As classes started last Autumn Quarter, associate professor of sociology George Bridges remembered back to the previous fall when he began an acquaintance with the TV cameras and techniques that for 12 weeks both complicated and expanded his teaching routine. Students in the class who did not want to appear on television could sit in a specially marked TV-free zone, but Bridges had to learn to face the cameras and work with them.
Associate professor George Bridges dashes up the aisle to
pick up a
student's comment with his microphone so that both lecture
hall and
cable TV audiences can hear. Text overlays on the cablecast
tape
alternately identify the course and the instructor.
``I am not camera-friendly, but after a few weeks, I tended to make
more eye contact with the cameras,'' Bridges says of his foray into
teaching for TV. ``I eventually learned how to talk to a camera like a
person.''
Bridges, who received the 1996 Distinguished Teaching Award, was filmed as he taught Sociology 271: Introduction to the Sociology of Deviance. This popular general education class, held in Kane Hall, often fills to capacity. With over 500 students signed up, 18 opted to take advantage of this first opportunity to enroll by telecourse. This experimental project involved the collaboration of , University Libraries Media Center, Undergraduate Education through the UWIRED, project, and UW Educational Outreach, with support from the Office of the Provost.
``Videotaping the course was a lot of work,'' recalls Bridges, who has been recognized at the gas station by people who have seen his lectures, which continue to air on UWTV. ``It was difficult, particularly because it was the first time doing something like this. The people in UWTV did a great job.''
``Converting my photo slides for PowerPoint presentation was a very important change,'' says Bridges. ``It opened a door of opportunities for introducing computer technology into the class.''
In the last year, Bridges has gradually expanded his use of the presentation software. He has scanned in materials and built up an array of images and models to present by computer even though his course is no longer being taped.
In the UWTV control room, director Michelle
Mansfield instructs
the camera operators and floor director via headphone, and cues
technical director Restituto Bagcal (seated) as to which camera image
to take. Engineer Jerry Morin checks the sound equipment in the back.
With just 10 minutes between classes to set up, the production crew had
all their equipment ready behind stage. As four hundred students filed
out from the previous class and five hundred more arrived for Bridges's
lecture, the three cameras were placed at the designated locations,
connected to the cable lines in the floor, and checked that they were
functioning properly.
Multiple video screens are monitored in the UWTV control room.
``A lot of what we do in television is to work behind the scenes to
make things go smoothly,'' says Tim Lorang, production manager of video
and TV technologies. ``One of the challenges of recording a live event
is to solve problems without anyone knowing about them.''
In the lecture hall with Bridges was a five-person production crew of three camera operators, a video engineer, and a floor director. Directly below, in the control room, director Michelle Mansfield worked with the technical director and video and audio engineers to make the cablecast tape. With multiple cameras, Mansfield could shift to a student asking a question, focus on the instructor, or pull back to see the lecture hall, giving the telecourse student a sense of being there.
UWired staff consulted with the teaching assistant on how to lead a weekly discussion by email, and set up the email list for the discussion group. Students also submitted homework electronically.
Bridges concedes that using email was a new teaching mode for him, a sociologist adept at in-person communication. Although he acknowledges the potential for misunderstandings via email, he sees its important positive side as well.
``Email offers opportunities for conversations that would never occur in face-to-face interactions,'' says Bridges, ``and for having discussions that are interesting and energized.''
In addition to email, the components of the telecourse include the following:
With finger to ear, George Bridges strains
to hear a student's
question, which he then paraphrases and answers for the
lecture hall
and cable audiences.
Bridges ended up using a handheld microphone, enabling him to move
around the hall to have a dialog with students. If they were too
distant to speak directly into his microphone, he paraphrased their
comments--not quite the same as hearing the students themselves.
``We've got to find a way of getting the students' voices because it makes a difference in the visual presentation on tape,'' Bridges emphasizes.
In addition to the limitations of the technology itself, other considerations such as preparation time, personnel involved, and the desired quality of the end product--particularly if it is to be used for television--must be weighed when determining choices of equipment. There are pros and cons for any approach and most solutions involve some compromise.
``The instructor is not expected to know the ins and outs of the technology,'' production manager Tim Lorang is quick to acknowledge. ``Anyone interested in using this technology needs to have clear expectations of what they want to do, listen to our suggestions, and help us come up with a solution.''
``Having the videotapes available means greater access for all students,'' Bridges points out. ``They can watch the lectures over again if they didn't get the material--and that's very good.''
Students decide whether or not they want to take the course electronically, but Bridges does not see it as a format for everyone.
``The telecourse is probably not for your entering freshman, unless the student is a strong independent learner, who knows how to take notes and prepare for exams,'' says Bridges. ``Technology cannot capture all of the drama or theater that is involved in classroom learning, so for the students who need that, a telecourse won't draw them in. For others, it can be more effective.''
Bridges holds a wireless microphone that plugs into a
radio transmitter
(about the size of a large beeper) and hooks onto his belt
or slips
into his jacket pocket.
By airing university courses and programs, UWTV provides another window on the University of Washington, making the institution more accessible to a broader audience. As pressures on higher education mount in the years ahead, and as projects such as the K-20 network are developed, even wider distribution can be envisioned.
``The hope is to involve a broad spectrum of faculty and departments and colleges in these efforts,'' says associate vice provost Louis Fox, who helped coordinate the project for the provost's office. Interested faculty can contact Fox by email at lfox@u.washington.edu