Virtual Classroom Technologies for Distance Education:
The Case for On-line Synchronous Delivery

Compiled and edited by Dr. Barry Ellis
Past Professor of  Distance Education, University of Calgary
Partner and President, DETAC Corporation
(Distance Education Technology And Consulting)
Alberta, Canada

Abstract

DETAC Corporation is an Alberta distance education and consulting company which has been offering innovative technological solutions to educational institutions for over 14 years. Company president, Dr. G. Barry Ellis, provides expertise in all facets of the educational and telecommunication fields, the most recent being the development and therefore specialized requirements of virtual schools springing up within the province. DETAC Corporation, in cooperation with ILINC (Interactive Learning International Corporation) of Troy, New York, will present a live, on-line interactive session with voice and Internet to demonstrate synchronous web-based delivery of curriculum to Conference participants.

Within the traditional classroom, there is a flexibility which effectively accommodates learning. Synchronous internet delivery more closely matches what we consider the traditional classroom model than does asynchronous delivery. The traditional model could be translated into web-based learning if a number of features existed. Some of these features include:

• allowing individual and group work
• presentation formats incorporating both discussions or lectures
• learning from both the instructor and other student input
• resource tools and materials that can be introduced, presented, shared and removed
• student activity that can be monitored and facilitated by the instructor

The challenge with alternative education, including web delivery, is that a large portion is typically asynchronous, with few of the traditional classroom features.

Our on-line demonstrations will introduce the learning software product line, LearnLinc™ I-Net. DETAC Corporation has recently become the western Canadian distributor of this distance education solution. LearnLinc software was created with a real classroom in mind. This PC based learning environment offers:

• instructor control of content
• multimedia and Web-based interaction
• student verification
• self-paced learning

A simple POTS (plain old telephone signal) telephone connection allows LearnLinc I-Net students to join an instructor via phone to create a live interactive class over the Internet. An audio bridge allows voice communication while LearnLinc I-Net gives students the ability to access instructor-led multimedia or Web-based content from their site, with all the coordination of a real classroom.

The presentation will begin with the Sign On by Mr. Dave Collins, a representative of ILINC using the LearnLinc™ software. Dr. Ellis will present live from DETAC headquarters in Alberta, through the Internet using the I-Net software on a large projection screen at the Conference. The separate audio will be provided via the AGS Audio Teleconferencing system using a telephone line. A new release of the software will include the audio as part of the Internet delivery. Mr. Dave Collins will chair the session at the conference. Another link will connect Mr. Mark Bernstein, Vice President and Founder of ILINC in Troy, New York. The following features will be demonstrated with an educational topic showing a multiway, live, synchronous, distance education delivery using the Internet.

Features to Demonstrate:

Synchronization agents: allows the floorholder to control content of session participant's screens.

Synchronized Web browser: The Web Sync Agent works with your preferred Web browser and allows you to synchronize Web navigation during a session. As the floorholder navigates through pages, the other participants will be taken along.

Electronic mailing of sticky-notes: To write a note or reminder on any page of ToolBook (or converted PowerPoint) curriculum.

Shared electronic whiteboard: For spontaneous creation of content. The floorholder controls the whiteboard. The floorholder can add, delete, or edit the contents of the whiteboard.

Question and Answer (QNA) polling: Allows instructors to anonymously poll participants to judge their comprehension of material being discussed. This feature allows a quick evaluation of responses which are displayed as percentages.

Glimpse: Allows the instructor to acquire screen capture of any participant's desktop.

Text chat: Participants can send text messages to everyone else in the session. This feature can be restricted if it is distracting so that only the floorholder and instructor can use it.

Library browser: Synchronous and Asynchronous access to content - participants can preview or review content during a session or on their own time. Content launched through the library browser by a floorholder will also be launched on participant's desktops if it is assigned course material.

This on-line session will be presented live from Alberta, Troy NY, and chaired by Dave Collins in New Brunswick. The paper will be distributed at the conferencing and then presented live on-line using the Internet and telephone audio as the modes of transportation.

Topics also covered in the paper will include:

• Identification of the learning model
• Student settings
• Group vs. individual model
• Roles of the various media - audio, video, multimedia, Web-browsing
• Teacher preparation
• Instructional content

Reference will be made to the On-line Continuous Education Model from Dr. Jack Wilson of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).

July 16 1997 @ 4:00 PM MST

The Paper:

Introduction

DETAC Corporation is an Alberta distance education and consulting company which has been offering innovative technological solutions to educational institutions for over 14 years. The company provides expertise in all facets of the educational and telecommunication fields, the most recent being the development and therefore specialized requirements of virtual schools springing up within the province of Alberta. DETAC Corporation, in cooperation with ILINC (Interactive Learning International Corporation) of Troy, New York, is marketing a synchronous web-based delivery system for distance education user institutions called LearnLinc™.

The Learning Model

Within the traditional classroom, there is a flexibility which effectively accommodates learning. Synchronous internet delivery more closely matches what we consider the traditional classroom model than does asynchronous delivery. The challenge with alternative education, including web delivery, is that a large portion is typically asynchronous, with very few of the traditional features.

The traditional educational model could be translated into web based learning if a number of features existed. Some of these features should include:

• live interaction in real-time

• allowing individual and group work

• presentation formats incorporating both discussion or lectures

• learning both from the instructor and other students input

• resource tools and materials that can be introduced, presented, shared and removed

• student activity that can be monitored and facilitated by the instructor.

Dr. Jack Wilson, Dean of Continuing Education at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) wrote a paper called "Distance Learning for Continuous Education" which puts forward an educational model where the on-line experience is similar to the live classroom experience providing a familiar live learning environment. Surf http://www.ilinc.com for complete text of this article.

The Concept of the Virtual Classroom

Research led by Dr. Wilson shows clearly that for meaningful, effective distance learning to take place, we must return to the paradigm that works: the classroom. But instead of gathering students and instructor together physically in one place, they will now conquer distance by gathering together digitally in one place; a virtual classroom.

Campbell and Bourne (1996) wrote "Designing Distributed Learning Systems" at http://ciee.vuse.vanderbilt.edu/alnweb/salt97eweb/. In their paper are listed four values of synchronous learning:

• expectations for schedule and class attendance reinforced by physical presence

• learning facilitator hears and responds to questions and concerns immediately

• course content and grading standards adjusted rapidly

• to 1500 years of lecture courses, try the alternative

The final glib comment agrees with Dr. Jack Wilson's view that students are comfortable with good quality lecture methods and the synchronous learning has a similar "feel" to the participant.

Shrinking Distance, Improving Results - Distance Learning

The idea of a classroom has been around at least since the time of the ancient Greeks. It's probably one of our oldest institutions. Why, given all the advancements of modern technology, has the gathering of students and teachers in one place persisted?

The answer is simple: it works.

A classroom is an incredibly effective venue for learning to take place, and the underlying reason is flexibility. Students can work individually or in a group. Information can be shared in a lecture or in a discussion. Students learn both from the teacher and from each other. Learning tools and resources can be introduced and removed as needed. Everything can be monitored and facilitated under the watchful gaze of the teacher.

In Darwinian terms, the classroom has survived because of its fitness for the task.

The Tyranny of Distance

In recent years, corporations and educational institutions have been increasingly faced with the challenge to provide a learning experience for students who are geographically dispersed students who are spread across a province, state, country or even a couple of continents.

Until recently, the only reasonable ways to conquer distance were either to move the students to the instructors, or to move the instructors to the students. In either case, students and teacher are being brought together physically in one place. The obvious way around all this moving of people is to find a way to provide a learning experience at a distance. The goal would be to use the best instructors to reach more students with constantly high-quality education, no matter where the instructors or students are located.

The Student Settings

On-line asynchronous students work in cyber-space, looking at content, surfing for information, dealing with web pages, computer conferencing in chat rooms and receiving/sending content on list-serves. However, in the synchronous environment, learners see, hear, speak, move curriculum and raise hands for acknowledgment.

At the University of Twente, in the Netherlands, an advanced level course about tele-learning developed and taught by Dr. Betty Collis, consists of some face-to-face meetings as well as extensive use of the Web for resource material, for collaborative activities and for discussion.

Collis (1996) identifies four basic patterns of communication in the learning environment:

• "telling - which in the asynchronous mode has traditionally been the printed text, but increasingly is taking on a new form in hypertext Web pages, although many conventional linear texts, articles, reports and original works are also available on the Internet.

• asking - which can take place through text messages via email or computer conference, through real time text chat systems, or through any of the audio systems.

• responding - which also is supported in delayed time through asynchronous systems, and much more immediately through synchronous systems.

• discussion - or collaborative work amongst small groups of students, which can take place over an extended time period through computer conferencing, or for much shorter periods via audiographics.

The following list details the major benefits of each mode in an educational context.

Asynchronous Delivery

There are four crucial advantages to the asynchronous media and I have arranged them in descending order of significance:

• flexibility - access to the teaching material (e.g. on the Web, or computer conference discussions) can take place at any time (24 hours of the day, 7 days a week) and from many locations (e.g. oil rigs) .

• time to reflect - rather than having to react 'on one's feet', asynchronous systems allow the learner time to mull over ideas, check references, refer back to previous messages and take any amount of time to prepare a comment .

• situated learning - because the technology allows access from home and work, the learner can easily integrate the ideas being discussed on the course with the working environment, or access resources on the Internet as required on the job .

• cost-effective technology - text based asynchronous systems require little bandwidth and low end computers to operate, thus access, particularly global access is more equable.

Synchronous Delivery

There are four equally compelling advantages to synchronous systems, although I am less confident of general agreement about the order:

• motivation - synchronous systems focus the energy of the group, providing motivation to distance learners to keep up with their peers and continue with their studies .

• telepresence - real time interaction with its opportunity to convey tone and nuance helps to develop group cohesion and the sense of being part of a learning community.

• good feedback - synchronous systems provide quick feedback on ideas and support consensus and decision making in group activities, both of which enliven distance education.

• pacing - synchronous events encourage students to keep up-to-date with the course and provide a discipline to learning which helps people to prioritize their studies.

There are many distance teaching programs which are entirely asynchronous (for example, those using print plus computer conferencing, or those using the Web for both course delivery and interaction), and others which are (almost) entirely synchronous (for example, those using videoconferencing for delivery and interaction). However, the trend is very much towards combining synchronous and asynchronous media in an attempt to capitalize on the evident benefits of both modes."

A complete text of this work can be found in http://www-iet.open.ac.uk/stafff/robinm/Globaledu.html

It should not be misconstrued that the asynchronous distance learning delivery is unacceptable but just another model of delivery. Synchronous delivery is the overcoming of time and distance using live on-line delivery to move learning to scattered learners, sharing in a virtual conference. Asynchronous delivery is more like email and list-serves with multimedia and CAI content, while synchronous delivery is more like audio teleconferencing and is becoming more like videoconferencing.

Group versus Individual Model

A discussion of the on-line method would be incomplete without reviewing the issue of individual versus group instruction. There is almost a religious following behind each mode of delivery. The individualized camp has always regarded individualized learning modules, correspondence study, home study and e-mail as having the flexibility and freedom to provide instruction independent of pacing, schedules and institutional structure. On the other hand, the group learning camp sees on-line study as an extension of the normal classroom to distributed learners using modern data and media systems.

Frankly, there is a credible argument for both cases. Some instruction is best provided with learners lurking into the subject spaces as interest and need drives them. In these spaces are found static graphics, video clips, audio segments and text stacks. To stream live video, interact and respond from point to point or from point to multipoint requires synchronous live delivery with shared multi-media resources. These are similar technologies with vastly different operational details and specifications. Complete overview of these technology options can be found in http://www.detac.com.

Role of the Media

Functionally, multimedia technology has a huge role to play in making learning on-line both lively and valuable. Clearly, major differences occur with multimedia application to asynchronous delivery and synchronous live on-line delivery.

While asynchronous is static and storage oriented, synchronous is live, dynamic and active. For example, the learner, while unpacking content for personal review, could surf a curriculum webpage with the following activities:

• viewing video clips
• listening to sounds
• watching Java action
• following links
• copying and printing text
• opening and manipulating graphics
• e-mailing instructors
• storing information for future usage

These examples are all asynchronous, structured activities with curriculum left for the learner to work through at their own pace.

Individuals in a synchronous distributed group would use all the above activities plus:

• see live video
• listen, speak and react to others
• raise hands to receive the floor
• watch the instructor demonstrate
• ask questions
• share computer applications for group work
• web surf synchronously
• poll, gather data and responses

These examples are all synchronous structured activities with curriculum being served to the on-line participants. Synch agents turn pages, change screens, show graphics, run applications and provide live whiteboards.

Teacher Preparation

More preparation structure is required for asynchronous delivery than is required for synchronous delivery. Teachers can place content under a visual presenter™ (ELMO trademark) so that they can transfer captured images to a whiteboard, similar to the "normal" classroom teaching method.

Live, synchronous instruction is more spontaneous than asynchronous delivery because teachers are free to provide instruction "just-in-time" for delivery during an on-line session. Using the tools of a particular system being used, the teacher can speak, show, demonstrate, browse and even look at an individual student's screen.

Instructional Content

Formal formatted instructional content is a challenge for any on-line system because each item must be created in a particular format, stored as a file and accessed during instructional sessions.

The literature is full of references to the financial and physical demands of creating modular content in machine-readable formats. It doesn't matter if the content is HTML, JAVA, Power Point, Authorware or Toolbook (a CBTS software) because slow data entry and artistic talent are required to create each segment. Instructional designers have been quick to point out the fact that large organizations have staff that remove this burden from the individual instructor and place it in the hands of specialists.

In the real world, however, live systems allow teachers to use normal teaching materials, grab content from the web and use real objects in their hands with on-line eyes following the action, in addition to creating structured learning segments.

Features of a Typical Synchronous System

Results show clearly that highly successful distance learning can take place when the virtual classroom includes most of the elements of a physical classroom, including:

• Accessibility — Distance learning technology must be readily accessible where the students are. Put another way, the students must be able to "get to school."
• A talented instructor — An instructor plays a key part of the virtual classroom model, controlling content, and facilitating interaction with and among students in a resource-rich environment. The absence of an instructor or facilitator is the key reason why the world's best multimedia courseware, Web site, or instructional CD-ROM will not, by itself, be as effective as a virtual classroom.
• Content control — The instructor must be able to maintain control over the material as it is presented, to synchronize the material and keep everyone "on the same page" just as an instructor in a physical classroom can re-direct the class's attention back to the material at hand.
• A high level of interactivity — Information and interchange must flow in both directions between student and teacher, as well as student to student, through whatever medium is appropriate to facilitate the communication.
• Floor control — The best instructors realize that students learn from each other. For that reason, a virtual classroom must include the ability to yield the floor to a student who wishes to ask a question or make a point while maintaining control of the class.
• Access to rich resources — Just as the instructor in a physical classroom can hand out or access whatever resources are necessary to maximize the learning experience, the teacher in the virtual classroom must have the same capability. Students in the virtual classroom need this capability as well.
• Verification — In a physical classroom, where everyone is present in the same place, the instructor can often see who is "getting it" and who is not (although sometimes this is not readily apparent). In a virtual classroom, there needs to be means by which the teacher can verify that the students are understanding the material.
• Spontaneity — Current teaching methods indicate the need to include spontaneous material, to answer unanticipated questions, or to display the most up-to-date information in class. The virtual classroom must handle spontaneous material as well.
• Self-paced learning — Students must be able to access and use course materials on their own time and at their own pace whenever necessary, and the ability for students to "work on their own" must also be available within the virtual classroom.

For the complete work, review "Executive Briefing" by Jack Wilson, James O'Keefe, Mark Bernstein and Degerhan Usluel at http://www.ilinc.com.

During the NAWEB97 Conference a live on-line demonstration will introduce a learning software product line. DETAC Corporation has recently become the western Canadian distributor of this distance education solution.

The First Virtual Classroom for the Internet

LearnLinc™ I-Net is the first software product to allow an instructor or student to control course material on all PCs, in real time, over the Internet or corporate intranet. Courseware may originate from previously authored material or from any Web site, because LearnLinc™ I-Net is the first to offer synchronized Web navigation. Corporations or Universities can now employ the most effective instructor-led learning tools on the most accessible infrastructure-the Internet/intranet.

Screen capture from LearnLinc™ I-Net

Powerful Learning Tools, Easy Access

Created with a real classroom in mind, LearnLinc™ I-Net offers instructor/student control, class coordination, multimedia interaction, student progress verification, and self-paced learning, plus access to an unlimited library of Web based educational material. When teamed with a telephone, videoconferencing, or other audio/video connection, LearnLinc™ I-Net brings together the time-tested benefits of true classroom interaction. Access via the Internet/intranet means students can be LearnLinc™ - enabled and ready to register for courses in a matter of hours.

Flexible Courseware For Synchronous Learning

LearnLinc™ courseware may be created using sophisticated authoring packages such as Macromedia Authorware™ or Asymetrix ToolBook™, or converted easily from simple PowerPoint™ presentations. If you have course material already created for Web training, LearnLinc™ I-Net can maximize its value by adding real time instructor-led learning.

Virtual Classroom in Action

Once students have logged in via the Internet or intranet, the teacher can control the multimedia or Web-based content on all student PCs. Students may raise electronic "hands" and be given control to run the courseware, take the class to a Web site, or ask questions. It is also possible to launch multiple choice questions on all PCs to verify student progress at any time; launch a shared whiteboard to display and mark-up documents, graphics, or hand written notes; or take a snapshot of any student's screen to help them with problems. Text chat can be used to give students individualized help. Access to courseware is provided at any time in the LearnLinc™ I-Net environment so students may preview/review material or do homework assignments.

Making the Virtual Classroom

As mentioned before, based on its pioneering research at RPI, ILINC has made highly successful distance learning a reality for companies and academic institutions throughout the world. This technology has earned not only the respect of the institutions using it, but has also garnered a number of prestigious awards, including the 1996 Industry Achievement Award from the International Teleconferencing Association (ITCA), selection as one of the Top Ten Training Products for 1996 from Human Resource Executive Magazine, and the 1996 Significant Advance in Computer Conferencing Award from Teleconference Magazine/TeleCon XVI.

The LearnLinc™ product family contains three products: LearnLinc™ LAN/WAN, LearnLinc™ Pro-Net and LearnLinc™ I-Net. Each product has similar user interfaces, classroom coordination, and content learning tools. However, each supports different software training tools and videoconferencing options based on available bandwidth and the technology infrastructure.

LearnLinc™ LAN/WAN is designed for organizations with large centers of influence and hundreds of people who have access to computer training centers. LearnLinc™ LAN/WAN optimizes bandwidth utilization and is the best value for the feature set. Implementing LearnLinc™ LAN/WAN equips your organization to conduct intensive software and technical training. This product also offers media-rich simulations and web-based content materials for effective soft skills and content training.

LearnLinc™ Pro-Net is ideal for organizations that are widely dispersed with smaller satellite offices accessing ISDN lines. Pro-Net has the most extensive feature set, including application sharing, which allows the floorholder to share and Windows compatible application with all other participants. LearnLinc™ Pro-Net provides concrete technical training that is cost-effective. A typical Pro-Net scenario involves a smaller number of people who can access one to three LearnLinc™ workstations at various times. For example, workers in a branch office of a bank or a satellite sales office can maximize their use of time and equipment with LearnLinc™ Pro-Net.

LearnLinc™ I-Net is best positioned for organizations with widely dispersed participants who have a modest computer and communications infrastructure using regular phone lines. LearnLinc™ I-Net is perfectly suited for training a distributed sales force. I-Net is ILINC's most flexible product, designed for use over a corporate intranet or Internet connection, coupled with a regular telephone or any other voice and video communication (satellite, desktop, or room-based videoconferencing). To maximize I-Net's software training capabilities, sessions incorporate multimedia and web-based content to demonstrate software use.

Synchronous Features

The LearnLinc™™ family of products all have similar interfaces with the following features.

Instructor Led Floor Control:

LearnLinc™ has all of the instructor coordination of a traditional classroom. Floor control refers to control of content materials and tools for all participants. Additionally, when using LearnLinc™ LAN/WAN and LearnLinc™ Pro-Net, floor control refers to the control of the audio or videoconferencing capabilities.

The instructor of a LearnLinc™ session sees a list of all attendees in either alphabetical or "hand raise" order. This list is continuously updated during the session. Participants raise their hands electronically, and the instructor decides whether or not to pass the floor to a participant, or when to reassign the floor to another participant. The instructor can take control of the floor at any time.

Instructors can lower all participants' hands after asking for a show of hands in response to a question, dismiss a participant from a session, or use "privacy mode" to work with session materials independently, without leaving the session.

Floor Control Policies for Sessions:

Currently, LearnLinc™ has three different floor control policies:

• Instructor Led Floor Control gives the most control to the instructor. He or she decides who has the floor, when to give the floor to another participant, and when to take back the floor. The inspector is the only participant who can use the privacy mode to keep from being led through course content by the current floorholder. The instructor can also us privacy mode to jump ahead in course content to use tools without effecting the content on participants' workstations as they work.
• Directed Discussion Floor Control is similar to Instructor Led Floor control, however, it gives all participants access to "privacy mode", so that they can use session materials independently. Participants using "privacy" continue too listen to or watch the floorholder (when audio or videoconferencing is used), and can then be resynchronized with the floorholder when they turn off "privacy".
• Open Discussion Floor Control is much like a roundtable discussion. During an open discussion session the instructor has no additional authority, and any participant can take control of the floor at any time. We recommend using the Open Discussion Floor Control for training small groups in highly collaborative, dynamic sessions.

Synchronization (Sync) Agents:

LearnLinc™ currently supports sync agents for Asymetrix Toolbook, Macromedia Authorware, and Microsoft Internet Explorer. Sync agents allow ToolBook, Authorware, or HTML content to be controlled by the floorholder while all other participants follow along. When using a sync agent, participants may turn pages or navigate on their own, but the next action of the floorholder re-synchronizes the entire group.

Synchronized Web Browser:

The Web Sync Agent works with your web browser (LearnLinc™ currently supports Microsoft Internet Explorer) and allows you to synchronize web navigation during a LearnLinc™ session. The session floorholder simply launches the Synchronized Web Browser and browses web sites as usual. as the floorholder navigates from page to page, the rest of the session participants follow along. As with our other session tools, when the floor is passed, control of the Synchronized Web Browser is passed as well.

PowerPoint to ToolBook Converter:

The PowerPoint to ToolBook converter allows a content developer to quickly run a PowerPoint or Free-lance file through a converter to create a ToolBook file that can be used in a LearnLinc™ session. PowerPoint files can also be converted to HTML, posted to a web site, and synchronized using the Synchronized Web Browser.

Electronic Mailing of Sticky Notes:

Participants and instructors can use "sticky notes" to write a note on a page of their multimedia content. the floorholder can pass these notes to everyone in the session. The instructor and participants may copy the contents of the sticky note to a text file, save it, and print it out if they wish. This feature is only available for content created in ToolBook.

Shared Electronic Whiteboard:

LearnLinc™ supports an electronic whiteboard for spontaneous creation of content. As with other session tools, the floorholder controls the whiteboard. The floorholder can add, delete, or edit the contents of the whiteboard. Instructors using the whiteboard to spontaneously create notes and drawings for the class may wish to use a digitizing pen that enhances dexterity while writing or drawing on the whiteboard.

When using LearnLinc™ WAN/LAN, bitmaps of another application can be continuously pasted into the whiteboard at intervals of 2 to 20 seconds. Doing so allows the instructor or floorholder to display a series of actions, perhaps describing how to perform a task involving another application. It is important to keep in mind that this is a bandwidth-intensive activity.

Questions & Answer (QNA) Polling:

Instructors use QNA to anonymously poll participants to gauge their comprehension. Instructors may create multiple choice questions ahead of time, or enter them spontaneously. The instructor can quickly view and evaluate participants' responses, which are displayed in easy-to-read percentages.

SQNA to Monitor Class Progress:

SQNA is a simplified version of QNA that instructors use to monitor class progress and to insure that he or she is teaching at an acceptable pace and direction. If the instructor is covering material too slowly or too quickly, he or she can make appropriate changes immediately.

Glimpse:

Glimpse allows the instructor to acquire a screen capture of any participant's desktop. Instructors can "look over the shoulder" of a participant who is having trouble with his or her materials, and then troubleshoot the problem.

Text Chat:

Participants can use Text Chat to send text messages to everyone else in the session. If a participant wants to interact with the instructor without interrupting everyone else, he or she can simply add a comment to the text chat conversation. The instructor and participants may save and print the transcript they have generated at any time during a session. It is also possible to paste test from other documents into the text chat box and vice versa.

If the instructor feels that an open chat line is distracting to some participants, he or she can enable "Restricted Text Chat" mode, in which only the instructor and the floorholder can chat.

Library Browser - Asynchronous Access to Content:

Participants can preview (or review) content on their own time before, after, or in-between sessions. The instructor can make homework and research assignments available to participants in the Library Browser.

Session Browser - Registration & Scheduling:

Participants can browse the schedule of available sessions, register for a session, or join a session using the session browser. Instructors use it to schedule sessions, give brief descriptions of what the session covers, and to designate certain LearnLinc™ features like Text Chat and SQNA as "autostart" resources. Autostart resources start automatically when you join a session.

Application Browser:

The session floorholder can launch other Windows based applications (such as a calculator or a spreadsheet) or LearnLinc™ applications (like Text Chat, Whiteboard, etc.) for all other participants. Only LearnLinc™ sync-enabled applications will be synchronized during the session. Anyone can launch an application on their own workstation independently using the Application Browser when they do not have the floor or are in "privacy mode".

LearnLinc™ Security:

LearnLinc™ provides two levels of security. Log-in security prevents users from logging-in to LearnLinc™ without an assigned user name, group name, and password. Session security prevents users from joining a password-protected session without the password, which is created and distributed by the session instructor or the system administrator.

Administrative Tools:

LearnLinc™ provides tools for administrators to create sessions and user accounts, maintain the LearnLinc™ Name Service, and efficiently distribute course materials. Administrators can create authority levels that are customized to fit their organization's needs. The default authority levels are Administrator, Author, Instructor, Participant, and Guest.

Multiple Session Support:

All LearnLinc™ products support multiple simultaneous sessions. A group of participants at the same learning lab or location may be logged into several different sessions, each with a different instructor and set of participants. Likewise, a LearnLinc™ Server running I-Net or Pro-Net can support multiple sessions simultaneously, each with a different instructor and group of participants. A LearnLinc™ Server running LAN/WAN requires additional bandwidth to support multiple sessions taking place concurrently.

The First Virtual Classroom for the Internet

LearnLinc™ I-Net is the first software product to allow an instructor or student to control course material on all PCs, in real time, over the Internet or corporate intranet. Courseware may originate from previously authored material or from any Web site, because LearnLinc™ I-Net is the first to offer synchronized Web navigation. Corporations or Universities can now employ the most effective instructor-led learning tools on the most accessible infrastructure-the Internet/intranet.

Powerful Learning Tools, Easy Access

Created with a real classroom in mind, LearnLinc™ I-Net offers instructor/student control, class coordination, multimedia interaction, student progress verification, and self-paced learning, plus access to an unlimited library of Web based educational material. When teamed with a telephone, videoconferencing, or other audio/video connection, LearnLinc™ I-Net brings together the time-tested benefits of true classroom interaction. Access via the Internet/intranet means students can be LearnLinc™ - enabled and ready to register for courses in a matter of hours.

Flexible Courseware For Synchronous Learning

LearnLinc™ courseware may be created using sophisticated authoring packages such as Macromedia Authorware™ or Asymetrix ToolBook™, or converted easily from simple PowerPoint™ presentations. If you have course material already created for Web training, LearnLinc™ I-Net can maximize its value by adding real time instructor-led learning.

Virtual Classroom in Action

Once students have logged in via the Internet or intranet, the teacher can control the multimedia or Web-based content on all student PCs. Students may raise electronic "hands" and be given control to run the courseware, take the class to a Web site, or ask questions. It is also possible to launch multiple choice questions on all PCs to verify student progress at any time; launch a shared whiteboard to display and mark-up documents, graphics, or hand written notes; or take a snapshot of any student's screen to help them with problems. Text chat can be used to give students individualized help. Access to courseware is provided at any time in the LearnLinc™ I-Net environment so students may preview/review material or do homework assignments.

Making the Virtual Classroom

As mentioned before, based on its pioneering research at RPI, ILINC has made highly successful distance learning a reality for companies and academic institutions throughout the world. This technology has earned not only the respect of the institutions using it, but has also garnered a number of prestigious awards, including the 1996 Industry Achievement Award from the International Teleconferencing Association (ITCA), selection as one of the Top Ten Training Products for 1996 from Human Resource Executive Magazine, and the 1996 Significant Advance in Computer Conferencing Award from Teleconference Magazine/TeleCon XVI.

The LearnLinc™ product family contains three products: LearnLinc™ LAN/WAN, LearnLinc™ Pro-Net and LearnLinc™ I-Net. Each product has similar user interfaces, classroom coordination, and content learning tools. However, each supports different software training tools and videoconferencing options based on available bandwidth and the technology infrastructure.

LearnLinc™ LAN/WAN is designed for organizations with large centers of influence and hundreds of people who have access to computer training centers. LearnLinc™ LAN/WAN optimizes bandwidth utilization and is the best value for the feature set. Implementing LearnLinc™ LAN/WAN equips your organization to conduct intensive software and technical training. This product also offers media-rich simulations and web-based content materials for effective soft skills and content training.

LearnLinc™ Pro-Net is ideal for organizations that are widely dispersed with smaller satellite offices accessing ISDN lines. Pro-Net has the most extensive feature set, including application sharing, which allows the floorholder to share and Windows compatible application with all other participants. LearnLinc™ Pro-Net provides concrete technical training that is cost-effective. A typical Pro-Net scenario involves a smaller number of people who can access one to three LearnLinc™ workstations at various times. For example, workers in a branch office of a bank or a satellite sales office can maximize their use of time and equipment with LearnLinc™ Pro-Net.

LearnLinc™ I-Net is best positioned for organizations with widely dispersed participants who have a modest computer and communications infrastructure using regular phone lines. LearnLinc™ I-Net is perfectly suited for training a distributed sales force. I-Net is ILINC's most flexible product, designed for use over a corporate intranet or Internet connection, coupled with a regular telephone or any other voice and video communication (satellite, desktop, or room-based videoconferencing). To maximize I-Net's software training capabilities, sessions incorporate multimedia and web-based content to demonstrate software use.

Synchronous Features

The LearnLinc™™ family of products all have similar interfaces with the following features.

Instructor Led Floor Control:

LearnLinc™ has all of the instructor coordination of a traditional classroom. Floor control refers to control of content materials and tools for all participants. Additionally, when using LearnLinc™ LAN/WAN and LearnLinc™ Pro-Net, floor control refers to the control of the audio or videoconferencing capabilities.

The instructor of a LearnLinc™ session sees a list of all attendees in either alphabetical or "hand raise" order. This list is continuously updated during the session. Participants raise their hands electronically, and the instructor decides whether or not to pass the floor to a participant, or when to reassign the floor to another participant. The instructor can take control of the floor at any time.

Instructors can lower all participants' hands after asking for a show of hands in response to a question, dismiss a participant from a session, or use "privacy mode" to work with session materials independently, without leaving the session.

Floor Control Policies for Sessions:

Currently, LearnLinc™ has three different floor control policies:

• Instructor Led Floor Control gives the most control to the instructor. He or she decides who has the floor, when to give the floor to another participant, and when to take back the floor. The inspector is the only participant who can use the privacy mode to keep from being led through course content by the current floorholder. The instructor can also us privacy mode to jump ahead in course content to use tools without effecting the content on participants' workstations as they work.
• Directed Discussion Floor Control is similar to Instructor Led Floor control, however, it gives all participants access to "privacy mode", so that they can use session materials independently. Participants using "privacy" continue too listen to or watch the floorholder (when audio or videoconferencing is used), and can then be resynchronized with the floorholder when they turn off "privacy".
• Open Discussion Floor Control is much like a roundtable discussion. During an open discussion session the instructor has no additional authority, and any participant can take control of the floor at any time. We recommend using the Open Discussion Floor Control for training small groups in highly collaborative, dynamic sessions.

Synchronization (Sync) Agents:

LearnLinc™ currently supports sync agents for Asymetrix Toolbook, Macromedia Authorware, and Microsoft Internet Explorer. Sync agents allow ToolBook, Authorware, or HTML content to be controlled by the floorholder while all other participants follow along. When using a sync agent, participants may turn pages or navigate on their own, but the next action of the floorholder re-synchronizes the entire group.

Synchronized Web Browser:

The Web Sync Agent works with your web browser (LearnLinc™ currently supports Microsoft Internet Explorer) and allows you to synchronize web navigation during a LearnLinc™ session. The session floorholder simply launches the Synchronized Web Browser and browses web sites as usual. as the floorholder navigates from page to page, the rest of the session participants follow along. As with our other session tools, when the floor is passed, control of the Synchronized Web Browser is passed as well.

PowerPoint to ToolBook Converter:

The PowerPoint to ToolBook converter allows a content developer to quickly run a PowerPoint or Free-lance file through a converter to create a ToolBook file that can be used in a LearnLinc™ session. PowerPoint files can also be converted to HTML, posted to a web site, and synchronized using the Synchronized Web Browser.

Electronic Mailing of Sticky Notes:

Participants and instructors can use "sticky notes" to write a note on a page of their multimedia content. the floorholder can pass these notes to everyone in the session. The instructor and participants may copy the contents of the sticky note to a text file, save it, and print it out if they wish. This feature is only available for content created in ToolBook.

Shared Electronic Whiteboard:

LearnLinc™ supports an electronic whiteboard for spontaneous creation of content. As with other session tools, the floorholder controls the whiteboard. The floorholder can add, delete, or edit the contents of the whiteboard. Instructors using the whiteboard to spontaneously create notes and drawings for the class may wish to use a digitizing pen that enhances dexterity while writing or drawing on the whiteboard.

When using LearnLinc™ WAN/LAN, bitmaps of another application can be continuously pasted into the whiteboard at intervals of 2 to 20 seconds. Doing so allows the instructor or floorholder to display a series of actions, perhaps describing how to perform a task involving another application. It is important to keep in mind that this is a bandwidth-intensive activity.

Questions & Answer (QNA) Polling:

Instructors use QNA to anonymously poll participants to gauge their comprehension. Instructors may create multiple choice questions ahead of time, or enter them spontaneously. The instructor can quickly view and evaluate participants' responses, which are displayed in easy-to-read percentages.

SQNA to Monitor Class Progress:

SQNA is a simplified version of QNA that instructors use to monitor class progress and to insure that he or she is teaching at an acceptable pace and direction. If the instructor is covering material too slowly or too quickly, he or she can make appropriate changes immediately.

Glimpse:

Glimpse allows the instructor to acquire a screen capture of any participant's desktop. Instructors can "look over the shoulder" of a participant who is having trouble with his or her materials, and then troubleshoot the problem.

Text Chat:

Participants can use Text Chat to send text messages to everyone else in the session. If a participant wants to interact with the instructor without interrupting everyone else, he or she can simply add a comment to the text chat conversation. The instructor and participants may save and print the transcript they have generated at any time during a session. It is also possible to paste test from other documents into the text chat box and vice versa.

If the instructor feels that an open chat line is distracting to some participants, he or she can enable "Restricted Text Chat" mode, in which only the instructor and the floorholder can chat.

Library Browser - Asynchronous Access to Content:

Participants can preview (or review) content on their own time before, after, or in-between sessions. The instructor can make homework and research assignments available to participants in the Library Browser.

Session Browser - Registration & Scheduling:

Participants can browse the schedule of available sessions, register for a session, or join a session using the session browser. Instructors use it to schedule sessions, give brief descriptions of what the session covers, and to designate certain LearnLinc™ features like Text Chat and SQNA as "autostart" resources. Autostart resources start automatically when you join a session.

Application Browser:

The session floorholder can launch other Windows based applications (such as a calculator or a spreadsheet) or LearnLinc™ applications (like Text Chat, Whiteboard, etc.) for all other participants. Only LearnLinc™ sync-enabled applications will be synchronized during the session. Anyone can launch an application on their own workstation independently using the Application Browser when they do not have the floor or are in "privacy mode".

LearnLinc™ Security:

LearnLinc™ provides two levels of security. Log-in security prevents users from logging-in to LearnLinc™ without an assigned user name, group name, and password. Session security prevents users from joining a password-protected session without the password, which is created and distributed by the session instructor or the system administrator.

Administrative Tools:

LearnLinc™ provides tools for administrators to create sessions and user accounts, maintain the LearnLinc™ Name Service, and efficiently distribute course materials. Administrators can create authority levels that are customized to fit their organization's needs. The default authority levels are Administrator, Author, Instructor, Participant, and Guest.

Multiple Session Support:

All LearnLinc™ products support multiple simultaneous sessions. A group of participants at the same learning lab or location may be logged into several different sessions, each with a different instructor and set of participants. Likewise, a LearnLinc™ Server running I-Net or Pro-Net can support multiple sessions simultaneously, each with a different instructor and group of participants. A LearnLinc™ Server running LAN/WAN requires additional bandwidth to support multiple sessions taking place concurrently.

* Bandwidth, Hardware and Infrastructure Requirements -- Details:

1. Minimum Bandwidth Requirements - for large training centers, LearnLinc™ LAN/WAN economizes the available bandwidth by multicasting Audio/Video over a Wide Area Network (WAN) created by connecting Local Area Networks (LAN) together with either 4 ISDN lines/per site or one T1 line/per site. Each site must have a router with one site acting as a hub to bridge together all other learning centers. Each training center can have dozens of computers sharing the combined bandwidth provided by the 4 ISDN lines or the T1 line. A T1 line can support up to 3 simultaneous and different sessions. For more information on this configuration, please see your Success with LearnLinc™ guide.

2. LearnLinc™ Pro-Net requires a single ISDN line (128 kbps) connected to a Multipoint Conferencing Unit 9MCU) for passing the Video/Audio and Application Sharing data, plus an Internet Connection on at least one phone line (28.8 kbps) to handle all other data control and to access Web-based content.

3. Routers that support the proper multicasting protocol are required to connect learning centers when using LearnLinc™ LAN/WAN.

4. Customers should use LearnLinc™ LAN/WAN when a dedicated training room with more than six computers can be leveraged over many participants at different times. This spreads the cost of the infrastructure over more learning time and does not require additional hardware or high bandwidth access to every desktop in the organization.

5. LearnLinc™ LAN/WAN and LearnLinc™ Pro-Net are sold by the Client License or the number of end user PCs on which our software is installed. LearnLinc™ I-Net is sold by a Server License that can support up to the number of simultaneous connections as the server license agreement supports. The server license typically supports 5, 25, or 100 concurrent (simultaneous) clients. Client software for LearnLinc™ I-Net may be distributed free of charge and loaded on an unlimited number of computers. Multiple synchronous sessions (courses) may be delivered at the same time, from the same server up to the total number of clients on the Server Software License.

Incomplete Attempts at Distance Learning Technology

Because the rewards for a successful distance learning technology are so high - greatly reduced travel expenses, lower disruption of work or study schedules, lower wear and tear on instructors - a number of technologies have been tried in recent years in an attempt to deliver effective distance learning. When comparing other distance learning technology with the LearnLinc™ Virtual Classroom, it is plain that they all have significant drawbacks for serious learning.

Working Solution, Tested Paradigm

In contrast, LearnLinc™ I-Net has been shown to provide effective distance learning in real-world situations. At Kent State University in Ohio, for example, ILINC technology was used to launch two interactive, computer-driven courses that were distributed electronically to students at five campuses simultaneously. Student and instructor acceptance were high. The courses were so successful that seven more courses, to be distributed through ILINC's distance learning technology, are now under development.

In another instance using ILINC's Virtual Classroom, The Office Depot was able to triple the number of students who could attend an instructor-led training session and provide training in three different locations (Florida, Texas, and California) at the same time. Office Depot training with LearnLinc™ demonstrated a 20% increase in student satisfaction with content, materials, design and instructor, when compared with the traditional classroom experience.

It is because of successes like these that Intel Corporation decided to partner its Intel ProShare Conferencing Video Systems with ILINC to provide distance learning solutions, worldwide. Other ILINC strategic alliances include Macromedia, Asymetrix, Lucent Technologies, Bay Networks, Cisco System, VideoServer and NETG.

The Bottom Line

For the first time in history, there is a learning technology that works as well as, and sometimes better than, the traditional classroom. Available for immediate deployment, LearnLinc™ I-Net makes meaningful distance learning a reality for any institution that needs it.

Each alternative technology presents significant drawbacks for comprehensive distance learning. LearnLinc™ provides the blend of technologies that address these drawbacks.

LearnLinc™ I-Net does not include integrated audio/visual conferencing. Separate audio or video connectivity may be provided by: 

Telephone conference calling (POTS)

Intel ProShare desktop videoconferencing

Room videoconferencing

Satellite broadcast

CATV or broadcast TV

Each technology can be used to enhance the on-line experience by providing live audio, live video or live instructional content. One of the major drawbacks of the asynchronous delivery on the Internet is the fact that the learner has access to static multimedia that does not provide a "virtual" channel of communication to support the on-line access.

Yeh, Chen, Lai and Yuan wrote a paper "Synchronous Navigation Control for Distance Learning on the Web". In this paper, they have made reference to independent work done on synchronous delivery. The group made the following observation about asynchronous versus synchronous delivery:

"There are still other important issues not supported directly by current WWW-based educational systems. For example, interaction and communication among instructors and learners are required to aid learning, problem solving, and experience sharing; logging of learners' behavior is required for statistical and quantitative analysis; assessment functionality is also required to evaluate learning effects and system usability.

Various techniques have been proposed to handle these problems. Book-like overview maps, concept maps, fisheye views, etc. can help users understand the overall logical structure of large hyperdocuments. Guided tours, path mechanism, Footsteps, etc. can guide users to navigate through large hyperdocuments without too much cognitive overhead. In addition, many educational environments are equipped with text-mode, audio, and/or video facilities to improve interaction and communication.

They all help, but most of them are biased in favor of learners and consequently does not address the whole instructor/learner relationship well. With these systems, learners play an active role n the learning process: they fetch, read, and select material independently. On the other hand, instructors are passive or even invisible: they merely construct course material, put them on the WWW, and then go behind the scenes, proving little positive aids to learners. Therefore, instructors are absent from the actual learning progress of learners. We call the phenomenon learner-centric.

However, to address the whole instructor/learner relationship well, instructors must play a more positive and active role. With such initiative in hand, instructors may guide learners' learning progress through various visual and vocal hints, just as they do in traditional classroom. Without such consideration, a pedagogical system on the WWW is no more than a fashionable bulletin board."

For complete details of this research project, review www site http://plato.cis.nctu.ed.tw/papers/www5/

The comments made by this group on the topic were entirely based on the type of interaction between the learner and the instructor/teacher. In asynchronous delivery, they felt that the interaction was passive while the synchronous delivery was active communication between the learner and the instructor. The assumption made was that the active is a better learning environment than passive educational delivery. Research in distance learning has shown that active communication is essential to helping many types of learners reach a successful conclusion.

Conclusion

Clearly, in the developing world of virtual and on-line education, synchronous delivery has a significant role to play. Partly, the educational model employed is important in the design of a system. While asynchronous delivery of instruction plays an important role in providing instruction that is free of time, place and scheduling, the synchronous approach adds immediacy, live interaction and personal contact. Both systems can peacefully co-exist in a group of distance learning strategies that focus on on-line access to learning through common cyber-space technologies that the educational community has embraced at the same level that families have embraced the television and the CD player.

References - Internet Articles

Dr. J.M. Wilson, (1997)Distance Learning for Continuous Education, http://www.ilinc.com

Graziadei, Gallagher, Brown, Sasiadek, (1997) Building Asynchronous & Synchronous Teaching - Learning Environments: Exploring a Course/Classroom Management System Solution, http://137.142.42.95/west/ASLPaper.html

Campbell, Bourne, (1996) Designing Distributed Learning System, http://ciee.vuse.vanderbilt.edu/alnweb/SALT97eweb

Yeh, Chen, Lai, Yuan, Synchronous Navigation Control for Distance Learning on the Web, http://plato.cis.nctu.edu.tw/papers/www5

Wilson, O'Keefe, Bernstein and Usluel, (1997) Shrinking Distances, Improving Results - Distance Learning with LearnLinc™ I-Net (Executive Briefing), http://www.ilinc.com

Collis, B, (1996) Tele-Learning in a Digital World: The Future of Distance Learning, http://www-iet.open.ac.uk/staff/robinm/GlobalEdu.html, Internet Article - The Globalisation of Education

Keywords: Virtual schools, synchronous delivery, asynchronous delivery, distance learning, distance education, on-line learning, LearnLinc, virtual classroom, computer conferencing, Internet learning, live on-line instruction, distributed education, interactive live instruction, synchronized web browsing

Dr. Barry Ellis
President, DETAC Corporation
Past Professor of Distance Education, University of Calgary
4804 - 45th Avenue, Innisfail, Alta, Canada --- T4G 1P3
bell@detac.com
http://www.detac.com/

© 1997. The author, Barry Ellis, assigns to the University of New Brunswick and other educational and non-profit institutions a non-exclusive license to use this document for personal use and in courses of instruction provided that the article is used in full and this copyright statement is reproduced. The author(s) also grant a non-exclusive license to the University of New Brunswick to publish this document in full on the World Wide Web and on CD-ROM and in printed form with the conference papers, and for the document to be published on mirrors on the World Wide Web. Any other usage is prohibited without the express permission of the author(s).