focus groups with the students and by email. Interviews were held with the people conducting the lectures and with academic staff attending the sessions either as a facilitator or observer. The following analysis is based on these responses and on notes taken at the time of the activities.
Video-conferencing activities used differing communication modes at different times during each session. These can be described as: (1) one-to-one; (2) one-to-many; (3) many-to-one; and (4) many-to-many. The first two of these are self-explanatory. However, we are often not aware of the second two modes of communication in face-to-face situations, although they become evident in video-conferencing. The many-to-one communication can be typified as ‘class feedback,’ relating to the set of verbal and nonverbal communications that a lecturer observes from a class while lecturing. Many-to-many communication exists in two modes: where a single link exists between two sites with more than one person at both ends, and where multiple links are made to many sites, each with one or more participants.
Evaluation of the case studies indicates that the many-to-one mode is the most difficult to achieve in video-conferencing in vivas, lectures, and software demonstrations. (Workshops involve an additional set of problems, which will be discussed separately.) The problems with many-to-one communication that were noted were:
These technical problems amplify poor teaching practices and highlight the need to develop effective teaching techniques. Students attending the video-conference lectures felt passive and uninvolved. Many reported that they could not maintain their attention for the full length of the lecture. According to comments made by the focus groups, even the perceived reduction in movement reduced their ability to learn. These difficulties in communication focus attention on the following video-conferencing ‘best practices’:
Feedback from the student focus groups indicated a high degree of apprehension before the video-conferences. Although dissatisfied with many aspects of the actual videoconferences, all focus groups agreed that the experience was better than they had anticipated, and that that they would be willing to repeat it.
The advantages of using ISDN are:
While the video-conference suites mentioned above are suitable for the lecturer, at Warwick and Canterbury they are not large enough to accommodate a class of students. At the students’ end, therefore, it is necessary to use rooms that have ISDN connections, though they do not need to be dedicated spaces. This leads to the following disadvantages of ISDN:
The advantage of IP gateway systems is that:
Disadvantages are:
Because in the intervening time the Joint Academic Network (SuperJANET 3) came online, the system set up for the above workshop became outdated within a few months. In our use of room-based video-conferencing for Stand-Up Comedy case study work, equipment was used which could plug directly into the network port in the studio. For any institutions connected to SuperJANET with a sufficiently high bandwidth (approximately 2 MBps), this system can provide the same quality of image as ISDN-based video-conferencing.
Advantages of room-based systems are that:
Various desktop systems have been used in the ANNIE project. All of them, however, have the same core features:
The first three features are commonly used in standard desktop-to-desktop video-conferences. These are adapted for use in a teaching situation by the addition of the data projector, and usually a microphone and speaker system. The software used was iVisit [recommended as a useful freeware product previously in this series. J. P. B., Series Editor.].
The advantages of IP desktop systems:
Disadvantages are:
Video-conferencing promises to provide access to remote expertise in theatre and performance studies, depending on the ease with which the practise can become embedded in the regular work of our department, and on its perceived need for video-conferencing. This need has already been recognised by the academic staff with whom we have worked on the ANNIE project. Owing to the expense of transporting the experts and other time commitments, none of the sessions conducted via video-conference could have taken place face-to-face.
To embed the practice, the staff involved need:
On these counts, ISDN has fallen far short of our requirements. Although PC/ IP-based technology meets all of these criteria, it is severely limited by the standard of the Web cameras available, and by low bandwidth available via university networks.
The ANNIE project has shown that there is a role for video-conference lectures and workshops. A series of technological solutions has been tested in the teaching of theatre and performance studies, among which the traditional, telephony-based ISDN methods have proven the least satisfactory. The use of specialist equipment controlled by service departments is problematic, whereas commonly available technology is allowing video-conferencing methods to become easily utilised within the academic schools themselves. With improvements in the quality of these methods, video-conferencing will become embedded into the school’s regular teaching programme.
Mark Childs and Jay Dempster teach in the Centre for Academic Practice, University of Warwick, UK.
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The next report in the series includes an updated review of online whiteboard applications.
N.B. Owing to the speed with which Web addresses are changed, the online references cited in this report may be outdated. They can be checked at the Athabasca University software evaluation site: http://cde.athabascau.ca/softeval/. Italicised product names in this report are assumed to be registered trademarks.
JPB, Evaluation Reports, Series Editor