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

2. 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.

3. 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.

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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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.

12. 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

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

14. 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

15. 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.

16. 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?

17. 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

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

19. Questions?

20. Contact Information
Kristine G. Held Business Technology Instructor
Christine K. Yero Business Technology Instructor