Distance Education: On the Use of Videoconferencing at the University of Pittsburgh

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1 Distance Education: On the Use of Videoconferencing at the University of Pittsburgh Kim LaScola Needy Department of Industrial Engineering University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA Joanne M. Claus Center for Instructional Development & Distance Education University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA Abstract - Many institutions of higher learning are turning to distance education to help address the challenge of providing expanded educational opportunities without the usual increases in budgets. Economic and political pressures and increased demand for services will fuel this movement, as students demand for access to educational programs anytime and anyplace escalates. Furthermore, competition from nontraditional providers will push distance education initiatives in previously traditional schools. Issues related to this movement are far reaching and impact the entire educational institution including faculty, students, and support services. This paper will discuss the movement from a traditional to a distance education model. Specifically, it will explain how videoconferencing is being used as a form of distance education at the University of Pittsburgh Manufacturing Systems Engineering Program. Finally, it describes a videoconferencing training program that has been developed and implemented at the University of Pittsburgh to help ensure that faculty and students are successful in this undertaking. Introduction The nation s educational system is being challenged to provide increased educational opportunities without the usual increases in budgets, i.e., give more for less. A primary driver for providing increased educational opportunities centers around the make-up of the student. Traditional college students (age and full-time) are slowly being outnumbered by nontraditional college students. Tucker [1] reports that today 40-50% of college students are busy adults, i.e., they are older, wish to attend school part-time, and have limited time due to work and family responsibilities. Schools that have recognized this trend have had success when implementing initiatives such as degree completion programs and continuing education courses aimed at this growing population of nontraditional students. However, school administrators are challenged to provide these additional programs and courses without increases to their budgets. Renowned management consultant and author, Peter Drucker says: Thirty years from now the big university campuses will be relics. Universities won t survive. It s as large a change as when we first got the printed book. Do you realize that the cost of higher education has risen as fast as the cost of health care?... such totally uncontrollable expenditures, without any visible improvement in either the content or the quality of education, means that the system is rapidly becoming untenable. Higher education is in a deep crisis... Already we are beginning to deliver more lectures and classes offcampus via satellite or two-way video at a fraction of the cost. The college won t survive as a residential institution. [2] To address this educational crisis, proactive colleges and universities are examining many of the underpinnings of the traditional education model such as access and quality with respect to the two main stakeholders: (1) students and (2) teachers. Examples include: Students - Total Quality Management (TQM) is being implemented in the classroom [3]. This approach suggests that the student is the customer who is paying for the service of education. And as Crosby [4] has said, Satisfy the customer, first, last, and always. As a result, there is a movement towards providing customer-focused education. Teachers - Engineering educators are beginning to place importance on teaching as well as course content in the classroom. Educational researchers in engineering are examining how students learn and how teachers teach [5] and on how to incorporate cooperative learning in the classroom [6]. In addition, there is a trend for school administrators to look more closely at the results of faculty members teaching, i.e., outcomes-based education.

2 This paper describes the transition from a traditional to a distance education model. As one case study example, it will explain how videoconferencing is being used at the University of Pittsburgh in its Manufacturing Systems Engineering Program, highlighting the procedures needed to help ensure that faculty and students have a successful experience. Traditional Education Model What is Traditional Education? In the traditional education model, the instructor and students come together in one location at a specific time for face-to-face instruction. For centuries, education has embraced this model because it enhances communication -- the instructor and students can feel the presence of one another. For example, the instructor can see all of the students in the class, walk around in the classroom to observe progress on an in-class exercise, establish eye contact with specific students, read the body language of the students, observe a look of puzzlement on a student s face, hear a sigh of frustration, etc. Outside class consultation with an instructor is also simplified in the traditional education model as students can generally meet briefly with the instructor immediately before or after class to resolve simple questions or concerns. In addition, students can consult with an instructor during set office hours or by appointment. Again, communication tends to be face-toface. One of the most common methods of teaching tends to be lecture-based instruction. Knowledge is usually transferred one way -- from the instructor to the students. Students generally assume a more passive role in which the expectation is for students minds to absorb the instructor s knowledge. As a result, student learning frequently is diminished to lower thinking skill levels. This mode of learning may thus be geared towards memorizing in a competitive or individualistic context. The climate is one of conformity and cultural uniformity [7]. Movement Towards Distance Education We are now on the verge of educational reform. This has caused providers of higher education to critically re-examine the traditional education model and to make improvements where necessary. As a result, some have moved away from the traditional towards a distance education model, realizing that it is not always practical (or possible) for instructors and students to come together for face-to-face instruction. Distance Education Model What is Distance Education? To some, distance education may still mean correspondence study, as distance education was largely provided beginning in the early 1800s. To others, it refers to more recent activities, such as offering lectures by means of videoconferencing, online discussion groups, or interactive multimedia simulations. While distance education includes a wide variety of forms or delivery modes, the generic term distance education can be briefly described as occurring when the teacher and learner are separated by location and/or in time. More precisely, Distance education refers to all arrangements for providing instruction through print or electronic communications media to persons engaged in planned learning in a place or time different from that of the instructor [8]. This definition of distance education is consistent with the characteristics of distance education identified by the American Council of Education: Physical and/or chronological separation between the learner and the instructor, among learners, and/or between learners and learning resources: interaction between learner and instructor, and/or interaction among learners, is conducted through one or more media, and the use of electronic media is not necessarily required; the learning experience is approved and its quality is monitored by the learning provider; the learning experience is organized to increase learner control over the time, place, and pace of instruction; and the instructional process is supported by other learner services that also respond to the assumed separation between the learner and the learning provider [9]. Note that no specific technology is found in the definition and characteristics of distance education. Instead, a variety of delivery modes are used in distance education, ranging from self-instructional print materials (e.g., the commonly used study guide) to technologically advanced computer-based multi-media or videoconferencing systems as shown in Table 1. Thus, distance education represents much more than simply using technology in teaching. It also represents changes in the way we conceptualize education, and the ways we organize the resources of people and capital that are dedicated to the enterprise of education [10].

3 Delivery Modes print audio computer video combinations Table 1. Distance Education Delivery Modes Examples self-instructional print materials audio tapes, audioconferencing computer-assisted instruction, computerbased communications (e.g. ) video tapes, videoconferencing various delivery modes incorporated to deliver a course Moore and Kearsley (see Table 2) provide a Systems Model for Distance Education that incorporates the major component processes and elements that will be found at all levels and types of distance education. These critical components of distance education must be addressed if it is to be successful. Table 2. Systems Model for Distance Education [10] Component Processes sources design delivery interaction learning environment Elements student needs, organizations, theory/history, philosophy instructional design, media, program, evaluation print, audio/video, radio/television, computer software, audioconferencing, videoconferencing, computer networks instructors, tutors, counselors, administrative staff, other students workplace, home, classroom, learning center Potential of Distance Education Distance education offers great potential to improve access to educational programs and resources, enhance the quality of academic instruction, and improve the productivity of educational institutions. At a recent Gartner Group conference, a world-wide research organization providing comprehensive instructional technology advice, Zastrocky [11] predicts that distance learning will become a mainstream activity on most campuses by 2001 with economic and political pressures as well as the increased demand for services fueling the movement. The driving force behind distance education initiatives appears to include the public demand for cost control in higher education, increased demand by potential students for services, and a push to move institutions away from bricks and mortar, i.e., a move towards a virtual learning institution. Another major influence in the decision to offer distance learning programs is the threat of competition from for-profit institutions like (1) the University of Phoenix, a regionally accredited university that directly competes with traditional colleges and universities through the use of nontraditional classrooms and distance learning, and (2) Mind Extension University. Students are quickly changing their higher education demands to include the delivery of academic programs at any time and any place [11]. In addition, lifelong learning has become a reality for Americans [12], and distance education strategies have the potential to overcome significant barriers to lifelong learning [13]. Distance education may provide a win-win solution for colleges, students, and taxpayers. As teaching techniques are improved and people s attitudes change, students will not need to travel as often to campus for classes and, therefore, constant expansion of on-campus buildings and facilities will become less important. Once the infrastructure for distance education is in place, the marginal costs of teaching additional students should be relatively low [13]. Issues related to this movement towards distance education are far reaching and impact the entire educational institution including faculty, students, and support services. Videoconferencing at the University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh School of Engineering Manufacturing Systems Engineering Program (MSEP) has been using videoconferencing for the past four years. In this context, videoconferencing is a synchronous ( real time ) form of distance education that provides two-way video and two-way audio communication. This Master s degree program originates from the University s main campus in Oakland (Pittsburgh). Students enrolled in this program are mostly working adults with five or more years of engineering-related experience and are either based at the Oakland campus or at Johnstown, one of the University s branch campuses. The Johnstown campus is located approximately 90 miles (about two hours driving time) from Oakland. The majority of classes originate from Oakland and are broadcast to Johnstown, although a few courses originate in Johnstown and are broadcast to Oakland. Classes generally meet once per week for two hours and 30 minutes throughout the semester. In most cases, it would be impractical for the students located in the Johnstown area to travel to Oakland to attend classes in the MSEP. In fact, one student commutes one hour and 30 minutes just to get to the Johnstown campus. Thus, the tuition generated from the Johnstown students represents revenue that would not otherwise be received by the University of Pittsburgh. Effective distance teaching and learning requires extra effort on the parts of the instructor and the students. To support this effort, videoconferencing training has been developed and is provided for faculty and students by the University of Pittsburgh Center for Instructional Development & Distance Education (CIDDE). Faculty are

4 trained using a five-stage training program. This training program uses a research-based instructional design model [14]. Stage 1 of the program includes an introductory video that overviews videoconferencing technology. Stage 2 includes a three-hour orientation. In Stage 3, the faculty member completes instructional development for the videoconferencing course. A rehearsal is scheduled in Stage 4, and finally, Stage 5 of the program is implementation, i.e., the first class. The ensuing discussion details this training program and intersperses various lessons learned. Many of these lessons learned are not unique to videoconferencing, but apply to all forms of education (traditional and distance). Several months before the first class, faculty begin the first two stages of training. This includes a 14-minute video tape (which instructors review independently) and a threehour orientation workshop. This training program provides instructors not only with an orientation to videoconferencing, but is followed by course and material planning as each instructor works individually with an Instructional Designer. During the instructional design stage of the training, the focus for course and material planning efforts are directed toward the design of active learning strategies, based on the instructor s course goals. Active learning is especially important in a videoconferencing classroom in order to draw the students at the distant site into active participation. Incorporation of a mixture of individual and group activities will provide a welcome variety to not only the students, but the instructor as well. For those instructors who are more comfortable with active learning, this step from a traditional to a videoconferencing classroom is an easier one than for instructors whose teaching style is more lecturebased. Generally, classes should be planned for one month in advance to allow for any related materials to be designed, produced, and then distributed to the far site classroom. Moving from traditional graphic displays, such as a chalkboard or overhead projector, to a copy stand using a computer graphics presentation package or a white board may be an easier transition for some instructor s than for others. Assistance is provided for instructors to learn new computer software graphics presentation packages, such as Microsoft s PowerPoint, and to master the appropriate design of graphics for the copy stand. Students have found it very helpful to have copies of the instructor s graphics as handouts, similar to a set of class notes. These notes can be incomplete incorporating white-space for students to complete notes and jot down additional information. In this way, students can concentrate more on what is occurring in class than to the urgency of keeping up with note-taking. The rehearsal stage occurs approximately one week before the first class. In this stage, the instructor presents a mini-lesson consisting of 15 to 20 minutes of the first class session at the local videoconferencing site classroom linked to the far site. Although the orientation workshop includes a few minutes of practice in using the new videoconferencing technology, it is usually during this rehearsal stage that instructors gain real comfort with this delivery mode. For example, one new skill practiced during this stage is eye contact with students. Establishing eye contact with students contributes towards effective communication. This becomes more difficult to accomplish with students located at the distant site. Thus, this session will give the instructor practice making eye contact with the video camera which will appear to students at the distant site that the instructor is looking at them. Following this rehearsal, the Instructional Designer provides feedback on the instructor s graphics, delivery of information, and teaching strategies. Instructional support continues during the implementation stage as the Instructional Designer observes and critiques the first videoconferencing class. For example, the instructor may feel somewhat unsure about a small group activity planned for this first session or may wish to have more general feedback concerning his/her comfort in using the technology in these early stages. Subsequent sessions are scheduled between the instructor and Instructional Designer as needed. Students also require assistance to successfully assume the role of a distant student. At the beginning of the first class, for example, it is important for students to know the basics of videoconferencing technology, how to use the microphone system (whether push-to-talk or voice activated) and, perhaps most important, the need to be more assertive than in a traditional classroom by interrupting if they cannot see or hear. At the University of Pittsburgh, this information is now usually provided by the Instructional Designer who is working with the instructor and observing the first class. Previously, when the instructor was asked to convey this information to the student, it was sometimes neglected -- perhaps due to the instructor s concern to get on with the lesson s content. Reinforcement of the principles on how to be a good distant student occur throughout the semester. For example, the instructor usually travels to the distant site once during the early part of the semester to transmit a class from that site. The objective of this trip is to establish a better rapport with the distant students by meeting them faceto-face and to give the local students a feel of what it is like to be a distant student. During this class session, students at the local site need to be reminded about being more assertive in their communication style as they experience, perhaps for the first time, what it is like not to have the instructor physically present. Class presentations fall into the realm of active learning and are often times a part of distance learning. Students need clear guidelines in order to be successful with their own videoconferencing instruction. Therefore, students need to become familiar with the use of the new technology as they prepare and deliver these class presentations, individually or in small groups.

5 As with any distance education delivery mode, administrative support services for faculty and students is important. Support services can help faculty who are teaching distant students, e.g., to ensure that required textbooks are available at the book store, reserve materials are available at the far site library, and handouts are delivered to the far site for each class session, thereby freeing faculty to concentrate on instructional matters. The quality of support services is also critical for students who are studying at a distance. For example, support services can assist the student with the task of completing registration and submission of assignments to the instructor. It should be noted that the support services function is the glue holding the entire process together, and many programs have failed because insufficient attention was paid to this important support function. Conclusions Distance education is critical to the learning society -- a society governed by the democratizing principle that everyone will have affordable and convenient access both to the means to learn and to the opportunity to certify that learning has occurred [15]. In order for a distance education model to be successful, administrators of institutions of higher education must be committed to the process and actively involved in its implementation. The institution should promote distance education activities, for example, by assisting departments and faculty to identify courses or programs that should be more accessible to a wider student audience. A system of rewards and incentives should be established that encourages faculty to take on the additional work to develop a new course or convert an existing course to the distance delivery model. In addition, it is critical to establish procedures to monitor and maintain academic quality of these newly developed courses. Because of the usual high cost of the technology learning curve, (e.g., the development of a computer-based course), centralized support services should be available to assist faculty with the development, adaptation, and delivery of distance courses. It should be recognized that students also will need specialized support services to aid them with learning in a distance environment. The administration should also support research into new and emerging technologies that have the potential to improve the instructional design, development, and delivery processes of distance courses. To ensure the model s success, faculty, students, administrators, and support services should meet regularly to assess progress and make appropriate changes. In conclusion, in order to survive, colleges and universities must adapt educational paradigms to meet the evolving educational needs. We must begin to respond to the contemporary needs and expectations of learners in the 21st century. References 1) Tucker, R. W., Distance learning programs: Models and alternatives, Syllabus, Vol. 9, No. 3, November/December 1995, pp ) Drucker, P., Universities won t survive, Forbes Magazine, March 10, ) Corensky, R., The quality professor: Implementing TQM in the classroom, Madison, WI: Magna Publications, ) Crosby, P. B., Let's talk quality: 96 questions you always wanted to ask Phil Crosby, New York: McGraw- Hill, ) Felder, R. M., Silverman, L. K., Learning and teaching styles in engineering education, Engineering Education, Vol. 78, No. 7, 1988, pp ) Smith, K. A., The craft of teaching cooperative learning: An active learning strategy, 1989 Frontiers in Education Conference Proceedings, 1989, pp ) Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. T., Smith K. A., Active learning: Cooperation in the college classroom, Edina, MN: Interaction Book Company, ) Moore, M. (Ed.), Contemporary issues in distance education, Oxford: Permagon Press, 1990 pp. xv. 9) Distance Education in Pennsylvania Higher Education, A Report of the Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Universities Distance Education Study Group, 1996, pp ) Moore, M. G., Kearsley, G., Distance education: A systems view, CA: Wadsworth. 1996, p. 9, ) Zastrocky, M., The IT revolution continued: Managing diversity in the 21st century, Gartner Group Annual symposium on the Future of the Information Technology Industry, Orlando, Florida, October 7-11, ) Life After Forty, The Institution for Higher Education Policy, Washington, DC. October, ) Dillman, D. A., Christenson, J. A., Salant, P., Warner, P. D., What the public wants from higher education (Technical Report #95-52), Washington State University: Social and Economic Research Center, ) Davis, D. J., Claus, J. M., Preparing faculty to use compressed interactive video, Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, LA., ) Graves, W. H., Free trade in higher education: The meta university, Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, Vol. 1, No. 1, March 1997.