TelePresence Leading-Edge Technology for Distance Learning Presented by Kristine Held and Chris Yero Business Technology Instructors Madison Area Technical College Madison, Wisconsin

Madison Area Technical College (Madison College) 12 counties 224 municipalities 40 public school districts 9 Madison College campuses 140+ programs of study 40,000+ students Here is a brief overview of Madison College, our students, and the benefits we provide to the communities we serve. Since 1912, our mission has been to provide our community with accessible, high quality education. We enroll about 40,000 students every year and offer more than 140 programs of study to meet the needs of all of our students and we have nine campuses.

Madison College’s Goal for Distance Education Create an educational classroom experience that will deliver the same quality of education we have in the traditional classroom to students in distance education classrooms located throughout our district. Telepresence is video conferencing that clusters technologies allowing a person to feel as if they are present together in one room even though they are not. Click picture for web link.

Rebuild Our Data Network Phone System Distance Education System Security Capability for High Definition Digital More . . . 2007 – 2008 Academic School Year

The Foundational Key to Our Success: Collaboration Throughout the College College-wide steering committee was formed Meetings conducted with all campus locations to find out their individual needs Input obtained from technology services Group and individual meetings were held with faculty involved with distance education

What Madison College Decided . . . Unified Communication Digital Surveillance Video Capability for High Definition Digital Delivery for Library Services Switches, Cables, and other Infrastructure Supports TelePresence – for Distance Education

Quality of TelePresence High-definition life-size image connection. High-definition connection to video, PowerPoint, and web connections. Sound is of the highest quality – microphones are almost invisible. The room is designed for simplicity and ease-of-use – one button start. Computers can be fitted into the rooms for each student. Distance education in the past had provided the access but the quality has borderline acceptable. With TelePresence we have experienced the high level of visual, audio, and easy of use. It has surpassed our every expectation when using the point-to-point delivery. There are currently six 3200 rooms that sit sixteen students plus. The technology itself just fades into the background. This creates the feeling of all participants being in the same room. Includes in the room: lighting, cameras, surfaces and microphones – makes the interaction as true-to-life as possible. When the doors to the classroom close and the class begins; the participants, no matter where they are located, become part of a family community where interaction is at an intimate, personal level.

Originally Built for Business This is where the technology was when we adopted it. We worked with Cisco to improve it from here. (Show video.) Click picture for web link.

Room Layout Everyone is seated at a round table Room specifications Advantages of sitting in the round Instructor also sits as part of that round Stories about students seeing each other for the first time; story of student sitting around kitchen table with family Room specifications—Lighting, paint, surfaces, chairs, etc. work together to create an immersive experience where people feel like they are in the same space even though they are separated by miles. A Madison College TelePresence Classroom

Which Campus Location? Portage Watertown Fort Atkinson Because of those specifications, it really does feel like people are all sitting together. Look at this picture and see how it appears that the three campuses on the screen are all in the same room. Madison – Truax Campus

Video and Sound Quality Lighting Studio Quality Sound Directional Sound Internet Access DVD Document Camera High quality (as mentioned) makes it feel like you can reach out and touch people.

Educational Additions to TelePresence Rooms Side Monitors (High Definition TV Screens) Student Notebook Computers Document Camera Instructor Computer Station Outside Phone Line What each of the elements listed on the screen does for the learning experience

Concierge (Help Desk) One of the big benefits…a live person to talk with at the help desk.

What the College Purchased 3200 Unit 16 student seats 1 instructor station District purchased six of these units Locations: Madison – Main Campus Madison – West Campus Fort Atkinson Portage Reedsburg Watertown 1000 Unit 2 seats District purchased six of these units Locations: Madison – Main Campus Madison – Commercial Avenue Campus Madison – Downtown Campus Madison – South Campus Reedsburg Help Desk What the college purchased, including where they are located

How the Technology is Used 16-Seat Units American History Accounting Patrol Procedures Basic Algebra Careers in IT Report Writing Math Concepts 70+ Classes In Total 2-Seat Units Meetings – if time permits Tutoring Services Advising Services Student Services How the rooms are used…sample listing of classes.

Today’s Collaboration Efforts Continue Work With Consultants (Core BTS) College-Wide Steering Committee Technology Services Department Scheduling Committee for TelePresence Faculty Mentoring Group How did Madison College succeed in implementing this technology?

Feedback from TelePresence Users More than 60% of instructors found that their students were more engaged in the TelePresence classroom than a typical classroom (40% of students agreed) 100% of instructor concierge users found their experience effective 100% of instructors surveyed would teach a TelePresence class again 95% of students surveyed would take a TelePresence class again Half of TelePresence students surveyed had never taken a distance education class before (Technology Pioneers!) Spring 2010 Survey Instructor and student feedback from audience

Faster Better More Where do we go from here? Active Learning Classrooms Out of Network Connections

Questions?

Contact Information Kristine G. Held Business Technology Instructor kheld@matcmadison.edu 920-568-7232 Christine K. Yero Business Technology Instructor cyero@matmadison.edu 920-206-8016