Distance Learning via two way Video.

Details:

• Eight local students, four remote students at three other campuses.
• Regular hour and 15 min. meeting times.
• Supplemental material on line (20 articles plus two text books).
  
• Weekly discussion and presentation (grades for participation).
• Weekly hand in assignments and homework problems, graded.
• Final project, graded: The environmental Physics Web Page at IUS.

Why do it?

• Increase the pool of potential students for low enrollment courses (e.g. physics).
  
• Increase the number of available elective courses by sharing with other campuses.
• Provide access to remote students who need or want a course.
• Teach millions of students using fewer or possibly no faculty (an administrators Holy Grail) . Just kidding!

Why two way video?

• Correspondence courses don't work.
• Web courses require significant individual motivation.
• Personal contact is important.
• Scheduled learning time is important.
• Being able to ask questions is important.
• Learning is a social activity.

Problems

• Registration complications.
  
• Class meeting times not the same on all campuses.
• Time change to daylight savings affected some but not all locations.
• Power outage at one location.
• Camera failure at broadcast location.
• Monitor failure at broadcast location.
• Two transmission interruptions, requiring VICOPS intervention.
• Student participation less than ideal from remote locations.
• Fairness issues.
• Email difficulties (email intensive!).
• Grade roster complications.

Http://Physics.ius.edu