MPEG2 Teaching Impact: Surveying the Impact of Synchronous Full Motion Video in Post-Secondary Teaching Environments

Participating Institutions/Organizations:

University of Alberta, the University of Calgary, the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in Edmonton and the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in Calgary. At present, the Alberta Video Classroom Network extends to eighteen (20-108 seat) classrooms and four smaller “Cyberports” at six campuses. The Alberta Video Classroom Network will also interoperate with the RACOL Virtual Presence Learning Environments (VPLE’s) located in 6 high schools in the Fort Vermillion School Division. The Banff Centre, Sonic Design Interactive, Netera Alliance

Application Domain:

Collaborative systems, Interchange and interoperability, Broadcasting, Distance learning and education.

Supporting Networks:

NeteraNet, run by the Netera Alliance Inc., a high-speed research backbone in Alberta that is one of the Optical Regional Advanced Networks (ORANs) that are connected by CA*Net 4, Canada's Advanced Research and Education network operated by CANARIE.

End-points/Clients:

The video codecs are MPEG-2 from Amnis. Netera Alliance Inc. upgraded the provincial research network to an optically multiplexed Gigabit Ethernet design (called NeteraNet) with one optical channel dedicated to carrying the traffic of video-enabled classrooms.

Use:

The paper Surveying the Impact of Synchronous Full Motion Video in Post-Secondary Teaching Environments [24] focuses on outcomes from an evaluation done on post-secondary MPEG2 synchronous environments in Alberta, Canada. The outcomes and feedback from this evaluation were used in the design and development of a synchronous collaboration system for a secondary school division in a rural and remote area of Alberta. The study findings and subsequent recommendations will assist educational planners, technicians and administrators seeking recommendation to optimize their synchronous collaborative systems for teaching and learning.

Notes:

For more information go to current RACOL project Web site: http://racol.ualberta.ca.

Contact:

Cathy King, Regional Manager, Netera Alliance, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2G5, kingc@netera.ca