2. Web Conferencing
and the Changing
Student Profile
Web conferencing enables diverse student
populations to experience a virtual
classroom environment:
• More non-traditional students
• More part-time students
• More commuters
• More distance-learning students
3. Advantages
of Web Conferencing:
Collaboration and
Student Engagement
Advantages include:
•
•Collaboration of widely dispersed student body
and faculty
•Students and faculty share documents and visuals
online
•Student engagement: all students can see, hear, and
actively participate in class discussions as if
meeting face-to-face
•No travel hassles: Save time, save gas
•Online classes are environmentally “green”
4. Advantages
of Web Conferencing:
Information Sharing
Students share verbal and non-verbal
information via:
•Slide presentations
•Live video recordings
•Podcasts
•Whiteboard
•Textchat
•Desktop sharing
5. Web Conferencing
Platforms:
Wimba
Wimba includes:
•Audio
•Video
•Application sharing
•Content display
•Polling
•Whiteboarding
•Resizable chat areas and participant lists
•MP3 downloads
•Emoticons and avatars
6. Web Conferencing
Platforms:
Elluminate
Elluminate features:
•High-quality voice over the Internet
•Ability to “see” what is happening in the classroom
through emoticons, hand-raising, and halos that show
who is typing and loading images
•Ability to use breakout rooms and multiple moderators
•Ability to allow single speaker or up to four people to
talk at once
•Instant polling tools
•Interconnectivity with Blackboard
•Efficient operation even on low band-width connections
7. Web Conferencing
Platforms:
iLink
iLink is known for:
• Reliability, security, and productivity-enhancing features
• Commitment to environmental responsibility
• Innovative “Green Meter” that calculates environmental
impact and CO2 emissions saved for each iLink participant
• iLink customers include HP, Aetna, The U.S.
Army, Citigroup, Xerox, and 5 U.S. States
8. Using Web
Conferencing in
the Classroom
Web conferencing in the e-learning classroom
may lead to dynamic learning experiences:
•Active student collaboration and participation
•Students “do” more
•Faculty lecture less
•Increased student retention
9. Effective Web
Conferencing in
the Classroom
To use web conferencing effectively:
Training is essential for faculty to learn dynamics
of facilitating online classroom discussion:
• Avoid the old-model lecture mode
• Avoid the “PowerPoint Drone” syndrome
• Become a “Guide on the Side,” not a “Sage on the Stage”
