Summary
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This white paper summarizes a representative subset of recent research on video-based technologies for distance education. The paper illustrates the fact that the past decade has witnessed a tremendous amount of distance education research, with a smaller but growing body of work specifically on the use in education of videoconferencing, on demand video, and lecture capture systems. This growth in research was brought about by the vast growth of statewide, national, and international videoconferencing networks — and an increasing number of practitioners interested in understanding the value of the technology. As the use of videoconferencing has expanded, educators, researchers, technology providers, analysts and others have increasingly sought to answer questions such as:
- Is interactive videoconferencing as effective as the traditional classroom for delivering instruction?
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What are the unique capabilities this technology brings to the table — for student interaction, for wider participation, and for collaboration among dispersed groups of students and educators?
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Do the benefits of videoconferencing justify the up-front cost of adopting the technology?
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How might videoconferencing be best used to take full advantage of the technology’s capabilities?
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What are the success factors and what are the obstacles to successful deployment?
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How are the newer, on demand solutions measurable and what is the impact of the additional points of contact between educator and learner?
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This White Paper, sponsored by
Polycom, focuses on the state of research as of 2009 into the impact of video technologies on distance education.