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
Features: The image below shows you the main Elluminate Live! window. As you go through this page, please refer back to the numbers on this image to review what each part of the Elluminate window looks like.
1. Toolbar The Toolbar contains a set of buttons used to access several primary functions in Elluminate Live! The poll response buttons (the checkmark and the X) are the most commonly used tools in the toolbar, but other tools included here are: Save, Print, Layout, File Transfer Window, Show/Hide Notes Window. See the Toolbar page in the Using Elluminate section of this Startup Kit for more information about the specific functions of each of the tools in the toolbar. 2. Participants Window The Participants Window shows all session participants, including moderators, along with the functionality privileges assigned to them (meaning the functions of Elluminate each participant is allowed to use) and certain user-inputs such as poll responses and emoticons. Note that functionality privileges that can be assigned to participants include the use of the microphone, the direct messaging area, the whiteboard, application sharing, and live video (webcam). The Participants Window also contains a set of buttons for raising your hand, adding emoticons, and stepping away from the session. See the Participants Window page in the Using Elluminate section of this Startup Kit for more information. 3. Chat Window The Chat Window allows participants to send and view instant text messages. Messages can be sent to the entire room or to individual session participants, and messages received can be filtered by type of message (public or private). See the Chat page in the Using Elluminate section of this Startup kit for more information.
4. Audio Window
The Audio Window contains the tools for using the microphone function and for monitoring and controlling your microphone and its volume levels. See the Audio Window page in the Using Elluminate section of this Startup Kit for more information. 5. Whiteboard The Whiteboard is the largest component in the Elluminate Live! window, containing blank, editable screens and Microsoft Office PowerPoint or OpenOffice.org Impress presentation slides.Above the whiteboard area are navigation controls for moving between whiteboard screens.To the left of the whiteboard area are editing tools that allow whiteboard screens to be marked on. Under the whiteboard area contextual editing tools will appear for some of the editing tools. Depending on which editing tool you have selected, different options will appear. For instance, when the text tool is selected, options will appear for controlling the text size and style. See the Whiteboard page in the Using Elluminate section of this Startup kit for more information.
Limitations: 1. Needs high internet connection 2. Time Zone conflicts, because it is synchronous communication tool and the students are from different countries.
Type of interaction in the distance education at University of Victoria: Online interactions are usually a large part of the course experience. Students participate in ongoing discussions by posting ideas and receiving feedback from the instructor and classmates. Debates, case studies and role plays are some of the learning activities you may take part in.
The university use synchronous and asynchronous interaction through different software or learning management systems: Asynchronous through: 1.WebBoard — an online discussion program 2. Blackboard — Blackboard is a collection of tools to facilitate learning over the World Wide Web
3. Moodle —Learning management system includes online discussion.
Synchronous through: 4. Elluminate Live! — Elluminate Live! is a live, online classroom where students can interact and work with their instructor and fellow students in real time. They can go to their Elluminate Live! sessions from any computer with an Internet connection.
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.
