The purpose of this handbook is to provide faculty with an overview of ETSU’s distance education program. ETSU offers live interactive television courses, Internet courses, and pre-taped video courses. ETSU also has live, interactive videoconferencing capability.

· provide instructional, technical, and programmatic support for ETSU faculty to plan, develop, and teach distance education courses;

· promote and identify needs of academic and administrative units that could use distance education technologies;

· plan, improve, and implement future applications of different telecommunication delivery systems;

· participate in collaborative efforts among other Tennessee Board of Regents’ institutions, public and private higher institutions, local, state and federal government agencies, and business and industry for the citizens of the State of Tennessee.

The distance education courses offered at ETSU serve primarily to meet the programming needs of off-campus students. The first interactive TV (ITV) course was taught during Spring Semester 1990. Since 1990, over 120 faculty have taught Distance Education courses. Most offerings are a broad spectrum of regularly scheduled university courses, which complement or supplement the courses or programs offered through traditional delivery at off-campus centers in Kingsport, Greeneville, Bristol, Mountain City, and Knoxville. Lower-division courses from the general education core are normally scheduled during the day. Upper-division and graduate courses are normally scheduled during the late afternoon and evening. Via the compressed video system, students in the Knoxville area can take courses that lead to a master’s degree in Environmental Health or Computer Science. Through the fiber optic system, since Fall Semester 1998, students can take two MBA courses each semester, including summer, and complete a degree in two years at off-campus sites in Bristol, Greeneville, and Kingsport. The articulation agreement between ETSU and Pellissippi State Technical Community College provides another programmatic emphasis. Beginning Fall Semester 1999, students can complete the third and fourth years of a degree leading to a B.S. in Engineering Technology. A second articulation agreement between ETSU and Walters State Community College serves as a primary plan to facilitate scheduling courses at ETSU at Greeneville for degree programs in Criminal Justice, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction, as well as courses from the College of Business.

Faculty Training

Dr. Darcey Cuffman, Programming Coordinator Phone: 439-7058; e-mail: cuffmand@etsu.edu

Mr. Rob Nelson, Video Production Coordinator II Phone: 439-8365; e-mail: nelsonr@etsu.edu
(all fiber optic classes)

Mrs. Lynn Shurtleff, Video Production Coordinator I Phone: 439-6457; e-mail: shurtlel@etsu.edu

Mrs. Dia Smith, Operations Coordinator Phone: 439-6874; e-mail: smithdl@etsu.edu

Tennessee Board of Regents Guideline A-070 requires that all faculty who teach through distance education/learning technology receive specialized training in the effective use of the technology in the classroom.

The Distance Education staff provides faculty with training before each semester. Distance Education staff hold individual meetings with the faculty prior to the semester to review all procedures and share useful information, from both the teacher and student perspectives, on the similarities and differences between instruction delivered through the traditional classroom and distance education. Based on faculty preferences, each course is individually designed to the use of the available classroom or Internet technology. The Distance Education/Learning technologies currently deployed are:

· Interactive Television (ITV) microwave system – one-way video, two way audio,
Campus classroom – 123 Sam Wilson
Off-campus receive rooms – Kingsport , Bristol, Greeneville

· Interactive Television (ITV) fiber optic system – two-way video and audio
Campus classrooms – 133 and 132 Brown Hall
Off-Campus fiber rooms – Kingsport (2), Bristol (2), Greeneville(2), Mountain City

· Interactive Television (ITV) compressed video system – two-way audio and video, and videoconferencing to rooms outside of our primary service region
Campus classroom – 138 Lamb Hall

· Telecourses – Video Checkout courses and Public Broadcast courses through WSJK, channel 2.

· Web-Based Courses - The Distance Education server [http://online.etsu.edu] – supports faculty development and deployment of web-based courses and web enhanced courses. Faculty training in the use of Blackboard's CourseInfo may be scheduled by sending an email. Interactive CD faculty tutorial for CourseInfo is also available and may be requested by email.

For faculty training, contact Mrs. Lynn Shurtleff (Microwave and compressed video systems) at 439-6457 or Mr. Rob Nelson (fiber optic system) at 439-8365. For web based courses, contact Dr. Gary M. Walters.

For Interactive TV (ITV) courses, each instructor will become acquainted with the process of how programming and scheduling are developed; live, interactive teaching via ETSU's studios and facilities, and outreach services available. You will be provided with procedures and techniques that will enable you to teach over television with much the same ease that you use in your other classes. The handbook is only a guide and subject to change.

Although many of your students may be familiar with interactive television courses, some will be taking classes for the first time. Both students and faculty should understand that teaching ITV courses is unique and that these telecasts should not be compared with commercial television programs. Interactive television is unique because students at the off-campus sites can interact with the campus classroom live. Teachers and students interact with each other as in a regular classroom setting. Several factors are involved in teaching and learning via any form of distance education. For example, some factors include course planning, instructional design, instructional methods, differences and similarities between adult learners and traditional age college students, assignments, level of course, communication with students outside of class, and grading criteria. To make your transition from teaching in a regular classroom, faculty work with distance education staff to plan and develop a course. The principles outlined below are based on the strength of live and interactive teaching over television.

For more information about offering an ITV course, contact Dr. Darcey Cuffman (cuffmand@etsu.edu) at 439-7058.

The Office of Distance Education provides support to faculty developing or offering Internet based courses and supplemental materials for interactive television classes, video checkout classes, and telecourses. In 1997 the University adopted an Internet course policy that describes and defines some procedures and several aspects of Internet course delivery at ETSU( see Appendix A). A few Internet courses are scheduled each semester. Beginning, Summer Semester 1998, all sections of CSCI 1100, Using Information Technology, are delivered via the Internet. Students only meet for lab sections. Support services are available to help faculty create Internet courses.
An Internet course is defined to be a course in which students may complete more than 50% through web access.

Distance Education servers. Distance Education provides server access to all faculty teaching distance education courses for purposes of developing and providing course enhancements to ITV and telecourses, as well as for the development and delivery on Internet courses. All DE servers run Frontpage 2000 server extensions. DE servers also run WebBoard server, UH QuizServer, and Real Audio G2 Server.

Supported Software/Applications. Distance Education currently supports FrontPage 98 and 2000, Webboard 3.5, Adobe Acrobat, Assymetrix Tool Book II and Librarian, Real Audio G2, QuizServer, Hyperstudio, and many other software products for web content development. The Office of Distance Education holds several licenses for FrontPage 2000 for faculty use in web course development.

Faculty Assistance. The Office of Distance Education can provide a faculty assistant to work directly with the faculty member to transform an existing course to the Internet format. Also, course demonstration webs can be accessed to allow faculty to preview a web course format. These web course templates can be customized for the specific course.

Standard Components for Web-based Courses: The following components should be included in every web-based course independent of the course content:

d) A technical help page – when students have technical problems with the course, they should be directed to resources for assistance

e) A student resources page – a page containing hyperlinks to university resources designed for students who are seeking help or support. An example would be a web page that contains hyperlinks to the Library, important semester dates (Registrar), Adult Programs & Services, Advisement Resources Center, Career Placement and Internship Services, Counseling Center, and Disability Services. Distance Education should develop such a page to be used in every course.

f) Instructor Contact Information: Students must be provided reasonable opportunity for private contact and communication with the course instructor. Contact information should include office hours, telephone number, email address, fax number (if available), and mailing address. Regularly scheduled synchronous chat sessions could also be included, provided that the chat sessions allow for private sessions between the student and the instructor.

g) Each Internet course must provide for the interaction among students and faculty and students. An online discussion forum would be an asynchronous example of this.

h) Each Internet course should provide the student with a calendar for assignment completion to help pace the student through the course. Due to the nature of asynchronous learning, students need a guide and calendar for completion of assignments.

i) All Internet courses will be password protected and each student enrolled in the course shall be given a username and password to the course.

j) Each course shall have a public page to allow prospective students to view the course objectives, calendar, prerequisites, and technology required to access the course modules.

k) Distance Education will perform a student assessment for the delivery methods for all Internet courses.

l) Each course must have a student release form due to the discussion forum posting of student comments. Distance Education will place such a form in each course web and collect student submissions into a database.

m) A standard ETSU logo should be on the public page and the home page of the course web to clearly identify the course with ETSU. This logo used should be the same on all courses.

Scheduling Internet based Courses. Courses that meet the definition of an Internet based course must be scheduled through the Office of Distance Education.

Internet Course Exams. Facilitators are scheduled at receive site locations to administer exams for the Internet courses when it is not possible for the student to take the exam on the main campus in Johnson City. All exam dates must be scheduled and confirmed with the student. The faculty member and student must contact the Office of Distance Education at least three days prior to the requested exam date. A faculty member must attach an Examination Form to each exam. The faculty member must provide instructions on the Examination Form on how the exam is to be administered. When exams have been completed, they are returned to the Office of Distance Education, and then forwarded to the faculty member. For more information, contact Mrs. Dia Smith at 439-6874.

For more information about offering an Internet course, contact Dr. Gary Walters at (waltersg@etsu.edu) or Dr. Darcey Cuffman at (cuffmand@etsu.edu) 439-7058.

ETSU has one interactive videoconferencing room on the Johnson City campus. The room is 138 Lamb Hall and supports two-way audio/video interactivity. This room is used to teach distance education courses to locations outside of Northeast Tennessee and for videoconferencing to distant locations.138 Lamb Hall is connected to UT/EDNET, a statewide network operated by the University of Tennessee. The videoconferencing room can be connected to any other room that meets standard interoperability requirements, and to rooms that are either a member of EDNET or have ISDN dial-in capabilities. Rooms that are not EDNET members must be tested for compatibility before videoconferences may be scheduled. The Office of Distance Education schedules interactive videoconferencing.

Telecourses

Telecourses are a complete, integrated instructional system that includes television programs, textbook, study guide, exams, and web sites to add interactivity to the course. Usually, they are professionally made programs licensed from PBS Adult Learning Satellite Service and Coast Telecourses. Most telecourses comprise 26, 30-minute programs. Telecourses are intended for students who are mature, self-disciplined and motivated, and who have prior college experience and who can learn more independently than is typically required in regular classes. Students meet with the instructor at the beginning of the semester for orientation where they are provided a list of assignments, a schedule of times programs are broadcast, and a schedule of optional test reviews, exams, and future meetings.

The following items should be addressed to the department or course instructor prior to registration, namely questions about specific course requirements, exams, meeting dates, etc. This is strongly recommended for students who enroll in more than one telecourse each semester. Because there are only a few formal meetings with the entire class during the semester, students should be aware of important dates (i.e., last day to drop or add classes, tuition refund, withdrawal).

Broadcast Telecourses. Two to four telecourses are broadcast each Fall and Spring semesters via WSJK/WKOP, ch. 2/15, East Tennessee's public television stations. One faculty member is assigned to teach the telecourse. Students attend an orientation at the beginning of the semester. Students meet for optional test reviews and exams during the semester; the faculty member determines the meeting time. Students follow a broadcast schedule in which they watch two, 30-minute programs each weekend, either on Saturday morning or Sunday afternoon.

Video Checkout Telecourses. A few telecourses are available by video checkout each Fall and Spring semester. One faculty member is assigned to teach the telecourse. Students attend an orientation at the beginning of the semester. Students follow a weekly viewing schedule of all of the programs. Usually, this includes 2, 30-minute programs each weekend. Each student receives a complete set of videos at the orientation at the beginning of the semester. Students are responsible for returning the videos at the end of the semester or they will be charged a replacement fee.

For more information about offering a telecourse, contact Dr. Darcey Cuffman (cuffmand@etsu.edu) at 439-7058.

Group orientation is available for new and veteran faculty, followed by one-on-one sessions to answer further questions about operations, video production, and programming and scheduling. Faculty learn first-hand about the studio environment so they may plan their course; receive advice on classroom management; learn about the types of multimedia that can be used and schedule mock teaching sessions. Other services follow.

· Staff to handle logistics between faculty on-campus and off-campus sites (e.g., procedure on delivery of course materials and textbooks; professional courier service).

· Classroom facilitators monitor on-campus overflow rooms and off-campus sites. They serve as faculty members' arms and legs to pass out homework, tests, and exams; take attendance; videotape classes (at selected sites); adjust equipment before class starts, etc. They are a local contact for the student. Their role varies because of the level of the course, the number of and level of students at a site, the individual instructional methods, and type of transmission system used.

· An ITV technician also is available during each class. He/she takes care of the technical and production side of your class and manages technical problems when they arise. The technician’s role varies because of the level of the course, the individual faculty member’s instructional methods, and type of transmission system used.

· Each distance education class is videotaped. Currently, copies are placed at the Library Media Center of the Sherrod Library, ETSU at Bristol, ETSU at Greeneville, and at ETSU/UT at Kingsport. Students may watch the videotapes for review or to make up a class they missed. Faculty may view the videotapes for personal, diagnostic instructional review. Videotapes are kept for two weeks and then erased. Tapes are not checked out.

Delivery and Receipt of Materials. Materials for ITV receive sites are delivered to the Office of Distance Education, located at 908 W. Maple Street. A meeting with new ITV faculty is required prior to the first class to review these procedures.

· A local courier service is used to deliver materials to and from the off-campus receive sites.

· Faculty must provide enough copies of all class materials (e.g., syllabus, homework assignments, tests, and quizzes, etc.) for each student enrolled in the course for all on- and off-campus sections.

· Instructions should be included in each package to help insure proper handling.

· Each site’s materials must be individually packaged and properly addressed to the site receiving the course. The materials are sent to each classroom facilitator for distribution to the students.

· A roll sheet is also provided for your use, if you choose to have roll taken.

· For materials to be at the site before class time, packages must be in the Office of Distance Education by the scheduled deadline.

· Materials returned from off-campus sites are delivered to the Office of Distance Education. Faculty can pick up materials. A staff member (internal courier) from the Office of Distance Education can deliver materials.

· All materials sent to on- and off-campus sites are logged for accurate record keeping. If you are working under a deadline for purposes of graduation, it is the responsibility of the faculty member to request a special delivery of those materials.

· The Office of Distance Education does not provide clerical or test grading services.

· If your materials must be sent to an off-campus site, call 9-6874 and request materials to be picked-up. Or you can have materials delivered to the Office of Distance Education at 908 W. Maple by the scheduled time.

For more information contact Mrs. Dia Smith (smithdl@etsu.edu) Operations Coordinator at 439-6874.

Courier Schedule for Distance Education Course Materials Pick-up and Delivery

Procedures for Packaging Tests and Exams. The security of tests and exams is very important; it is the responsibility of the faculty member and the classroom facilitator to ensure that security is not compromised. Although ITV faculty will continue to provide oral instructions to the students and facilitators regarding exams and tests during class, the following procedures will help ensure security and provide consistent standards to follow.

· Faculty must complete an Examination Control Form for ITV Courses (see page 21) for each test or exam given.

· For each course, one form, that provides explicit instructions, must be completed for each on-campus section (e.g. Warf-Pickel Hall) and/or off-campus section.

· Tests and exams must be packaged separately from homework assignments and other class materials returned to the student in the same class period

· Test materials and Examination Control Form must be inside a sealed envelope with the name of the sender written across the sealed flap.

· The sealed envelope information must include date, to (facilitator and site), from (instructor's name, dept. and course number).

3/15/99 John/Jane Facilitator John/ ETSU-Greeneville (ETSU 4950) Dr. John/Jane Doe

· Packages are to be opened and sealed only by the facilitator for the class.

· Faculty will tell classroom facilitators when they can open the sealed package.

· Upon completion of the tests or exams, Classroom Facilitators certify that they have administered the exams or tests in compliance with instructions provided by the faculty on the Examination Control Form for ITV Courses.

· Classroom facilitators will return tests and exams in specially marked envelopes. Classroom facilitators have these envelopes available for them at each site.

Copyright guidelines, laws, and practice for distance education courses differ from traditional, face-to-face teaching. One important area is “Fair Use” that affects print, video, audio, and Internet use of copyrighted materials. For example, with ITV courses, permission must be obtained to show most videos. New government guidelines also affect the use of digital media, the Internet, and computer software. Copyright is a very complex subject, and so it’s helpful to contact Sherrod Library staff. Depending upon the type of distance education course, the distance education staff can also assist you.

For more information, contact Dr. Gary Walters (for Internet courses), or Dr. Darcey Cuffman and Mrs. Lynn Shurtleff (for ITV courses).

Computer and Software Availability. All Distance Education teaching classrooms have computers for faculty use in displaying presentations. The classroom computers are also connected to the campus network so that faculty may integrate World Wide Web sites into their presentations. Each computer also run an FTP server to allow faculty to electronically transmit presentation materials from their office computers to a course folder on the teaching computer in the ITV room. Microsoft Office is available for all computers; the software programs include MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. ( See Appendix B for computer names to use in FTP.)

Web Pages for ITV Courses. Faculty can use the distance education servers to develop web pages for supplemental course materials for their ITV courses. You can place course syllabus, assignments, and practice tests and exams, create Discussion Forums, as well as list important reminders. Several software packages are available.

Teaching from Off-Campus Locations. Faculty who teach on the fiber optic and compressed video systems are strongly encouraged to teach occasionally from off-campus locations during the semester. Faculty are reimbursed for mileage. They must contact the off-campus coordinators at Bristol, Greeneville or Kingsport to be reimbursed. If traveling to other off-campus locations, contact the Office of Distance Education at 439-6809. Arrangements must be made in advance.

Faculty Who Miss Class. When a faculty member cannot meet his/her class, faculty can make arrangements to pre-tape a class. The tape can be shown during the regularly scheduled class time. Check with the Video Production Coordinators for more information.

Final Exams. Faculty members must contact the Video Production Coordinators two weeks before the end of the semester if 1) you do not administer final exams during the regularly scheduled ETSU final exam week, or if 2) you change the time of a final exam. Check university policy and the semester timetable of courses for dates and times of final.

Make-Up Exams. The Office of Distance Education will schedule a staff member or facilitator for the purpose of giving make-up exams if necessary. For scheduling and compensation purposes, sufficient notice must be given to Dia Smith (if a make-up schedule does not exist for your course).

Materials on Reserve. Materials may be placed on reserve in the library on the Johnson City campus and at ETSU/UT at Kingsport. Materials may also be placed on reserve in ETSU's offices at off-campus sites in Greeneville and Bristol. The standard ETSU Sherrod Library form should be used to put materials on reserve. At Pellissippi State, contact the facilitator for procedures to be followed.

Student Surveys. An Interactive Television Course Student Survey is completed each fall and spring semester for all courses and sections. The student survey includes questions that give us important feedback, allowing Distance Education to better address our students' concerns and needs. We ask the students to reply to questions about who they are, what courses are they presently enrolled in, and what they have gained through the use of our technology. A date for the survey is established for each course.

Faculty Questionnaire. Faculty teaching an ITV course complete a Faculty Questionnaire each semester. The Faculty Questionnaire is to obtain feedback regarding faculty’s experience in teaching an ITV course. The Questionnaire is conducted each semester.

Student Assessment of Instruction. Departments are responsible for administering SAIs for on-campus sections. The On-Campus Control Room Technician does not do the Student Assessment of Instruction (SAI) forms. For off-campus sections, departments can send SAI forms through the off-campus courier service. SAIs are administered by the ITV Off-Campus Technician or ITV Classroom Facilitator. For more information, contact Mrs. Dia Smith at (439-6874).

No Class Due to Technical Problems. When class cannot be viewed due to technical problems, appropriate arrangements will be made to allow the students to view the class missed. If technical or network problems are known in advance of class time, the instructor will be notified.

Inclement Weather Policy. The ETSU Policy and Procedures manual provides information about canceling classes due to inclement weather. This policy affects regularly scheduled day and evening courses. However, for regularly scheduled weekend ITV courses or telecourse meetings, faculty determine whether or not a class will meet. Faculty need to include information in their syllabus about how students and Distance Education staff will be contacted if a weekend class is canceled because of inclement weather.

Faculty have individuals, who are employed by the Office of Distance Education, at on- and off-campus sites that help with your ITV class. An On-Campus Control Room Technician is assigned for each ITFS, compressed video, and fiber optic on-campus classroom. An Off-Campus Control Room Technician is assigned for each fiber optic off-campus classroom. The On-Campus Control Room Technician handles broadcast equipment and resolves technical problems for on- and off-campus ITV Technicians and Classroom Facilitators.

· are responsible for logging, recording, and transporting videotapes to the Library Media Center;

· assist faculty in the use of distance education technology, resource materials, and course delivery, including the use of PC software as part of the instructional delivery of a course.

The On-Campus Control Room Technician is aware of handling copyrighted items; for example, broadcasting videos. The On-Campus Control Room Technician does not do the Student Assessment of Instruction (SAI) forms. The On-Campus Control Room Technician administers the Distance Education surveys each fall and spring semester. Because of different transmission systems, the duties of an On-Campus Control Room Technician vary slightly.

For more information about the On- and Off-Campus Control Room Technician’s role, contact Mrs. Lynn Shurtleff (microwave and compressed video systems) and Mr. Rob Nelson (fiber optic system).

The Classroom Facilitators are individuals employed by the Office of Distance Education who assist with your ITV course. They work in on-campus overflow rooms and at off-campus sites. You can think of them as pairs of “extended arms and legs.” Classroom Facilitators call in prior to class and report technical problems to the On-Campus Control Room Technician. They are trained to resolve problems efficiently and professionally. They complete technical problem reports when problems occur. Classroom Facilitators also act as an ETSU representative and liaison between the students and faculty. They are not subject matter experts. However, they perform tasks at your instruction only; for example, they may take class roll, hand out and collect homework, and administer tests and exams. Classroom Facilitators at off-campus sites also record, log, and give a copy of the videotape of each class to the off-campus library or office staff. They also pick-up and return envelopes from the courier service for your course. ITV Classroom Facilitators administer the SAI and Distance Education surveys each fall and spring semester.

For more information about the Classroom Facilitator’s role, contact Mrs. Lynn Shurtleff (microwave and compressed video systems) and Mr. Rob Nelson (fiber optic system).

Programming Coordinator. The Programming Coordinator develops schedules; works with departments and the Registrar's office on course scheduling for interactive television courses, Internet courses, and telecourses; works with advisors and coordinators at off-campus sites to determine course needs; meets with the majority of deans and department chairs annually; maintains course scheduling and enrollment data; provides an update on programming initiatives and obtains feedback on college/department participation from deans and department chairs.

Operations Coordinators. Operations include those functions related to off-campus or receive site classrooms and the students enrolled.

Contact Mrs. Dia Smith (smithdl@etsu.edu) (phone: 439-6874) regarding

· faculty assistants,

· management of the courier service (which makes a daily circuit among all of the receive sites to pick up and deliver course materials),

· sending Student Assessment of Instruction (SAIs) surveys to receive sites

· arrangements for testing locations for Internet courses and telecourses

· arrangements for testing locations for ITV make up exams that were not announced at the beginning of the course

Contact Mr. Jonathan Donnelly (donnelly@etsu.edu) (phone: 392-8012) regarding

· day-to-day classroom operations at ETSU/UT at Kingsport

· supervising, hiring, training, and scheduling classroom facilitators at ETSU/UT at Kingsport

· technical liaison with the Video Production Coordinators

· distance education student surveys

Video Production Coordinators. The Video Production Coordinators meet with each faculty member prior to the semester to discuss his/her course and provide an introduction to the use of the interactive technology in the classroom. Based on faculty preferences, each course is individually designed to use the available classroom technology. The Video Production Coordinators also hire and train the ITV technicians and ITV Classroom Facilitators for on-campus receive sites, ETSU at Greeneville, ETSU at Bristol, and other selected off-campus sites. An ITV technician must be trained on the use of equipment and in proper communication with Classroom Facilitators at receive sites and faculty whose class he/she is working. For issues related to faculty training, classroom facilitators, and ITV technicians, contact Mrs. Lynn Shurtleff for the microwave and compressed video systems or Mr. Rob Nelson for the fiber optic system.

· A band of microwave frequencies set aside by the FCC exclusively for the transmission of educational programming to receive sites within 20-30 miles.

· Receive sites require a converter since all ITFS courses are "scrambled" by the local cable companies.

Fiber Optic (effective Fall 1993; second classrooms established Fall 1998 & Fall 1999)

· Hair thin, flexible glass rods that use light signals to transmit audio, video, and data signals.

· Fiber optic cable has much higher capacity and quality than traditional copper or coaxial cable, and is not as subject to interference and noise.

· Off-campus sites: ETSU/UT at Kingsport (2 rooms), ETSU at Bristol (2 rooms), ETSU at Greeneville (2 rooms), and Johnson County High School in Mountain City.

· A digital video signal using less information to transmit than broadcast quality or full-motion video.

· Text, graphics, audio/video, Discussion Forums, Quizzes, and other applications combined together to form course content or a complete course.

· Two Distance Education servers dedicated to faculty and student use for the purposes of delivering courses and/or course materials through Internet access.

· Deployment servers are deserve.etsu.edu and de.etsu.edu. A development server is located at dedev.etsu.edu.

Teaching Tips for ITV Faculty

The following topics are covered: Teaching Techniques, Audio/Visual Aids, Graphics for Instructional Television, On-Camera Techniques, and Instructional Design/Management Techniques.

A well-presented lecture over an ITV system, with live interaction between the campus classroom and the distance learners, can be very effective. Don't sell yourself short as a presenter. The television teacher is not only the center of activity, he or she is also the director of the program. Teaching over television is an extension of your regular classroom teaching. It is not a pre-recorded or tightly scripted instructional television program. Instructors should work so that the camera operator takes cues from them as progress is made from step to step.

Technical difficulties occur occasionally. Faculty members should have back-up plans, in case off-campus sites are unable to see and/or hear. Consider suitable substitue activities. Classroom Facilitators and Technicians will need to be aware of these plans. Don’t panic!

There are several keys to successful teaching. Here are a few of the elements you may consider.

Just as you are able to identify successful traditional teacher characteristics, so are you able to identify effective television teaching. The greatest challenge in ITV instruction is the effective involvement of the off-campus sites into the distributed classroom environment. The goal is to have only one class that includes the students in the classroom studio and all students at the off-campus sites.

· All other aspects of instruction can be directed to enhance the teaching process.

The personal aspect of communication serves as a motivator. Some ways to achieve this goal are:

· Try to visualize what is happening at the site; put yourself in the student’s place.

Try to bring in a guest during a particular instructional program or anytime during a semester's class for a change of pace. This is especially encouraged for instructional television.

· Guests can be videotaped for playback during the class period if their schedule does not a permit a live visit.

· Whenever possible, guests should be oriented to the system before they appear.

· The production staff should be informed in advance when extra microphones, chairs, etc., need to be set-up.

Think visually! How can I best express a concept? ... Slides, videotapes, transparency...? Television is a visual medium, but visuals are not always necessary. For good classroom and television teaching, the single question, which determines whether a visual or a graphic should be used, is, “Will it add to the point I wish to make?” If it won't, don't use it.

· The television system can show computer presentations, Internet sites, slides, videotapes, handwriting, overhead transparencies, graphics, etc., just as in a regular classroom.

· The use of a/v aids, including graphics, helps to make a good teaching situation and should be paced according to specific purposes.

· You may want to try new visuals prior to broadcast and let the technicians know what you will be using for a class.

Graphics for Instructional Television – Key Points to Remember

· Boldness and Simplicity. Present the information in as few words as possible, outline format or using only key words works best. The bolder the information, the better it can be seen.

· TV is a horizontal format with a 3x4 aspect ratio, so orient the layout accordingly.

· Stay within the "safe title" area by leaving an adequate margin or border around the title or drawing.

This is 12 point

This is 26 point

On-Camera Techniques

In some cases, newcomers to TV move and talk too fast. Nervousness may make a person speak and move more rapidly than in ordinary situations. Always remember that you are NOT ON TV, you are simply teaching a class through the use of television technology. It is not necessary that a teacher talk continuously for the full length of time on the air! As in any teaching situation, the use of prepared a/v aids offers many opportunities for pausing or thinking. Slow your pace down a bit, but keep the material flowing. The remote operation of the cameras does allow for movement, but keep in mind the position of the cameras relative to their view of what you are doing and avoid quick or sporadic movements. It is helpful to provide direction for the technical crew by telling them what you want.

Effective Use of Video Production Resource Staff

You will have, probably for the first time in your teaching career, a team of professionals whose purpose is to make your class (and you) look good! And remember, don't hesitate to ask the technicians for assistance.

Faculty Training

Telecourses

Faculty Who Miss Class. When a faculty member cannot meet his/her class, faculty can make arrangements to pre-tape a class. The tape can be shown during the regularly scheduled class time. Check with the Video Production Coordinators for more information.

Contact Mrs. Dia Smith (smithdl@etsu.edu) (phone: 439-6874) regarding

· faculty assistants,

· management of the courier service (which makes a daily circuit among all of the receive sites to pick up and deliver course materials),

· sending Student Assessment of Instruction (SAIs) surveys to receive sites

· arrangements for testing locations for Internet courses and telecourses

· arrangements for testing locations for ITV make up exams that were not announced at the beginning of the course