The document provides recommendations ("Do's and Don'ts") for using videoconferencing for remote teaching based on human factors. It recommends not using video if unnecessary, avoiding low quality video that is difficult to follow ("non-fluent"), making call setup simple, and not using voice activation. It also recommends prioritizing audio quality and including both the speaker's self-view and views of all audience members. The recommendations are informed by a case study on lack of interaction from remote students unable to see each other and research on the importance of eye contact and lip reading for communication.

1. Do’s and Don’ts of using Videoconferencing for Remote Teaching: A Human Factors Approach Milton Chen, PhD Human Computer Interaction Lab Stanford University Presented at the 21 st NORDUnet Network Conference 8/27/2003

7. The Stanford Video Auditorium desktop interface 15’ x 5’ video wall

8. The Stanford Video Auditorium

10. Videoconferencing Solutions * At 30 fps on a 3 GHz Pentium 4 ~100 Kbps ~200 Kbps ~200 Kbps Bandwidth at 352x288 15fps 352x288 4 Polycom, Tandberg, … ~16 1 Max video links 720x480* vsee 352x288 Microsoft NetMeeting, Yahoo Super Webcam Max video resolution

11. Instructor’s view Student’s view Independent Students Stanford Iceland

12. The great expectation 1927 1 st demo by AT&T 1964 PicturePhone 1991/92 Mbone VIC CUseeMe 1996 NetMeeting expectation

13. first mobile phone, 1924 first handheld phone, 1973 1 st Revolution: Possible 2 nd Revolution: Ubiquitous first videophone, 1927

14. Tyranny of real classrooms vsee A history of failures Harmful effect of video “ We express ourselves into existence .” - Iris Murdoch

16. Eye contact stirs us to action [Sharbat Gula, photographed by McCurry ‘83]

17. Eye contact fires up our brain [Kampe et al. ’01 Nature ]

18. Methodology Observers watch videos of looker Large display with camera at the center

19. Eye contact?

20. Sensitivity is asymmetric * 16 observers judged recorded videos of 1 looker

21. An anatomical explanation looking at you looking sideways looking up looking down eye closing Illustrations from The Artist’s Guide to Facial Expression [Faigin ’90]

22. Tyranny of real classrooms vsee A history of failures Harmful effect of video Eye contact finding Lip sync finding “ We shape our tools, and there after our tools shape us” - Marshal McLuhan

25. Conventional lip synchronization encode network decode A a v time Unsynchronized encode network decode sync a , v Audio delay line A delay skew

27. A new lip sync method encode network decode sync synchronized and low perceived latency a v a v encode network decode A a v time Unsynchronized encode network decode sync a , v Audio delay line A Round trip delay

29. Perception of variable AV skew * 16 subjects judged recorded videos of 1 speaker

30. Tyranny of real classrooms vsee A history of failures Harmful effect of video Eye contact finding Lip sync finding Do’s and Don'ts “ The heart is stirred more slowly by the ear than by the eye .” – Horace

31. 1. Don’t use video if you don’t need it

33. 2. Don’t use “non-fluent” video

35. 3. Don’t make call setup difficult

36. Videoconferencing today? Ericsson’s mobile phone, 1901

37. 4. Don’t use voice activated switching

39. 5. Don’t sacrifice audio

41. 6. Do show self view

43. 7. Do show audience

46. What is a videophone A plane that does not fly is not a plane First flight, Wrights 1903 A videophone that limits communication is not a videophone