DOCUMENT RESUME
ED 305 889
IR 013 742
AUTHOR
Clarken, Rodney H.; And Others
TITLE
Pedagogical Considerations for the Eastern Caribbean
Center Telecommunications Project.
Pim DATE
Apr 87
NOTE
15p.; Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the
American Educational Research Association
(Washington, DC, April 20-24, 1987).
PUB TYPE
Reports - Descriptive (141) -- Speeches/Conference
Papers (150)
EDRS PRICE
MFO1 /PCO1 Plus Postage.
DESCRIPTORS
Computer Networks; *Distance Education; Foreign
Countries; *Instructional Development; *Instructional
Systems; *Regional Coopera'ion; *Teaching Methods;
*Telecommunications
IDENTIFIERS
Caribbean; *Virgin Islands
ABSTRACT
Designed to promote the interchange of information
and services among the people of the region, the Eastern Caribbean
Center Telecommunications Project Network (ECCTP) utilizes a network
of both audio and computer-linked nodes connected by telephone lines
to deliver instruction to remote sites. This network has been used by
ECCTP to conduct experiments in long-distance teaching from the
spriri of 1986 to the present. Although most of these experimental
classes have consisted of computer Jriented content, such
as
elementary BASIC programming, classes have also been taught in
biology, English, and remedial mathematics. Classes are taught
simultaneously at a home site and at a distant site, e.g., a class
being preseh =d by on instructor in a classroom on the St. Croix
campus of the University of the Virgin Islands is transmitted to a
classroom on the St. Thomas campus, and students at both sites
participate in the class. A series of four pilot tests encountered
various technical problems and identified a need for more careful
pre-instructional planning than traditional classroom teaching. Areas
that must be considered in planning for the actual provision of
instruction include the relationship of teaching to the instructional
objectives, the motivation of students, the monitoring of student
learning, managing classroom activities, modeling, and technical
capabilities. After the class has been taught, post-instruction
evaluation must also be addressed.
(EW)
* * * * * * * * * ** * * * ** * * * * * ** * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * ** * ** * * ** * * ** * * * * * * *
Reproductions supplied by FDRS are the best that can be made
from the original document.
***********************************************************************
Cr%
U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Clffice of Educahonsi Research and Imp, vement
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EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION
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Pedagogical Considerations for the
Eastern Caribbean Center Telecommunications Project
Rodney Clarken, Alan Lewit and Lynn Rosenthal
University of the Virgin Islands
Paper presented at the annual meeting of the
American Educational Research Association
Washington, D.C.
April 1987
2
"PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS
MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY
Rodney H. Clarken
TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) "
PEDAGOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE
EASTERN CARI'3BEAN CENTER TELECOMMUNICATIONS PROJECT
by
Rodney Clarken, Alan Lewit and Lynn Rosenthal
Educational telecommunication networks are changing the
way people learn and the opportunities to learn for people
throughout the world.
The Caribbean region has not yet
entered the information age to the extent that any
appreciable number of people have been affected.
The
University of the West Indies Distance Teaching Experiment
(UWIDITE) is the most notable example of the beginning
efforts made in distance teaching in the Caribbean, but more
must be done.
The potential social, economic, &nd educational
benefits for the Caribbean from using telecommunications are
urlimited.
The technology is presently available to link
the islands of the West Indies together in an network for
the benefit of all.
The Eastern Caribbean Center (ECC), a
program funded by the Department of Interior to promote the
interchange of information and services
among the people of
the Eastern Caribbean, is becoming the most logical
institution for carrying out this important task.
The
Eastern Caribbean Center Telecommunications Project
(EECTP)
focuses on establishing a cost- effective :::cilium to
facilitate ECC goals and is the first step by the
ECC toward
uniting the various islands, countries, and peoples of this
region through telecommunications for their social,
economic, and educational development.
Telecommunications Media
Education may be delivered using telecommunications to
remote sites either through one-way, two-way,
or multiple
interaction of the participants.
The transmission of this
instruction may be through audio and/or visual media.
Audio transmission is usually accomplished through
telephone, radio, micro-wave, and/or satellite signals.
Telephone lines are usually used for two-way audio
connections.
If more than two sites are to be connected,
then some sort of bridging network becomes
necessary.
One-way radio broadcasts can reach large audiences at
a
relatively small cost, but this approach does not provide
the interaction 'hick play a vital role in effective
teaching.
Visual images can be transmitted by TV broadcast, slow
scan (freeze frame) TV using telephone circuits, or by
computer interpretation of data transmitted by telephone,
radio, or television.
Of these mechanisms, only television
broadcast can carry live moving images of people.
Slow scan
offers the ability to transmit static images
over telephone
circuits, but usually requires approximately 10
to 35
Pedagogy for ECCTP
p.
2
seconds for image transmission and employs relatively
expensive equipment.
Computers allow production of static
and moving images on relatively inexpensive equipment.
Computers can be used live or asynchronously in distant
learning.
Electronic mail and bulletin boards are excellent
and innovative uses for asynchronous instruction
and are
presently being widely used.
Live distant instruction is
very rare and usually limited to text.
The telewrite system
supports transmission of visual images created by a computer
or by a video camera, an the use of a graphics tablet for
real time pointing or sketching.
This approach is an
improvement over specialized slow scan equipment, but does
not support simultaneous execution of programs at all sites
and hence, does not fully exploit the power of the computer.
Eastern Caribbear Telecommunications Project Network
The ECCTP presently utilizes a network consisting
of
both audio and computer-linked nodes connectei by telephone
lines.
The advantages of using telephone connections
are
the initial low cost and widespread general availabilty
of
the eqt.pment and services.
The disadvantages of telephones
in distance teaching is the high cost of international
calls, the necessity of using bridging services if more than
two sites are used, the inferior quality of some
connections, and the unavailability of lines, especially in
the Caribbean regions with limited local distribution
systems.
Audio transmissions utilize Darome conference
phones.
These conference phones use a series of push-to-talk
microphones distributed among the conference participants to
address the remote sites and a speaker at each site
to
amplify the incoming voices.
The computer-link consists of Apple lie
or Apple IIgs
computers linked through modems Lo each other by special
telecommunications software developed by the ECCTP and
displayed on large screen and/or regular monitors
at all
sites.
The computer linkage supports two modes of operation:
transmission of a cursor position controlled by a "mouse"
for pointing or sketching, and simultaneous execution
of
programs by transmission of all keyboard input.
The second
mode allows the simultaneous display of images which have
been pre-stored at all sites or which are simultaneously
generated at all sites.
A key advantage to this approach is
the ability to run a wide range of instructional
support
software with the only restriction being
that programs must
use the standard operating system interface for keyboard
input.
Examples of this mode of operation include use of
specialized programs to create static or animated pictorial
material.
With the increasing availability of low cost
4
Pedagogy for ECCTP
p.
3
video input systems for microcomputers,
future development
of the system will support slow scan transmissions, real
time sketching and pointing, as well as the linked
simultaneous generation of images/text,
giving a single,
integrated work station for distant learning
which allows
all forms of visual image creation.
The network can be used to deliver instruction
in a
variety of formats.
A formal course or program might
originate from a particular educational
institution and be
accredited by that institution.
Less formal cooperative
efforts might be instituted to provide tutoring or workshops
in basic skills or particular technical areas.
The network
might be the sole medium of instruction,
or might be part of
wider programs involving site visits,
broadcast,
correspondence, etc.
Reference materials might be
transmitted over the network, mailed as documents or
microfilm, or be made available through video
disk
technology.
Effort must be made in specification, planning
and design to insure that optimal delivery mediums are
selected for each area of instruction,
and that adequate
supporting resources are made available.
ECCTP Experiments
With this network, the ECCTP has conducted experiments
in long-distance teaching from the spring of 1986 to the
present.
Although most of these experimental classes
consisted of computer-oriented content, such as elementary
BASIC programming, there were various classes
taught in
biology, English, and remedial mathematics.
Classes have
been taught from St. Croix to St. Thomas, St. Kitts, anJ
Anguilla, from Kingston to St. Croix,
from San Juan to St.
Croix and St. Thomas, and from St. Thomas to St. Croix.
Initially, there were four one-hour class
sessions
using the network offered free to volunteers on the UVI
campuses of St. Thomas and St. Croix.
The original plan was
to have a three-way transmission between
St. Thomas, St.
Croix and St. Kitts, but because of transmission
difficulties, St. Kitts could not be included.
There were many problems associated with the
transmission of information in the original
field tests of
the equipment.
There were many difficulties and delays as a
result of transmission problems.
The conference telephone
connections were not suitable and often
required the
instructor to restate what had been said and to speak
directly into the conference telephone microphone, which
limited the instructors mobility and ability to face the
homesite class.
As there was only one microphone for
everyone to use, student input was somewhat hampered.
Many
technical problems relating to the software and transmission
of the signal were encountered and required
people familiar
Pedagogy for ECCTP
p.
4
with the system to de-bug and
reconnect.
Much instructional
time was lost because of these problems,
but many of them
have been resolved anJ others are presently being addressed.
in response to the transmission problems, radio is very
seriously being considered as an alternate to the telephone.
Radio is a very elegant alternative
to using the telephone.
The ECCTP participants would not need to use an audio bridge
service, would have a modest capital investment that would
overcome problems of telephone connection availability
and
quality, and would offer continuous multi-channel support
without additional operating costs.
Coordination between the sites was also a problem in
the beginning.
If one site had some problem, both sites had
to wait until it could be resolved.
All materials had to be
distributed to the sites far enough in advance so that
everyone had them available.
If all sites did not have the
proper software, if that software or hardware was not
working, if the lines were not transmitting properly, or if
one class was not ready then the instruction was halted.
Each of these problems were encountered in the initial four
class experimental test of the network, but have created
only very minor problems in the present use of the network.
The University of the Virgin
Islands (UVI)
is presently
offering a two credit course for its students in BASIC
programming using the telecommunications system.
The
students are being periodically assessed at both the St.
Thomas and St. Croix campuses to determine if there is
any
significant difference between the performance of the
students at the remote and home sites.
These experiences
have demonstrated that a period of development and
establishment of facilities must be expected, before routine
use of systems for remote instruction is
possible.
Instruction and the Media
There are several limitations and considerations to
understand when using audio and computer telecommunications
for instruction.
The first problem to be overcome is the establishing of
communications with the remote site.
A training manual and
a short training course are presently being
developed to
help instructors with the physical
components of the system.
With a little experience,
instructors should feel
comfortable working with the hardware.
Once instructors have overcome the technical problems
that may be associated with establishing communications with
the distant site, they should experience little technical
difficulty using the media.
The audio aspects of the media are straight forward and
differ little from good pedagogical
practice in the
traditional classroom.
Some adjustments may be required for
6
Pedagogy for ECCTP
p.
5
the instructor.
He should direct his comments toward the
microphone so that students at the remote site can properly
hear him.
Some experimenting may be needed to determine the
best placement of the microphones.
We have found that when
the microphone is placed too closed to the computer that the
noise from the computer is picked
up by the microphone.
Lapel or lavaliere microphones that can be wore by the
instructor should help to correct this problem.
The
students will need instruction and some reinforcement to
press the button to activate their microphones and
to speak
clearly into their microphones.
This is especially true for
students at the home site as they can address the instructor
without using the microphone, which results
in the students
at the remote site not being able to hear
the question or
comment of the student.
Use of room mikes controlled by the
instructor at the home site and a course facilitator at
remote sites is planned, and this approach should allow a
more natural format of audio interaction initiated by
a
student raising his hand or perception of questions by the
instructor or facilitator.
Voice modulation and tone are
not lost using this media.
The main limitation and consideration when using the
computer for distant teaching is the lack of visual
cues
between the instructor the class and the necessity
of
adapting more traditional visual media
to the computer. The
lack of instructor-student visual cues can be somewhat
compensated for by utilizing more oral
cues through such
techniques as increased and better questioning.
Computers offer a powerful medium for the visual
display of text, data, graphs, drawings,
and pictorial
images.
These visuals can be easily changed and can be used
in interactive learning situations through such things as
pointers, games, simulations, and other innovative
techniques.
The computer can do the same things
that can be
done on a chalkboard, overhead projector, and other media
that display text, data, and other visuals.
The computer-link component lends itself well to the
teaching of programming lectures and computer-oriented
subjects, such as word-processing, spreadsheet and data-base
instruction.
With programming lessons, the instructor
produces the program on all computer nodes,
asking all
classes to contribute to the development of
the program.
All nodes have the same ability to control
the network as
the instructor's node, so students at the
remote sites car,
respond in the same manner as the instructor
does.
Pre-instructional Considerations
The preparation or pre-instructional phase of distance
teaching using the ECC computer network requires more
planning, effort, and time than traditional
classroom
7
Pedagogy for ECCTP
p.
6
teaching to be effective.
This extra effort results partly
from the use of a new medium, and partly from raised student
expectations when advanced technology is employed.
Planning
Most instructors can lecture and use the chalkboard
without much difficulty.
Often the material is presented
spontaneously, and these mediums allow for this spontaneity.
These methods will need to be adapted to teaching material
using audio and computer transmission of the instruction.
While the latest versions of the ECCTP system allow
the same
real time transmission of writing and sketching, student
expectations of quality in visual displays are influenced by
association with broadcast television, and use of prepared
material is more effective.
Not only must the lesson be
better planned, it must also be planned differently if it is
to be as effective as face-to-face teaching.
For instance,
materials must be prepared far enough ahead of time
so that
they may be distributed to all the students at all sites.
This preparation calls for the instructor to foresee
the
questions and learning needs of the students,
so that he
will not need to resort to the chalkboard or some other
material he may have available to reinforce his concepts and
answer the questions of the distance-site class.
The
materials should be presented in such a way as to limit
confusion and increase understanding.
The instructor must plan the lesson to be given without
the use of visual aids and cues that might be taken for
granted in face-to-face teaching.
Pre-assessment.
As much as practical, the instructor
should try to ascertain what skills and knowledge
the
students have before instruction, so that the 'Aaterial is
neither too difficult, nor too easy.
A pre-assessment of
the students will enable the instructor to better plan
appropriate learning experiences for the students and have a
better measure of how much the students learned as a result
of the class.
Generally, a pre-assessment cannot be carried
out before the class begins, but could be done the first
or
second class meeting.
Setting Objectives.
The most important part of
planning is establishing clear objectives for the students
and creating activities that will lead to the fulfillment of
those objectives.
Objectives should ideally be stated as
much as possible in terms of measurable behavior.
The
objectives will be based on the overall goals for the course
and should be written in terms of what the students
will do,
not what the instructor will do.
The objective should
clearly state the behavior expected,
under what conditions
that behavior is expected, and the standard
or level of
accomplishment expected for completion of the objective.
Pedagogy for ECCTP
p.
7
These elements can be remembered more easily by using the
acronym of ABCD, where A is for audience,
B is for behavior,
C is for condition, and D is for degree of accomplishment.
Lesson Planning.
The heart of the preparational
phase
of teaching is the actual planning of the activities
designed to assist the students to accomplish the goals and
objectives.
Several factors should be kept in mind when
preparing these activities.
As the human factor is reduced
because of the use of
technology, other motivational and
instructional aids should be
increased.
Reinforcement of
behavior, pacing, monitoring,
interest, and feedback can all
be adjusted to increase the motivation and the design of
learning materials can be made more interesting
and
explanatory.
Evaluation.
It is helpful to establish
the evaluation
instruments and procedures at this time so that your
evaluation will be tied directly to your objectives and
learning activities.
By establishing objectives,
activities, and evaluation at the same time,
you will be
better able to evaluate what you are intending to teach.
Briefly stated, the instructor needs to have an idea
of where the students are at, where he wants them to go, how
he can best get them there, and how to know when and to what
extent they have arrived.
Effort and Time
The amount of effort and
time required to plan
an
effective lesson for distance
teaching using the ECCTP
computer network is increased.
Some courses, such
as
computer science courses that use the computer for class
demonstration of learning
objective and concepts,
can be
taught with little adjustment,
but other courses, such
as
psychology or science, will require major changes to make
them effective.
Bearing the above in mind, the instructors should
adequately prepare and the administration should adequately
reward instructors for distance teaching,
as poorly planned
lessons will result in poor classes and a low evaluation of
the telecommunications
network.
Instruction
Understanding the limitations and constraints of
distance teaching using audio and computer transmission,
can
help the instructor
overcome some problems that will
limit
the effectiveness of the
lesson.
Because the student and
instructors are so accustomed to face-to-face instruction,
some adjustment will have to be made to adapt to the use of
telecommunications.
Some areas that should be addressed are
teaching to an objective,
maintaining student interest,
9
Pedagogy for ECCTP
p. 8
monitoring learning, classroom management, modeling
the
concepts, technical limitations, and instructional skills.
Teaching to the Objective
Just as setting good objectives is the most important
part of the pre - instructional phase of the lesson, teaching
to the objective is the most important part of
the
instructional phase of the lesson.
Doing a task analysis
of the objective - breaking it down into its component part
- will help the instructor to teach the lesson in a way that
the students will be able to understand.
If prerequisite
skills are missing, the students may not be
able to benefit
from the instruction.
If steps are omitted in the learning
sequence, then much tine may be wasted and little learning
result.
If the lesson 1.: focused on the objective, then
time will not be wasted on eitraneous or irrelevant
material.
It is helpful to share your objective with the
class so that they know where you are trying to go with the
lesson.
Maybe they can help you get there.
Motivating
Motivating students is a difficult
ask when there is
face-to-face interaction, but more difficult when
the
physical presence is removed.
The less intrinsically
motivated the students are to learn the material, the more
extrinsic motivation needs to be used in its
place.
The
physical presence of an instructor is an extrinsic motivator
that will be absent at the remote site.
Therefore, the
instructor needs to make his presence felt in other ways.
One of the most effective ways is to actively involve
the
students in the learning process through interaction.
By frequent questioning, the students
are required to
be engaged in the learning
process.
These questions should
usually be directed to individuals, not to the class in
general.
The instructor should first ask the question of
the entire class, give them a moment to think
about it, and
then call on an individual.
If practical, each individual
should be called upon each class period, but if
not the
opportunities to respond should be distributed
equally,
not
given disproportionately to the brighter
students as is done
in most classrooms.
This form of questioning was used
effectively in the pilot project to involve
all :students in
the class, especially the stldents at the remote site
because they can more easily become disengaged.
Af the
beginning of the class, each student was asked to introduce
himself to the people in the otter site.
These names were
written on the monitor and the instructor made a point to
call on each person using that list.
Questioning enables
the instructor to give feedback on learning and positive
Pedagogy for ECCTP
p.
9
reinforcement, both important motivators.
It also increases
the level of engagement in the students and their
possibility for success.
Monitoring
In the traditional classroom, the monitoring
of student
learning and understanding is often done using visual cues,
such as students raising a hand or using body language to
let the instructor know when they do not understand
something or are trying to communicate
something to the
instructor.
These visual cues, which are often taken for
granted and unconscious,
are absent using the cotputer and
audio transmissions.
Therefore, one must compensate for the
lack of visual cues by using more audio interaction and
maybe some signal to indicate there is a question or
comment.
The course facilitator can be very helpful in this
regard as he can see the students at the remote site and can
alert the instructor if he perceives
any problems.
Asking frequent questions and directing the questions
to different students in the class
lets the instructor know
how much of the material the students are grasping and where
there may need to be further
instruction.
Frequent
assignments, exercises, and other evaluative methods can
also be employed to better monitor class learning.
Allow
the students to practice the concepts in class to see that
they understand them, and then give them assignments that
require further practice and development of those concepts
outside class.
Giving pre- and post-assessments will
help
you to better determine how much the students have learned
and are grasping the course content. It also has the added
benefit of increasing student motivation.
Formative
evaluations should be conducted throughout
the course.
Managing
Managing classroom activities at the remote site can be
a major problem.
Without the directive influence of
an
instructor in the classroom, there is no assurance that
students are paying attention, behaving, following the
lesson, or even present, unless some special attempt is made
to engage the students to monitor the
learning.
Facilitators will be necessary at remote sites if the
students are not mature and self-disciplined.
Another
consideration is the managing of the
students work and
assignments.
The students will not have direct
access to
the instructor in class
or after class.
This limitation
will require some support for outside assistance for
students and a means for written assignments between
instructor and student.
Having the course in a form of
1
I
Pedagogy for ECCTP
p. 10
programmed learning would be helpful for maintaining student
involvement and managing student
learning.
Modeling
To be able to model the learning
that is expected is
important.
This modeling can be accomplished
through oral
examples and pictorial displays that can be transmitted via
the computer.
This modeling was an integral part of the
introductory programming lessons taught in the pilot
project.
Computer concepts and commands were given in class
and demonstrated using the
computer.
The information the
students were to learn was modeled for them.
Giving such
releant examples will not be as easy in courses that
are
not related to the computer or that do not have concrete
concepts, but as much as is practical, an attempt should be
made to make the concepts as clear as possible.
After you
have shown the class examples of what you want them
to know,
it is good to let them
try to demonstrate their
understanding by doing some activity related to the concepts
you have done for the class.
Technical Considerations
There are several adjustments that must he made to
effectively teach with
computer and audio hook-ups.
The
presence of an instructor in the classroom taught without
the use of
telecommunications does not have to deal with
hardware, software, or transmission problems.
These
problems go beyond the effective teaching skills and require
an additional skill: operating media.
Typing skill is essential if
the instructor is going
to
use the monitor to display ideas presented
in class.
The
instructor can prepare the class visuals before hand
to
avoid the problem of having to type needed information on
the monitor.
Even those instructors who are used to typing
may find it difficult to teach and
type at the same time.
This problem can be
overcome by use of a drawing mechanism
that is presently available for the existing network,
but
written or drawn material is
less acceptable than typed
notes to students viewing a television
monitor.
Some familiarity with computers and microphones will be
necessary.
The pilot project has experienced many technical
problems, and if the instructor is
not able to address these
problems efficiently, then much instructional tine will be
lost due to transmission problems.
The instructcr should
know how to establish telecommunication
links with the
remote sites.
He should be aware of the limitations
of
communicating using a microphone and not forget to speak
into it so that the remote site can hear what is being
peid.
The students must also use the microphones properly if they
12
Pedagogy for ECCTP
p.
11
are going to be heard at the other site, as well as at their
own site.
The greatest weakness in the initial developmental
phase of the ECCTP has been the inability to make
and keep
contact with the various sites.
If the electricity goes off
in one site, if a cord becomes disconnected, if the
transmission lines are not available,
or if the
transmissions are not clear, the lesson is halted and
learning stops. These problems can be overcome with the
establishment of reliable audio and data connectiorq,
as has
Li2en demonstrated by the computer programming course that is
presently being taught between the two campuses of the
University of the Virgin Islands.
Post-instruction
After the class has been taught, there are other unique
concerns that must be addressed in student evaluation and
support.
How should evaluation of student's progress be
handled and how can the effectiveness of tbr course be
evaluated?
If the preparation and instruction for the class has
been well planned, then the evaluation of the students'
learning should be easy.
The evaluation of the students
should be based upon the objectives of the course and the
material that was covered in the course.
Several formative
evaluations are necessary for the instructor
co monitor the
students' progress.
If a programmed learning or a mastery
learning approach are used, then evaluation can be based on
the students' work.
Research suggests that programmed and
mastery learning are among the most effective teaching
methods.
Consideration will have to be given for the
supervising of examinations at remote sites and for the
moving of examination papers between teacher and students.
Evaluating the effectiveness of the instruction will be
especially important in the ECCTP, because it will give
some
measure by which to compare instruction via
telecommunications and traditional or home-site instruction.
Little evaluative data was able to be collected during
the
initial pilot testing of the system.
This evaluation was
based upon instructors and students' subjactive view of the
effectiveness of the learning via the computer and audio
media.
The evaluation of the learning was positive, but
there were problems with the transmission of the classes
that resulted in long delays or classes being postponed.
These problems will need to be corrected if the system is to
be a viable teaching tool.
The basic programming course (CSC 101) presently being
taught on both campuses of the University of the Virgin
Islands using the ECC telecommunications network is
an
excellent opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness
of
13
Pedagogy for ECCTP
p. 12
distance teaching via computer and audio hook-ups.
Comparisons will be made between pre- and post-test
results
of the students to see if students taught by the
same
instructor at the home site perform differently from
the
students at the remote site.
Periodic assessment can be
made to determine
if there is a difference between home site
and remote site achievement and attitudes.
Also,
observations of
classroom behavior can be analyzed to get
measures of student and instructor learning and teaching
differences to see if different
teaching approaches result
in different behaviors or attitudes from the students.
Comparing the material
learnee with the various teaching
variables, i.e. home vs. remote site, high student
involvement vs.
low student
involvement, etc.,
will give us
some data upon which
to evaluate the variables related
to
..he project.
Summary and Conclusion
The Eastern
Caribbean Center
Telecommunications Project
(ECCTP) was init'ated
in the summer of 1985.
The goal is to
establish a network
facility for exchange of instruction
among island nations in the Caribbean.
The approach
selected uses two way audio conferencing for
transmitting
the voices of the instructor and students, and
microcomputers for creating visual
images.
The network is
symmetrical and allows instruction or student response
from
any node.
The ability of
this technology to deliver instruction
has been demonstrated.
Several improvements and extensions
are under development,
but the system can be, and is being
used in its present form.
Regular classes are being
delivered over this medium between the St.
Tb-mas and St.
Croix campuses of the University of the Virgin
Islands
(UVI), and trial
sessions have been conducted
from the
Virgin Islands and St. Kitts,
and the Virgin
Islands and
Anguilla.
The potential
for an educational
telecommunications
network in the Caribbean is great.
Instructors must be
trained to use the technology if the courses are to be
effective.
The traditional
lecture method will
not
generally be the best method of
instruction.
The
preparation for
teaching is more time consuming and more
necessary because of thc need to present the materials
through computer and audio
transmissions.
The instruction
phase of the lesson requires more skill and organization
if
it is to be effective.
In general, this
system for delivery of instruction
couled with use of facilitators at remote sites allows
almost all the traditional instructional
techniques to be
used, though the operation of the medium places
an
14
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Pedagogy for ECCTP
p.
13
additional burden on the instructor.
Raised student
expectations associated with the use of television display
and computet technology, coupled with the necessity to give
extra attention to motivation and interaction make
preparation and planning more important than normal
situations.
Students will generally be less tolerant of
poor teaching when the instructor is remote.
The use of
these distant learning techniques makes it possible to
deliver instruction to remote sites, but makes preparation,
planning, attention to student responses, and
a variety of
other considerations associated with good teaching
even more
important.