Teaching and Learning Technology Resource

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Video Conferencing at UWA

PictureTel ISDN Video Conferencing service is available through the UWA Agriculture Department CRC for Premium Quality Wool and through the Faculty of Economics and Commerce, Education, and Law.

Contacts

Agriculture, CRC for Premium Quality Wool

• Greg Allen
  gallen@agric.uwa.edu.au Ph 9380 - 3590
  for further information contact Janelle Hocking Edwards
  Ph 9380 - 1978

Faculty of Economics and Commerce, Education, and Law

• Gee Lightfoot, gee@ecel.uwa.edu.au , Ph 9380 2913, Fax 9380 1068,
• Margaret A Little, mlittle@ecel.uwa.edu.au , Ph 9380 1795, Fax 9380 1068,

DESCRIPTION OF INNOVATION:

Four subjects which are collaborative across four Universities,  The University of Western Australia; The University of Adelaide; University of New England; and University of New South Wales, contributing to the degrees of BSc Wool and BSc Agriculture.

These subjects use video-conferencing for the delivery of lectures across all sites at the same time. Programme is funded by the CRC for Premium Quality Wool, which also provides access to experts from CSIRO, the Universities, state Departments of Agriculture IWS, and private industry who give a substantial proportion of the lectures. At UWA the BSc Wool is a four year degree programme, the last two years comprising the collaborative programme, and involving 4 core units and 3 optional units.

There is a lecturer/co-ordinator at each site responsible for the smooth running and on-site advice for the lectures.

The lecture programme is built around core and linking lectures delivered by on-site lecturer (approx 13) and specialist topic lectures delivered by experts from around Australia (approx 17 lectures).

Video-conferencing is used to deliver lectures at all four sites in real-time and timetabled during common shared time.

Coordinators attend at least one lecture per week and the technician attends all remaining lectures. Coordinators are accessible to students outside lecture time for follow up questions.

The lectures are split into two halves: time is provided halfway (after approx 15 mins) for student questions. Discussions are set up at each site focused on a relevant issue (eg. How does the weather influence wool production?). The question may be the same at each site or each site will deal with a different part of the same topic. Each site then reports back to the lecturer and other sites using a spokesperson. The lecture then continues. This breaks up the lecture, provides opportunity for questions and discussion, and provides feedback to the lecturer.

Students are also provided with lecture handouts prior to each lecture, giving students more time to think during the lecture, and be better prepared for the discussion. These handouts are sent to the coordinator by email attachment in Powerpoint.

At UWA some units have a tutorial unit where tutorials are researched and run by the students based on set questions from the lecturer. Some of the practical classes are based around self-paced materials.

Apart from the shared video-conference lectures each site is free to design their degree course as they wish.

REASONS FOR DEVELOPMENT/INTRODUCTION OF THE INNOVATION:

The development of a collaborative degree programme across four Australian Universities was developed in order to deal with the issue of low student numbers (Min 1 - Max 8 at each site) wanting to study subjects relating to Wool Science, Technology and Marketing. Video conferencing for the delivery of lectures was developed as a way of communicating/lecturing in real-time across all four sites.

TEACHING/LEARNING AIMS:

To educate students Australia-wide on wool science, wool technology and marketing at undergraduate level.

DESIGN PRINCIPLES :

No principles on which to base the development of the use of video conferencing as were the first people to do this. The course was developed over time on the basis of feedback. Key features of the course include the use of experts as lecturers; pre-reading for the lectures and the break up of lectures with discussion and question time.

STUDENT SUPPORT:

Students have access to a coordinator/lecturer at each site. They have email addresses for all lecturers and can get access to their peers' email addresses. Students have access to computers, use of special video conferencing room, practicals and tutorials.

ASSESSMENT:

Practicals, tutorials and assessment are run separately at each university. Assessment is based on the lectures, practicals and tutorials. In the third year students submit practical reports, essays and do exams. In the fourth year students submit a project report as well as essays, and are also assessed on a tutorial presentation; a short write up of such a presentation and then a longer write-up.

EVALUATION:

SPOT surveys , or their equivalent, are used across sites, including three questions related to video-conferencing. The wool marketing course is evaluated at the end of each lecture.

EFFECTIVENESS:

Once students are familiar with the technology (usually after two to three sessions) they see the video-conferencing as quite normal. Students are particularly positive about the use of expert lecturers. They see it as better than normal 'university lecturers' as it gives them the opportunity to "hear it from the horse's mouth".

HINDRANCES TO DEVELOPING INNOVATION:

Quality on screen is not very good and the time delay can be problematic. It is not as intimate, as easy to interrupt or follow up on a question after a lecture as with face to face lecturing.

ENABLERS TO DEVELOPING INNOVATION:

Because it is a new initiative people are very keen and this keeps the impetus going. Funding from CRC was essential but may end in 1999.

COST/BENEFITS:

It's worth it if you don't have to worry about the cost., but the cost will hinder it continuing. It will be important to get more students. The technological costs alone for delivering one lecture are approximately $800 ($140 per site, plus $100 for a bridging site and other costs). This takes no account of people time involved.

LESSONS LEARNT:

Need reasonable class sizes; not too many sites; very good technology to reduce time delay; and be really well-prepared for lectures.

MARKETING:

The CRC runs a course on Access to Experts available to the general public via video-conferencing. $500 for a two day course covers the running costs of the course. The course is marketed through the wool networks.

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