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Dr. Cynthia Gautreau Dr. Barbara GlaeserDr. JoAnn Carter-WellsMasters in Instructional Design and Technology
California State University, Fullerton
Hawaii International Conference on Education
Oahu, HI Jan 7, 2014
EFFECTIVE INCLUSION OF VIDEO CONFERENCING IN GRADUATE ONLINE COURSES
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Masters in Instructional Design and Technology
•The MSIDT program was launched in 2002 as one of the first in the nation and has over 200 graduates to date
representing 23 different professional business/corporate areas. Since the
inception of our program, we strive to incorporate theory and research related to adult learning and cognition melded with current and emerging practices
and tools in technology.
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Masters in Instructional Design and Technology• The Masters of Science in Information Technology (MS-IDT) program was designed by a multi-disciplinary group of faculty to prepare professionals and educators in skills for direct applications of emerging technology for teaching, learning, training and/or curriculum development.
• The program admits 25-27 students annually. These professionals are typically already working in the field of technology in curriculum development and training in P-12, higher education, the military, medical and/or corporate settings. • Faculty meet monthly to review program issues, including research in the field, cutting edge technology for teaching and learning, and course revision to incorporate this technology.
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Video Conferencing• Is “not webcam video, which is static and is designed to show just one person. Videoconferencing involves higher-quality cameras, larger lenses, and faster compression for sending the video signal, allowing for two-way interaction”. Inside Higher Ed, 12/07/12, p. 1.• Video conferencing in online courses can be used effectively provided the right protocols are implemented. • A team of faculty in the MSIDT who teach exclusively online have created guidelines to promote the productive use of video conferencing to
• promote learning, • increase communication efforts, and
• build an online community.
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Development of Video Conferencing (VC) Guidelines
• Faculty observed that video conferencing in online courses increased communication and supported student learning communities. • Previously, communication was predominately asynchronous and text based,
by means of tools such as email, discussion board forums, and announcements.
• Video conferencing adds a new dimension of interaction and communication that was previously unavailable in the online learning environment (Palloff & Pratt, 2007, 2011).
• Wang and Chen (2007) contend that increased interactions and synchronized learning environment promoted by video conferencing address the need for increased human interaction often experienced by online learners.
• Students expect educators to use the available technologies and implement innovations as available (Reigeluth, 2009).
• However, there were no guidelines for how students should participate in the meetings. A review of the literature revealed no published guidelines for us to utilize.
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Development of Video Conferencing (VC) Guidelines
• Faculty members were interested in guidelines that were consistent with effective research practices and paradigm shifts in education. A review of the literature revealed:• The benefits of video conferencing and ways faculty
should adapt their instruction (McPherson, Wang, Hsu, & Tsuei, 2007; Smyth, 2005; White, 2010).• Guidelines from other institutions existed along a
continuum of depth and complexity.• Netiquette rules (Shea, 2005) provided the foundation to
design and establish an appropriate protocol beneficial to video conferencing.• Netiquette rules are widely used at the university level
and are applicable to the communication efforts in online courses and for asynchronous communication among students and faculty.• A self-evaluation survey was conducted with instructors
experienced with online teaching.
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Self-Report Study• This was a self-report study (Fielding, 2006) in which participants drew on their own behaviors (in this case, professional experiences as an online instructor) to provide information on using video conferencing effectively.• Data for this research were collected by means of an online survey that was presented during a scheduled monthly faculty meeting. • As part of the self-report process, two faculty members analyzed the results of the survey and reported back to all faculty. • The faculty then discussed the findings and collaboratively created the VC Guidelines. • The Guidelines were further refined and connected to effective instructional practices and set in the context of existing knowledge as revealed through a review of related literature.
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Video Conferencing (VC) Guidelines for Online Graduate Students
•Guideline 1: •Remember you are on camera and live. The advantage of VC is that you can take advantage of facial expressions, inflection and tone of voice. Remember to think before you respond to make your thoughts and ideas clear and coherent to the VC participants.
•Guideline 2: •Adhere to the same standards of behavior during the VC session that you would follow in real life.
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Video Conferencing (VC) Guidelines for Online Graduate Students
•Guideline 3: •Be mindful of all VC participants. Allow other participants time and opportunities to contribute to the discussion and share their ideas with the group.
• Guideline 4: •VC provides synchronized opportunities to share knowledge. It is important to consider opinions from other participants who are engaged in the VC session. Strive for a fairly equal balance among the participants.
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Video Conferencing (VC) Guidelines for Online Graduate Students
•Guideline 5: •Be mindful of your tone and expressions during the VC session. This is not an anonymous session. Your voice and video are viewed by all who are participating in the chat session.
•Guideline 6: •Share your expertise and knowledge. Be an active contributor during the VC session.
•Guideline 7: •Remain professional in your communication with participants.
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Video Conferencing (VC) Guidelines for Online Graduate Students
•Guideline 8: •Respect the context of the VC session. Keep VC sessions within the context of the conversation. If the session is recorded do not post isolated comments that may be taken out of context. Synchronized discussions take on a life of their own, therefore it is important to keep conversations in context.
•Guideline 9: •Be forgiving of mistakes during the VC session. Video conferencing is a new communication platform. There are bound to be technical glitches, be patient with the participants during the session.
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Questions or Comments?
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Dr. Cynthia GautreauElementary and Bilingual Education Department
California State University [email protected]
Dr. Barbara GlaeserSpecial Education Department
California State University [email protected]
Dr. JoAnn Carter-WellsReading Department
California State University [email protected]
