On Monday 21st of October we went in a visit to CET video conferencing system which is located in the main Library at Sultan Qaboos University. In our visit we meet one of the video department personnel Mr. Humaid Al-Adwani and he gave us brief explanation about the video conferencing system. In this report I'll take about the main features of the system and how can SQU benefit from it.
TAND BERG video conferencing system at SQU uses IP address for communication between different conferencing sites. It consists of the following devices:
1.Voice catcher
2.Plasma screen
3.Display screen
4.Smart Board
5.2 stable cameras, 1 move camera
6.Lab tops for the audience with internet connection.
7.Control room ( VCR, Modems, receiver)
SQU can use this system for interviews with new personnel without any need for leaving the Saltanat to meet them. Also Distance Education can be facilitated through this system. SQU can provide courses for students in other universities in the world, as well as providing SQU students with courses from other universities. An example of that is one course in college of science provided by Malaysian university. Also it can be used for meetings.
Predictors of Learning Satisfaction in Japanese Online Distance Learners,
Eric Bray, Yokkaichi University, Japan
Kumiko Aoki, National Institute of Multimedia Education, Japan
Larry Dlugosh, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA
Research problem:
The research investigate whether Japanese students satisfied with their learning in distance learning programs in terms of:learner-teacher interaction, (2) learner-content interaction, (3) learner-learner interaction, (4) learner-interface interaction, and (5) student autonomy.
Questions of the study:
Research Question 1: In general, how satisfied were students with their learning in this online distance education program?
Research Question 2: To what extent was student learning satisfaction predicted by a regression model containing the questionnaire subscales, and the demographic variables?
Methodology:
Study Population:
undergraduate students
urban area of Japan
half the classes offered utilize synchronous lectures
half of the classes offered are much like traditional correspondence classes
number of students: 424
Instrumentation:
A questionnaire, contained closed-ended Likert five-point scale items (ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree), open-ended question items and demographic items
The DLQ contained the following three main sections:
Opinions of Distance Learning(18 items),
General Learning Preferences, and (8 items)
Demographic Information.
Students’ responses to the open-ended items were first translated into English and then coded and placed in themes, where percentages of each theme were calculated to facilitate comparison.
Results:
Results indicate that students were generally satisfied with their learning, and that, specifically, learning satisfaction was higher for students who: (1) could persevere in the face of distance learning challenges, (2) found computers easy to use, (3) found it easy to interact with instructors, and (4) did not prefer social interaction with others when learning.
Design features Attractive Scandinavian design Superior quality IP telephone with advanced features Intuitive user interface and keypad for quick access to all IP phone and video services Wideband 10 kHz handset Easy to deploy and manage Application features Video and voice for every desk Scalable for enterprise mass deployment Richer collaboration than only phone calls can provide Unite remote workers and other members of the organization Scale expertise across the organization Familiar IP telephone features such as a message waiting indicator/button Handset, headset, speakerphone flexibility
Performance features Ultra wideband 20 kHz speaker phone TANDBERG sound echo cancellation High-resolution TANDBERG camera with integrated privacy shutter DVD quality, w448p video resolution 10.6" wide format LCD display with WXGA resolution Bandwidth — SIP up to 1152 kbps Firewall traversal through TANDBERG Video Communications Server (VCS) Expressway
FULLY INTEGRATED UNIT INCLUDING: LCD screen, camera, microphone, loudspeaker, keypad and handset Delivered with power supply/cable and Ethernet cable.
CAMERA TANDBERG custom camera design 1/2.5" CMOS sensor Aperture F2.7 50° Horizontal field of view 29° Vertical field of view (39° total) +5°/-5° digital tilt Manual focus Focus distance 0.3m–infinity 1280 x 720 progressive @30 fps Automatic frequency detection (PAL/NTSC) Automatic and manual brightness/white balance
BANDWIDTH SIP up to 1152 kbps VIDEO STANDARDS H.264, H.263+, H.263 VIDEO FEATURES Native 16:9 Widescreen Picture in Picture (PIP)
AUDIO FEATURES Ultra wideband 20 kHz speaker phone Wideband 10 kHz handset RJ11 headset port TANDBERG acoustic echo cancellation Automatic Gain Control (ACG) Automatic Noise Reduction Packet loss management Active lip synchronization
PRIVACY FEATURES Camera with integrated privacy shutter Video mute button with backlight indicator and far-end video mute indication Audio mute button with backlight indicator and far-end audio mute indication Headset button with backlight indicator USER UNTERFACE On-screen graphic user interface Navigation cluster with select button Message waiting indicator/button 5 contextual soft keys
I am a Student at Sultan Qaboos university, Instructional and Learning Technologies Department.
I'm Proud to be a muslim and to be an Omani citizen.
Finally, I hope every one visited my blog gets alot of benifites.
