IVC Faculty Guide

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• Distance Learning Overview
• The Interactive Video Conferencing Classroom
• Presenting Visual Material
• Written Material
• Computer Presentations
• Showing Videotapes
• Distance Learning Videotaping Policy
• Distributing Class Material
• Canceling Classes

If you have any questions, e-mail Lawrence Norris at I.T. Media Services.

Distance Learning Overview

This guide is designed to give faculty and advanced awareness of the many capabilities plus a few limitations of Interactive Video Conferencing at Lewis-Clark State College. You are encouraged, however, to make an appointment with a ITMS staff person to have a personal orientation in a Videoconferencing room.

The following sections try to cover as many topics as possible related to the technical delivery of video conferencing classes, that apply to factually needs. If you have any questions about topics covered or not covered please contact a ITMS staff person

Important Note: I.T. Media Service staff will always try to accommodate any request that are technically possible. Any advance notice that can be given is appreciated and will help guarantee that class time will not be interrupted or delayed, but we also know that advance notice is not always possible. We will accommodate last minute requests whenever possible as quickly as we can and try to keep class interruption to a minimum.

This manual deals specifically with Distance Learning classes taught from the Interactive Video Conferencing classrooms. We currently have classrooms in various location on the LCSC campus and at the LCSC Outreach Center in Coeur d'Alene.

Interactive Video Conferencing allows us to connect to several sites simultaneously. The video and audio are high quality, but it has the characteristic look of digital video, where the motion is slightly stilted. We have found that students and faculty quickly become accustomed to it, but you should be aware that motion handling is limited. Slower, more deliberate motion is preferred.

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The Interactive Video Conferencing Classroom

Our classrooms have fully interactive video and audio. The compressed system is voice-activated, which means all locations in a class can hear all of the other locations, and they will see whichever site has the dominant speaker. In practice, this allows all of the distance locations to see the faculty member or lecture materials when he or she is lecturing, or see who is talking during discussion periods. It also allow you to see a student at a particular site when that student asks a questions.

It is important to remember that some LCSC IVC rooms have push-to-talk microphones for students and some have open microphones for the class. This makes it important for the instructor to know the set-up of the classroom incase it is necessary to remind students to push their mics before talking.

There is a monitor in the back of the classroom for the lecturer that shows the students at the other locations. It is preferred to show only one site at a time but the video will rotate every minute or so from one location to the next. There is a camera located above this monitor that shows the faculty member. It is positioned so you can ignore the camera and, by looking at the faces of the students on the monitor, appear to make eye contact with the distant students.

The monitors in the front of the classroom are for the students. One shows the visual materials presented by the faculty and the other monitor shows the distance classrooms. The room operator ensures that the monitor shows the appropriate video.

In most of the IVC rooms on the LCSC campus, the faculty member wears a small microphone with a lapel clip that allows him or her to be heard by the students at the distance classrooms. This microphone has a tracking mechanism that allows the instructor to move while the camera tracks them. 

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Presenting Visual Material

Written Material

Every classroom is equipped with a document camera above a work area to show written material to the students. The room operator puts the document camera image on the monitor in the front of the classroom and sends it to the distant classrooms. In some rooms there is also a monitor built into the faculty console to show the faculty what the document camera is "seeing".

For faculty who write notes as they lecture, plane paper and marker pens work the best to produce the optimum image for video transmission. In some rooms the White Board can be used with the arranging of the instructor camera.

For faculty who use pre-prepared written material, there are several issues to consider when preparing them. Video images are wider than they are tall. Specifically, they use a 4 x 3 aspect ratio. All this means is that when preparing written materials, to use word-processing terms, the paper should be in the landscape orientation instead of the standard letter orientation. When using word-processing software, we recommend using a font size no smaller than 36 point, preferably larger than that. Any font size smaller will be difficult, if not impossible, to read by the students on the video monitors.

If you have existing material that cannot be re-made, and does not meet the above criteria, we can compensate somewhat. The document camera can zoom in and out for smaller fonts or for papers in the letter orientation. This, of course, means that the complete paper will  not be shown, so you need to use the  monitor to make sure the area to which you are referring is in the camera shot.

Transparencies are not the ideal for document camera usage. In most cases they are in letter orientation, and in most of our classrooms, glare from the lights can obscure the writing. Using the plain paper master or copes form the transparencies is preferable. If the transparencies are the only option, we will compensate to make them look as good as possible.

The document camera is also a good way to show small objects to students. It is the best way to show the object to the distance students and generally is better for your local students than passing an object around the room or having students huddle around the object.

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Computer Presentations

Every on-campus LCSC classroom (and the Coeur d'Alene Outreach) has a internet accessible computer with basic office programs. Also, there is  a VGA adapter which enables a laptop to be connected to the system. If you are in need to use a specific software program or are planning on using your own laptop please contact Lawrence Norris: 792-2617.

Showing Videotapes

All rooms can show videotapes, though taping of the class must stop in order to view the tape. Tape viewing is for Educational Purposes Only. Since the distant site is an extension of the class, showing a videotape over the system is not a breach of the copy right laws.

Distance Learning Videotaping Policy

Students wanting a class videotaped should talk with the faculty.

Classes can be videotaped at request of the instructor. Cost is $10.00/per class.

Faculty can also request that the videotaped class be put on reserve in the library. Please contact a ITMS staff member when wishing to do so.

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Distributing Class Material

Material needed for students in distance locations should be sent well in advanced to the site facilitator. Each IVC room is equipped with a fax machine for last minute papers. Classroom operators are there to assist the instructor in either passing out class material or faxing material. Student Operators DO NOT have authority to proctor tests unless other arrangements have been made.

Canceling Classes

If you know in advanced that a class will not be meeting on a specific date ore dates, we request written notification of the dates (i.e. e-mail), because there has been miscommunication in the past when there has been only verbal notification. Also, a copy of the syllabi with dates would be helpful.

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I.T. Media Services
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Interactive Video Conferencing   500 8th Ave.   Lewiston, Idaho  83501
Contact: Lawrence Norris  208-792-2617  lnorris@lcsc.edu
For questions or comments about this page e-mail: lnorris@lcsc.edu