Classroom LIVE
Lehigh’s Office
of Distance Education is piloting the use of an enhanced
Internet-based platform, named “Classroom LIVE”, for
delivery direct to the desktop (home, work or while
traveling) for all real-time classes. Wi-Fi and 3G services
are now so widely available that students can have access to
their classes almost anywhere in the world.
The delivery
technology features the integration of a web-conferencing
tool (currently Elluminate Live) into all distance education
production classrooms, enabling use of all the
functionalities and tools of these high-tech rooms, each
equipped with production-quality equipment.
A fully
integrated audio system permits interactions between the
classroom and all distance education students, anywhere in
the world. Video sources, including multiple in-room
technician-controlled cameras covering faculty, classroom
students, computer-generated programs and images,
SmartBoards, etc., are viewed in the room as well as by all
registered distance education students.
An improvement
over the standard one-way video/two-way audio restriction of
current satellite courses, *Classroom LIVE* has the added
capability of return video sources from participating
students, from their web cams. Another advantage of
*Classroom LIVE* is use of an in-class “chat” feature.
Previously a challenge with satellite feeds, it will now be
easier for DE students to participate in classroom
discussions through use of this tool.
Supporting a mission of providing high-quality distance
education to professional students not physically located on
Lehigh’s campus requires high quality, reliable delivery
technologies. During the 1990s that technology was satellite
transmission of real-time courses to partner corporate
sites.
In 2000, when
the Internet had advanced sufficiently to also be a reliable
platform for captured versions of the satellite classes,
LESN-Online was launched and was immediately successful.
Assuming a successful pilot of *Classroom LIVE*, it is the
goal to cease satellite broadcasts of real-time distance
education classes beginning in the Fall semester, 2011.
-- Peg Portz
Article posted September,
2010
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