Innovative System Captures 5 Classroom Elements & Broadcasts Them on the Web for Students

Nearly 3,500 DePaul University students can go online and review synchronized video and audio of entire class lectures, including board notes and computer presentations, through a unique distance learning computer system called Course OnLine, developed by DePaul’s School of Computer Science, Telecommunications and Information Systems (CTI).

Conceptualized by CTI Dean Helmut Epp and developed by the school’s Center for Applied Computer Science, Course OnLine was launched in 63 classes in the fall and expanded to 127 classes in January. The system doesn’t replace going to class but instead marries traditional classroom presentations with technological components to provide an added resource for student learning and instructors, said Olivier Petinaux, CTI’s distance learning project manager.

“The program has been especially helpful for DePaul’s many part-time students, who may be forced to miss occasional classes because of work or family obligations,” Petinaux said. “It also appeals to students who attend class and learn best by reviewing lecture material again after the class ends.”

The system links together five components that record aspects of a classroom presentation: a video camera; audio microphones; a document scanner, the instructor’s personal computer; and the instructors’ notes written during class on the whiteboard using a pressure-sensitive electronic pen. After class, all captured information is automatically downloaded onto a production computer, which synchronizes the five elements of the classroom experience and uploads them onto a Web page six hours after class. Students can use computers at home, work or on the road to log in and access the Web page at any time.

While other universities have text-based Web pages for classes or offer videotapes of lectures, Petinaux said CTI’s system of automatically combined lecture video, audio, board and computer presentation materials is unique. Course OnLine’s complete automation keeps the system cost-effective and less time-consuming or difficult to manage, compared to videotaping and editing tapes for each class or transcribing entire lectures for the Web.

“The Course OnLine project’s goal is to create a system for making classes reviewable and more accessible while being the least intrusive for instructors,” he said. “CTI’s challenge has been matching the needs of the professors with affordable technology.”

So far, most instructors and students using Course OnLine have given it positive reviews. Petinaux said that professors like it for several reasons: it aids students without impacting teaching styles; teacher self-review helps improve course content and delivery; and the system helps keep track of what course material has been covered each session.

Students use it primarily as a review reference and a study aid, Petinaux said. “Technology is not the driving force of this initiative. Student need is the driving force.”

The system has attracted the attention of other schools at DePaul, including the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business, which is interested in using the technology for its courses.

Kelley Prosser, CTI distance learning editorial manager, said she and Petinaux are working on plans to expand Course OnLine even further in the spring. In a handful of sections, CTI will test the effectiveness of distance learning classes that offer a mix of Course OnLine recordings and online class interaction. Its primary users would be graduate level students—likely at DePaul’s suburban campuses—who need a particular course but cannot travel to the campus where the class is offered. One challenge for the expansion is how to make the system more interactive. “We’re looking at adding virtual chat rooms, threaded discussions and other features for instructors and students,” Prosser said.

Note to Editors: More about Course OnLine is one the Web site: http://cage.cs.depaul.edu.