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SIS 410 - Internet2 eLearning Demonstration via Cambridge University

Project Overview

SIS 410, Introduction to Global Internet Political Economy, is co-instructed by Professor Donald Hellmann at the University of Washington and by Rex Hughes from Cambridge University in the United Kingdom.  The course examines the Internet's impact on global politics and economics and its place in the broader knowledge revolution that began to unfold in the second half of the 20 th century.

As part of a research project sponsored by the Boeing Company , the Center for Internet Studies has teamed together with UWTV at the University of Washington along with the Cambridge University Computing Service to experiment with eLearning/video conferencing technologies.  The primary goal has been to deliver lectures from Cambridge University to SIS 410 students at the University of Washington via Internet2. 

Several lectures have been successfully delivered by Rex Hughes from Cambridge University with full-motion, 30 frames per second video and full-duplex audio transmissions.  These sessions also served as a pilot for an eight part eColloquium that the Internet Political Economy Forum (IPEF) will implement this spring. IPEF members include Cambridge University, Seoul National University, National University of Singapore, and the University of Washington.

Equipment and Technology

A Polycom ViewStation 512 videoconferencing unit (combined with a
television monitor and amplified speaker) was used at the University of Washington.  The average price of the unit costs about $12,000 USD.  The video signal was projected onto a 7' x 7' screen located at the front of the classroom.  The ViewStation 512 is capable of IP and ISDN transmissions and can broadcast at up to 768Kbps.  The unit is designed for medium to large rooms.

A Tandberg 6000i videoconferencing unit was used at Cambridge University.  The unit lists at $26,990 USD and comes with a camera, two large monitors and speakers.  The 6000i is capable of IP, ISDN and telephone transmissions.  The unit is able to connect at up to 768Kbps with full-motion, 30 frames per second video.  The unit is intended for use in large rooms.

The lectures were broadcasted at 384Kbps via Internet2 jitter free with 0% packet loss. The flawless transmission capability of the UK JANET and US Abeline backbone allow for the highest quality of service on trans-Atlantic links. The image quality was spectacular and had very minimal pixilation around the edges of moving images.  The units on both ends are designed to be fully independent from a separate server or computer and only require an IP address and a broadband connection.

Barriers

The first challenge at UW was getting the Polycom System temporarily installed into Mary Gates hall. Unfortunately, the UW does not yet have an "eClassroom" with video conferencing capabilities on the Seattle campus. By not having equipment permanently installed in any UW classrooms, expensive technician time was required across several weeks to test and configure the system. Hopefully, this and other successful demonstrations will show the utility in making this type of investment in the future which would greatly reduce the underlying operational costs.

Coordinating lectures despite an eight hour time difference between Seattle and London was a difficult task.  Mr. Hughes was required to deliver his lecture to UW students who had class session at 3:30 PM PST, 11:30 PM, Greenwich Mean Time (London).  Beginning a lecture 30 minutes before midnight is something most people would probably wish to avoid.

Lastly, a technical difficulty arose at the University of Washington during the first lecture when the built-in electronic echo-cancellation feature failed on the Polycom unit.  This caused annoying audio feedback within the classroom whenever students at UW would attempt to ask questions.  Fortunately the videoconferencing operator developed an only-the-fly solution by manually muting the speakers when questions were asked.  The Polycom unit was eventually repaired by UW staff.  This problem was very minor and did not hamper the overall eLearning experience.

Future Tests

The Center for Internet Studies hopes to experiment with home or office-use video conferencing units combined with medium to large room units.  For example, Polycom has developed a product called ViaVideo, which is similar to a small desktop web camera.  Tests would be conducted to compare quality and feasibility differences with the use of a ViaVideo unit on one end and a Polycom ViewStation 512 unit on the other.  Polycom ViaVideo units cost around $600 USD and require software that is H323 compatible, such as Microsoft NetMeeting, in order to communicate with a Polycom ViewStation over IP. Implementing a personal videoconferencing device at Cambridge University would eliminate the need for a videoconferencing operator and would allow Mr. Hughes to deliver lectures from the convenience of his own desk. Other potential tests will include quality and functionality comparisons of a standard $50-$150 desktop web cam to a Polycom ViaVideo unit.

In the future, IPEF hopes to make use of the next generation of active eLearning software that takes advantage of the latest advances in collaborative computing and eClassrooms such as Microsoft's Conference XP product currently underdevelopment at Microsoft Research.