A particularly exciting type of "meeting" that may be enhanced and expanded through the use of videoconferencing is classroom instruction. Certainly all of the factors listed above for furthering the success of videoconferencing within general meetings affect the classroom as well. In addition, the introduction of videoconferencing into the classroom means that at least some things about the nature of the instruction necessarily have to change. We'll try to outline some of those changes here.

In one case, remote participants may be additional students that the instructor must now accommodate in terms of instruction and integration with any physically present participants into one student group. Remote participants should not feel that they are getting less out of the class than their physically present counterparts and physically present students should not feel that the presence of remote students is detracting from their instruction. In another case, remote participant(s) may be additions to the instruction itself, such as expert speakers or co-instructors. As with any team-teaching, a cooperative balance of instructional duties is required but this can be made more complicated if video presence cannot compete with physical presence. Yet another aspect of videoconferencing in the classroom is that the "participants" being shared via the videoconference connection might not always be human. An instructor may want to incorporate an alternative video source (e.g., a document camera, a VCR) for sending to remote locations, or may want to receive video from an alternative video source at the remote site. The potential for combining video inputs and outputs can seem endless and readers are encouraged to fully explore these options when evaluating videoconferencing equipment for use within a classroom.

Most importantly, use of videoconferencing in the classroom requires special attention to the comfort level, teaching style, and instructional techniques of the instructor. In the ideal world, preparation for the use of videoconferencing in the classroom would be minimal. However, today's reality dictates that there will have to be some adapting and learning on the part of instructors to use videoconferencing successfully for instruction. Practice time outside of actual class time must be available and utilized to effectively integrate the technology with their own instructional style and methods, thereby ensuring a natural flow of classroom activities by the time the technology is experienced by the students. Keep in mind that you are a virtual presence at the remote site(s). Try to plan your classroom time to include interactive activities that call on remote participants to respond and become actively engaged in the learning process.

Many conferencing systems allow you to set up the camera in a number of different positions (e.g., wide shot of an entire class, close up shot of students in on the lower right quadrant) and store them as 'camera presets'. The presets are assigned to a button on the remote control. This allows you to easily focus in on a group of participants during the interactive portion of a session or just get a good overview of the level of engagement of varying groups at the remote site. Manual or frequent adjustments to the camera during a session is distracting, results in a few seconds of choppy video and has the flavor of a "home movie" you've been forced to watch. Investing in a few moments of pre-planning or multiple cameras is well worth the effort.

Source: © 2004-5, Video Development Initiative.