Effective use of videoconferencing technology for interactive learning requires practice and planning as well as attention to a few important instructional strategies. Two-way video works best as an interactive medium, but because we all have years of experience watching video rather than communicating with it; instructors must make extra efforts to involve and engage learners. The following list should remind you of strategies to consider when designing two-way video instruction:

• Motivate Learners
• Set Expectations
• Engage Students with Variety and Interaction
• Reduce Distractions During Learning Activities
• Encourage Dialog
• Provide Supporting Materials

Examples | Instructional Strategies |
Multipoint | Compressed Video | Equipment |
Communication Skills | Planning | Evaluating

Getting Started

We hope to present some pointers here for those who have moved beyond merely participating in meetings, guided field trips, and programs; and are ready to prepare their own instructional programs or field trips. We believe that there's a natural transition in videoconferencing; you start by introducing short pops of instructional video before you take on the task of course delivery. However, it's all up to you! At the very least, the teacher or librarian must know how to use the components of the videoconferencing system. They must manage local and remote sites and should be able to connect to and collaborate with remote experts or guests. Don't forget to see our section on Compressed Video for technical information and practical tips.

Motivate Learners
Keep in mind that you already possess a wealth of knowledge and experience in curriculum design and instruction. When planning your videoconference, think about the learner and outcomes first -- the who, what, why, where, and how questions of learning -- before leaping into preoccupation with logistics or technology. Use instructional methods that motivate students and encourage active learning behaviors. Inspiring learner motivation is important in any learning environment, but it's critical in a distance learning situation. While designing instruction, take into consideration Keller's ARCS model of motivation, which emphasizes the following attributes.

• Attention. Increase perceptual arousal with the use of novel, surprising, incongruous and uncertain events. Increase inquiry arousal by stimulating information seeking behavior; pose or have the learner generate questions or a problem to solve. Maintain interest by varying the elements of instruction.
• Relevance. Emphasize relevance within the instruction to increase motivation. Use concrete language and examples with which students are familiar. Provide examples and concepts that are related to learners' previous experiences and values. Present goal orienting statements and objectives. Explain the utility of instruction for both present and future uses.
• Confidence. Allow students to develop confidence by enabling them to succeed. Present a degree of challenge that allows for meaningful success under both learning and performance conditions. Show the student that his or her expended effort directly influences the consequences. Generate positive expectations. Provide feedback and support internal attributions for success. Help students estimate the probability of success by presenting performance requirements and evaluation criteria.
• Satisfaction. Provide opportunities to use newly acquired knowledge or skill in a real or simulated setting. Provide feedback and reinforcements that will sustain the desired behavior. Maintain consistent standards and consequences for task accomplishments. Manage reinforcement: keep outcomes of learner's efforts consistent with expectations.

Here is a short lesson using Keller's ARC theory from Penn State, a pdf handout on the ARC's motivation model, and an interesting Boredom Analysis Checklist.

Set Expectations
After years of merely watching television, students may not expect to actively participate in videoconferencing. Use your role as facilitator to help students understand that you expect interaction and active learning. A simple way to challenge the television preconception issue is to communicate expectations to the learner prior to instruction. A short handout or a few comments at the beginning of a lesson can go a long way toward helping learners understand differences between broadcast television and two-way compressed video.

Consider explaining the difference in audio/visual quality along with a few suggestions to optimize that quality. One might, for example, encourage learners to keep background noise and motion to a minimum and explain ways to deal with the audio delay. A teacher should also prepare learners for an active experience. Assign a pre-session activity or begin the lesson with a discussion. Actively involve learners early and often, using small group or hands-on activity, reading, writing, discussion, and questions to get them out of the passive "viewing" mode. Here are some additional ideas for communicating expectations:

• At the beginning of each conference, remind students that they are to participate.
• Remind the students this is two-way video, not one-way TV. This means anything they say or do may be amplified and will be seen by all!
• Discuss etiquette required for two-way video. See our Compressed Video section for more on etiquette and roles and responsibilities during a videoconference.
• Pre-assign activities to get the students more involved.
• Allow students to participate in equipment operations. This will help you delegate tasks so that you are able to facilitate and monitor interactions as well as manage the classroom.
• Model different types of active learning behavior. Here's an article, "Active learning: getting students to work and think in the classroom" from The National Teaching and Learning Forum. It also works over video and it's still relevant years after posting!
• Practice, practice, practice!

Engage Students with Variety and Interaction
Incorporate variety into instruction to keep interest and motivation high. Use relevant visuals or sounds to illustrate points, and if possible, bring in a guest speaker to share a different perspective, answer questions, or provide real-world feedback on student projects. Even with thrilling visuals and instructors, nobody wants to watch a talking head for hours; so make sure learners have an opportunity to focus attention away from the screen. Assign small group activities with a task that can be discussed later. Plan breaks to give students a chance to stretch and talk. Highly motivated learners in a tightly focused lesson can tolerate lengthy lectures; but as a rule of thumb, don't lecture for more than 15 minutes. Instead, alternate lectures with activities or discussions.

To increase variety:

To promote interactivity:

• Include participants in the conference within the first 5 minutes. Involve them early so they don't turn away.
• Using a roster or participant map, call on students at both sites by name and encourage discussion. It's nice if these rosters can be shared.
• Remember this rule: no more than 10-15 minutes of instructor talk without some learner-centered response. This will enable you to put the responsibility of learning back in the learner's hands.
• Devote 30%-65% of each hour to student activity.
• Take as many questions from the distant site as you take from the local site. To answer questions:
  • repeat the question before answering it to make sure everyone heard the question
  • look into the camera and answer the person who asked the question
  • see if the question can be answered by that student or another student to generate a discussion
• For group work, select individuals at each site to participate on inter-site teams.

Provide Support Materials
Here are a few suggestions and examples to help improve communication and encourage learner involvement.

• Create and distribute an agenda so participants at both sites will know what to expect.
• Distribute a participant or teacher guide with clear learning objectives to both the local and distant sites before the conference.
• Often, videoconferences will involve pre and post activities. See this example from Jericho Middle School Library Animal Adaptations project.
• Allow space for note taking on handouts.
• When feasible, include graphics shown during the videoconference in the student guide.
• Sequence all materials in the order presented during class.
• Exchange a roster of names from all sites so that you may call on specific students to promote interactive discussions. You may even include a participant map if placement of people is strategic.
• When explaining a learner activity or assignment, display a slate with simple, bulleted instructions. Leave the slate displayed during the activity for reference.

You can get more ideas and start preparing your materials by visiting:

• Glossary of Instructional Stategies from PlasmaLink Web Services.
• Four PowerPoint Templates for you to download and use from UWTV Production for Television and Video.
• Developing PowerPoint Slides for Use in Videoconferencing from University of Wisconsin.