Your videoconferencing system

Ask specific sites to respond to comments made by another site in order to enhance discussion. Some software can allow for breakout rooms encouraging participants to collaborate across locations.

In addition to voice communication, participants can also use text chat (if available) to ask a question or indicate that they have a comment or question that they would like to be called on to express. If you allow this option, don’t forget to check the chat box frequently and read the question or response aloud so all can hear it.

Carefully choose where you will stand or sit. If the camera focuses on one location, then you need to be within the camera’s viewing range most of the time. If the camera connects to a mat behind the podium be cognizant of how often you step on and off the mat causing the camera to zoom in and out. If you walk around frequently and out of camera view, the camera will show an empty space. Some instructors choose to sit in the audience with the participants to encourage more participation. This allows participants at remote sites to see the local participants if there is not a camera positioned on the participants.

Allow time for introductions and introduce people that may not appear on camera. When possible, ask all students to sit within the view of the camera. Have the camera pan around the room (if possible) to capture any off-camera participants when they are speaking.

As part of your backup plan, consider campus closings due to weather or other reasons. If the broadcast site goes down or is unavailable, then you need to think about the above questions. However, if only one of the receiving sites is down the class can still occur as scheduled. In this case, you should consider recording the session and emailing the recording link to the participants who could not attend the live session due to their site’s closing.

Is the problem with the system or with something specific to the room? Is there another room I can use?

Determine if groups will be local (all in the same physical room) or if they will be a mix of some in the same physical room and some in the remote location via the videoconferencing system. Local groups are easier to manage, as they do not need to rely on the videoconferencing equipment to converse. Note: Keep in mind that you may have several physically distant sites that each consist of a single group that shares the same physical room. Will individuals or groups share the results of their activities with others? Create a contact list for each location. Use name tents so participants learn the names of their classmates regardless of location. Make sure the name tents are readable from all locations. If you have several remote locations, select a moderator at each location to submit questions. A moderator at your location can alert you to a question that comes up so you can give time to that remote group of participants. The moderator role should be rotated among participants so one participant doesn’t become the “gatekeeper” for his or her group.

ome systems allow for virtual raised hands that appear as small icons on the screen. These icons may appear when you are not looking or may otherwise be difficult to notice, so you may want to encourage participants to hold up something brightly colored to gain your attention instead. Other systems allow for chat communication, so you will have to frequently monitor that space and respond to these text-based communications.

If you have cameras, consider using several camera presets for different areas of the room. Some systems allow you to point the camera to a specific (local or remote) location and save that “pose” for later recall via a button push. This greatly facilitates conversations during the live session; when someone is talking, you can push a button and the camera will focus on that individual. Always focus on people, not objects. If you set a preset on yourself, follow the elbows and wrists rule. When you stretch out your arms, the edge of the screen should fall between your elbows and wrists. Ten percent of the picture area should be left above the head. Note the microphone placement in the room. Are there multiple microphones, or is there only one that must be shared? If so, can it be shared? If it is fixed in place, you should plan on repeating any statements or questions from participants into the microphone so remote participants can hear the statement or question. A common problem with audio is feedback or echoing. This happens when an open microphone is too close to a speaker – the sound loops from the speaker to the microphone, from the microphone back to the speaker, etc. Thus, microphones should not be active unless one is speaking, and even so you may need to recommend the use of headsets with microphones for participants to eliminate this problem.

If you plan to share a recording of the session with others not directly participating in the session or in a course, it is recommended that you obtain signed release forms from all session participants. Penn State Media Commons has recording release forms that you can use. See http://mediacommons.psu.edu/students/release-forms/.

IT Learning and Development offers training on some videoconferencing systems. See https://psu.csod.com/LMS/BrowseTraining/BrowseTraining.aspx?s=539#f=1&s=539&o=1 . World Campus offers training related to videoconferencing. See http://wcfd.psu.edu/.

Penn State

Videoconferencing