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Video-conferencing at USyd

The information and advice provided here are intended to assist University staff in planning and teaching via video-conferencing technologies.

Successful video-conference teaching necessitates good organizational and communication skills on your part. Everything needs to be thoroughly planned, booked and communicated in advance of each video-teaching session!

The following areas are addressed

Video-conferencing and video-lecturing
How do I organise a video-conference (or videoconference lecture)?
University-wide technical support and helpful people
Videoconferencing workshops for University Staff
The USyd<vconf> mailing list:

· Video-conferencing and video-lecturing

If you are facing the prospect of video-conferencing in your teaching, it’s helpful first of all to distinguish ‘video-conferencing’ and ‘video-lecturing’.

Video-conferencing may involve you, the lecturer, teaching from the local site - often alone in the studio or lecture room - to students at the remote site. This model of video-conferencing can allow more spontaneity: questions, diversions, and interaction between you and the students. It helps if you have met the students previously face-to-face. This ‘one to many’ is also a common model for video-conference meetings.

If you are Video-lecturing you will be teaching students who are present at the local site with you, along with students at a remote site. Students ‘here’ and students ‘there’. This is a very demanding model of teaching and learning. For video-lecturing to be satisfactory, there needs to be trust and understanding between you and your students.

Desktop IP enables you to communicate visually with students and colleagues from your office using a small video camera mounted on your computer. Using software such as, for example, NetMeeting (PC) or iChat (Apple-Mac), you can discuss and edit files simultaneously, for example. For more information about this technology, contact Mr Rafik Razzouk, ITS, Ext: 9036 9372

Note: Regardless of context, video-conferencing is a highly visual teaching medium, so you should be intending to exploit this feature. Why do you actually need to see each other? If you do not have much visual material, consider using a phone conference (or tele-conference) instead.

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· How do I organise a video-conference (or videoconference lecture)?

When organsing a video-conference, you have to think ‘here’ and ‘there’ - the local site and the remote site.

You have to:

book rooms here and there;
book technical support staff here and there (if needed);
that your teaching material for the session is also available to students here and there (Online? Fax? Print, by mail?).

At the University of Sydney, the following (video-conference equipped) teaching spaces can be booked for video-conference meetings or lectures and seminars. Contact details and technical information are also provided.

Contacts for Video Conferencing with Colleagues from other Campuses

Region	Contact Name	Contact Details
Conservatorium of Music Macquarie Street Sydney	Mr Keith Griffin Network Manager	Phone: 02 9351 1253 Fax:02 9351 1200 Email:keith@conmusic.usyd.edu.au
Faculty of Rural Management Orange	Mr Ray Moffat Network Manager	Phone: 02 6360 5529 Fax: 02 6360 5629 Email: rmoffat@orange.usyd.edu.au

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· University-wide technical support and helpful people:

Audio-visual Services (AVS)
Ext.:17838

In university teaching spaces (not faculty-designated spaces) the staff of Audio-visual Services (AVS) can assist you with your video-conference teaching by

helping you with a rehearsal (Please arrange a time with them first)
testing video-conferencing equipment for you (Please test in advance - don’t leave it until the day!)
switching on the video-conferencing equipment and ‘making a link’ for you at the start of your session
staying with you for part of your session to ensure smooth technical operation.

Information Technology Services (ITS)
Contact: R. Razzouk, Ext: 9036 9372

The University Manager of Video-conferencing in ITS, Mr Rafik Razzouk is available to consult and advise on

technical (and environmental) specifications for video-conferencing, including Desktop IP;
the purchase of video-conferencing equipment;
equipment and electronic network systems trouble-shooting.

VIDEO CONFERENCING FACILITIES FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING
www.avit.med.usyd.edu.au

USyd and Combined Area Health Service Videoconferencing Network
Location	Room 219 Edward Ford Building Faculty Conference Room – Faculty of Medicine Dept of Physiology – Anderson Stuart Meeting Room
Services Available	Video conferencing network designed to operate over collective ATM IT networks Multi Cast Server Bridge provides a gateway to the public ISDN network via a 2Mb Onramp 30 interface The Bridge can handle 12 Video Conference sites concurrently ( 5 could be ISDN connections), 8 Teleconference Phone sites or a mixture of both not exceeding 8 Video and 8 Phone
Fees	Non University users: $60 per hour for site plus $50 administration fee plus $50 per hour conference supervision University users: $30 per hour for site plus $25 administration fee plus $25 per hour conference supervision Medical Faculty and Joint Venture Partners: Free (ISDN charges apply)
Typical Users	Medical Faculty Joint Venture Partners University of Sydney community Outside users
Room Configuration	Room 219 Edward Ford Building: 9 people Faculty of Medicine -Faculty Conference Room: 20 people Dept of Physiology – Anderson Stuart Meeting Room: 15 people
Contact Information	Bridge Manager Mr Chris Aquilina Phone: 02 9351 7325 Fax: 02 9351 7778 Email:avit@med.usyd.edu.au
Contact Bookings	Room 219 Mr Chris Aquilina Phone: 02 9351 7325 Faculty Conference Room Ms Suzanne Everett Phone: 02 9351 4579 Anderson Stuart Ms Lali Jacob Phone: 02 9351 2509

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· Videoconferencing Workshops for University Staff:

Since 2002 introductory workshops have been offered on a needs basis, with the input of staff from the ITL, ITS, AVS and LearnTel Pty Ltd.

The ‘Introduction to Videoconference Teaching’ workshop

addresses the early teaching-learning concerns of novices,
introduces participants to basic video-conferencing equipment and functioning, and
covers strategies for teaching in a highly visual medium
provides opportunities for ‘hands-on’ practice with actual videoconference equipment.

In order to complete the workshop successfully, you are required to conduct a video-conference mini-lesson, with the other participants as your students in a remote studio or theatre on campus.

For more in formation about video-conferencing training and development activities and workshops, contact:

Kim McShane (ITL), Ext: 14872 (from July 2004)

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· The USyd Mailing List:

This mailing list is a means of communication and discussion for those at the University who are interested in videoconference teaching and learning. Videoconference workshops for staff are advertised via this (moderated) mailing list. The list also provides a forum for both sharing best practice as well as discussing some of the challenges related to teaching in this medium.

Subscribe yourself to the list here