This document summarizes a presentation on videoconferencing given at the WCET Annual Meeting in San Antonio, TX on November 1, 2012. It discusses how Utah State University and the University of Utah College of Nursing use interactive videoconferencing (IVC) to deliver distance education programs. IVC allows them to reach students across multiple campuses. The University of Utah specifically uses IVC to deliver its PhD nursing program entirely at a distance. Both institutions discuss best practices for IVC classroom design and challenges with finding an affordable single solution for high-quality synchronous video and web conferencing.

1. Videoconferencing: Creating the Virtual
Classroom
WCET Annual Meeting
San Antonio, TX
November 1, 2012
Alan D. Greenberg
Wainhouse Research
Robert Wagner
Utah State University
Andy Black
University of Utah College
of Nursing

2. Collaborative Technology
© 2012 Wainhouse Research, Inc. All rights reserved. 2
WR Distance Education and e-Learning Metrics Survey 2011

3. What do these (and other colleges /
universities) have in common?
?
© 2012 Wainhouse Research, Inc. All rights reserved. 3

4. “The combination of online
technology and the campus
experience has the potential
to take innovative traditional
universities to new levels,
allowing them not only to
respond to disruptive
competition but also to serve
many more students with
their existing resources.”
-The Innovative University: Changing the DNA of
Higher Education from the Inside Out, Eyring &
Christensen, 2011. Italics and bold added.

5. Utah State University - Statewide
• 350 Interactive Video Conferencing (IVC)
courses Fall 2012 semester
• Over 29 USU-owned sites
• Average 474 IVC events per
week
• Faculty development/Administrative
Communication

6. The Pro’s and Con’s of IVC
Classroom Delivery
Pro’s:
• High quality audio and video
• Easier transition for traditional faculty
instruction
• Use of existing classroom resources
(retrofit)
• Broader application across an institution
• Provides a “classroom experience” for
students
• Provides a “classroom experience” for
instructors
Con’s:
• Controlled technology and instructional
• Costs (technology and delivery)
environment
• Requires a systemized high speed network
• Effective for multi-campus university
across endpoints
systems
• Lack of mobility for students and
• Local institutional identity and
instructors
community building
• Promotes the “stand and deliver”
• Use of a variety of instructional tools
approach to instruction
• Restricted endpoint delivery (i.e.
locations)

7. IVC Classroom Design
• Codec
• Room controller
• Overhead microphones
• Student/Instructor Cameras
• Projector and/or Monitor (e.g. 90”)
• Lighting, wall color, sound-proofing
• Instructor tools: document camera,
monitor(s), computer, smart board
• Facilitator station
• Lecture capture

8. Focusing on the
“interactive” of
Interactive Video
Conferencing
• Un-tether the instructor
• Interactive learning models
• Creating the classroom experience from a
distance
• Flipping meets IVC
• Technology rich…technology development
• Instructor-student evaluations

9. University of Utah
College of Nursing
• In a nutshell…
o We offer BS, MS, DNP and PhD education in nursing
o All of our courses are enhanced through online learning
o Many of our courses are also offered in mixed or fully distance formats
o Our PhD nursing program is offered only through synchronous
videoconferencing
• Nursing education at a distance
o Our PhD program is designed to educate nurses by allowing them to
remain in their remote locations within the intermountain west, and
internationally
o PhD education is more about learning with others about theoretical
concepts, and therefore engaging discussion is key
o Therefore, asynchronous online education was not adequate to meet our
program goals and objectives

10. Early PhD Nursing
Program
• Early PhD Nursing program through synchronous
videoconferencing
o Moved entirely to videoconferencing distance classes in 2004
o Originally delivered using IVC equipment (Polycom) to students in their
homes on their PC’s using Polycom PVX software
o Connections made over the Utah Telehealth Network bridging service
o A technician was employed to watch the courses live and
troubleshoot/make adjustments on the fly as requested

11. PhD and DNP Nursing
Programs Today
• PhD Nursing program today
o Continuing the use of full synchronous
videoconferencing services through the Utah
Telehealth Network (UTN) bridge
o Using Cisco Jabber software allowing both Mac
and PC platforms, and all OS versions
o UTN provides connection support and monitoring
services, as well as initial testing and setup with
students in their homes/remote locations
o Individual desktop troubleshooting performed by
CON IT technicians
• Webconferencing also used
o Currently using Wimba (now owned by Blackboard,
and migrating to Collaborate)
o Multimedia content delivered through Wimba as
well as live chat simultaneously with the
videoconferencing session
o Both video and webconferencing sessions are
recorded for student playback

13. Tried and Learned
• Examples of other applications and systems tried
and tested for videoconferencing
o Skype Group
o Adobe Connect
o Vidyo
o SeeVogh
o Conference Me
o WebEx
o Polycom CMA
• We have not yet found a single solution that
provides many live video feeds as well as
webconferencing features in the same application,
using reasonable Internet bandwidth, and quality
video resolution at a reasonable price

14. What we Need
• Still seeking a single low-cost program solution
which will provide:
o Multiple synchronous video feeds (up to 20 or more)
o High quality audio and video transmission
o Low latency
o Session recording of all functions (audio, video, desktop and application
sharing, and multimedia)
o Webconferencing features:
• Whiteboard
• PPT sharing
• Desktop/application sharing
• Recording

15. Need Flexibility
• Faculty able to teach from their offices or on the
road through the Jabber software, rather than be
tied to the Polycom hardware
o Just need a laptop with a camera and a microphone
o A separate higher quality webcam rather than the built-in is often better
o A headset with microphone is also better at reducing/eliminating echo
cancellation issues
• This is less convenient/comfortable, but the quality is better
• Can still teach from the main classroom using the
Polycom equipment if desired
o More controlled environment

16. Bridging Service
• Most applications such as Skype and Adobe
Connect rely on Internet bandwidth to manage the
video connections
o This is why they limit the number of live video feeds
o After about 6 live video feeds, the quality dramatically decreases, and
latency increases
• A bridging service throttles all feeds through the
same management device, delivering quality to all
connections
o More expensive, but provides better quality
• The University of Utah College of Nursing currently
utilizes the Utah Telehealth Network bridging service

17. Q&A
Robert Wagner, Robert.Wagner@USU.edu
Andy Black
Andy.Black@Nurs.Utah.Edu
Alan D. Greenberg
Agreenberg@wainhouse.com