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Kicking the Tires

This report examines a distance education experiment at the University of Michigan School of Information, focusing on the challenges and outcomes of hybrid learning environments. Led by professors Maurita Holland and Thomas Finholt, the first phase enrolled 65 students in a first-year required course, using tools like Placeware and WebBoard. Key findings indicated that remote students felt “invisible” and faced engagement challenges, while in-class students approved of the experiment despite technology disruptions. The follow-up study explored international collaboration, revealing additional barriers, including time zones and cultural differences.

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Kicking the Tires

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  1. Kicking the Tires Experimenting with Distance Education Technologies at the University of Michigan School of Information

  2. Lija BentleyVlad Wielbut lija@umich.edu wlodek@umich.edu

  3. School of Information http://www.si.umich.edu/

  4. Alliance for Community Technology http://www.communitytechnology.org/

  5. Act 1: Winter 1998 • Course: first-year, master-level, required • Lecturers: Maurita Holland and Thomas Finholt • Enrolled students: 65 • Main rationale: to accommodate 5 commuting students

  6. Tools used: • Placeware Auditorium 1.2 • WebBoard 2.0 • Web site • E-mail

  7. Challenges: • Hybrid environment • separate but equal? • logistical nightmare • Bandwidth problems • Sound

  8. internet PW The classroom setup microphones slides mixing board capture black box floor

  9. Remote students • Were variably engaged with lecture • Had diminished opportunities for “face time” • Had concerns about visibility • Attended office hours normally • Could not easily contribute to in-class discussions

  10. Classroom students • Had a slightly better sense of what happened during lecture • Approved of the experiment • Disliked the disruptive effect of the technology in the classroom

  11. Faculty members • Felt the remote students were “invisible” • Were dissatisfied with turnout to office hours • Agreed that microphones were bothersome • Could not easily involve remote students in the lecture

  12. Major results and analysis • Hybrid environment negatively affects the professor-student relationship • Participating students report overall satisfaction with the experiment

  13. Conjecture • Totally distributed environment would not have this negative effect • closer to original intent of software • would allow other benefits to be more fully realized

  14. Act 2: Winter 1999 • Course: advanced, master-level, elective • Lecturer: Derrick L. Cogburn • Enrolled students: 7 from SI, 10 from Wits, 18 from AU • Main rationale: to deliver a course via the Internet while giving students the chance to practice international collaboration

  15. Tools used: • Placeware Conference Center 3.0 • WebBoard 3.5 • DocuShare 1.5 • Web site (VSC) • Lotus ScreenCam • RealMedia G2 • E-mail

  16. Training movie Recorded session

  17. Challenges: • Technological gaps • Bandwidth problems • Time zones • Cultural differences

  18. Research team: • Derrick Cogburn (CSIR) • Daniel Atkins (SI) • Mary Mulvihill (AU) • Vlad Wielbut (SI)

  19. Do’s and Don’t’s: • Learn to sleep fast • Win lottery • Test, test, test! • Get help • Become a control freak • Never put all your eggs in one basket • Hire someone from Eastern Europe

  20. Do’s and Don’t’s (contd.): • Raise the bar • Keep crybabies out

  21. URLs: http://www.communitytechnology.org/ http://www.communitytechnology.org/placeware/ http://www.communitytechnology.org/courses/globalization http://docushare.si.umich.edu/ http://www.netopia.geocities.com/vladwiel

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