Using Interactive Video Conferencing for Multi-Institution, Team-Teaching

The use of interactive video conferencing (IVC) and related technologies to teach courses over the Internet is becoming more common. The typical model for a distance-learning course is a single instructor teaches students distributed in remote locations connected via IVC technology and a web-based learning management system to facilitate interactions. Our approach extends this model to include several instructors co-located with students at multiple locations (three locations in our case: Utah State University, the University of Utah, and Brigham Young University, who partnered to develop and offer a new, joint course on hydroinformatics to predominantly civil engineering graduate students at the three partner universities). The course was offered in the Fall 2012 semester to 28 students. This paper describes the novel approaches used in the course, the challenges and benefits associated with the use of IVC technology across multiple universities, the effectiveness of IVC for student learning, and the complications and benefits of having multiple instructors. Novel approaches include having separate instructors and assessment at each site while sharing course content, live lectures, and discussion forums. Challenges identified include originating content from multiple locations, building rapport with remote students, communicating effectively within a multiple-classroom environment, engaging local and remote students, stimulating critical thinking during lectures and demonstrations, and addressing different institutional regulations and students at each university. Benefits include the efficiency of involving multiple instructors through IVC and sharing their combined knowledge and expertise with students at different universities. Students were surveyed at the midpoint of the semester and after the course concluded to solicit their assessment of the effectiveness of course content and delivery techniques. Instructors self-assessed the course conduct at the midpoint and conclusion to reflect on the effectiveness of course materials, delivery techniques, and student learning. We used the results gathered in this initial offering to identify areas to improve the delivery in subsequent offerings using this new team teaching IVC model. Specifically, we concluded the need to increase active learning and critical thinking when using IVC and to vary learning activities to include non-IVC elements and individual institution elements.