New Technologies Affect Education

Distance Learning

Fall 1999

The rapidly increasing capability of computers is affecting the way we communicate with each other. In this article we will look at how new technologies affect our ability to provide training when the instructor and the trainee are separated by distance or by incompatible time schedules. This year the Internet carried more personal mail than the US Postal Service and this article was dictated directly to a computer using voice dictation software.

Classroom Instruction
The most common format for training is an instructor standing in front of a class of trainees. This method is popular because it allows the instructor to adapt content and the pace of instruction to each individual group based on the verbal and nonverbal cues picked up from the audience. If such a class is to be conducted at a distance, it needs to be done in such a way that the instructor can get feedback from the students in order to make such adjustments and students need to be able to interact with the instructor and their peers.

Some classes are now being taught using digital video conferencing. However, there are still significant limitations. The biggest limitation that must be addressed is that of transmission speed. One full color screen image can take over seven million bits of data to transmit. A video needs 30 frames per second to simulate smooth motion, which could require a data transfer rate of up to 220 Megabits per second. Consequently, video conferencing systems that rely on telephone or local area networks must make compromises. These compromises are some combination of using smaller than full-screen images, fewer than 30 frames per second, and special compression algorithms that do not transmit redundant data, such as backgrounds that do not move.

Given these limitations, no one argues that videoconferencing in its present form is better than a live presentation. However, it is better than no presentation at all or a presentation with no feedback. One option is to provide video from the instructor, and use a response system that does not involve video but can provide specific feedback to the instructor. These systems consist of a keypad for each individual that is connected to a computer and a phone line. The learner can respond to an instructor's questions by pressing keys on the keypad or even signal the desire to ask a question. Some brands of student response systems include a microphone so that the individual student can ask a question and also have an archive of student pictures that can be displayed to the rest of the class while the student is talking. One of the advantages of this type of system is that the computer can analyze and summarized student responses immediately and display them to the instructor. In this way the instructor has a much better idea of how well the students understand what is being said. This type of system can be used during a live presentation or at a distance. If the class is being offered locally and remotely at the same time, this type of system can be used to quantify and compare the two types of classes.

Self-Study
One of the greatest strengths of distance education is the ability of the student to study at different times as well as in different places. This type of communication is called asynchronous. Many people try to fit their education into available time slots or their job does not permit them to attend classes on a regular schedule. For these people, asynchronous distance education may offer the only practical opportunity to receive training or education.

There are several technologies available to help this type of student. Some technologies have been around for many years. The oldest of course, is the book or print media, which is still a significant part of most training programs. Other forms of recordings such as audio or videotapes are also commonly used. The part that is missing with these technologies is interaction with instructors and peers. The computer and the Internet can provide this dimension to self-study.

Students may share documents with each other and hand in assignments to instructors by attaching them to electronic mail. They may confer face-to-face using programs like Microsoft's NetMeeting, which also allows the students to share software applications and receive help from instructors one-on-one. Students can view recorded lectures and slide shows at their own pace from audio/video streaming format servers such as Microsoft's NetShow. Students can also take part in asynchronous online conference groups where each student responds to a posted question.

Future Technologies
One of the founders of Intel developed what is now known as Moore's Law. He predicted that the computing power that you could buy for a dollar would double each year and a half. In many cases, his prediction has been conservative. If you are making plans for using computer technology to provide training at a distance during the next three years, you should anticipate that the available speed and power of computers will increase by at least a factor of four.

Data transmission rates from homes are increasing at an even faster pace. Three years ago a 9600 bits per second (0.0096 megabits per second) modem was considered fast. Now 56,000 bits per second (0.0560 megabits per second) modems are available. The telephone companies offer a special higher speed phone service known as ISDN, with data rates of 0.128 megabits per second. But it requires installation of two phone lines and special switchgear. I expect that ISDN will be bypassed by a newer technology now being tested called ADSL, which stands for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. This is a system that uses existing telephone lines in a new way and has the potential of transmitting data at rates between 0.8 megabits per second upload and 9 megabits per second download. The obvious advantage of this type of system is that it could be available wherever there is telephone service. It is currently being tested in over two dozen cities.

The cable television companies are aggressively developing high-speed communication technologies for two-way transmission of data over their cable. Cable modems are being tested now that can provide access to the Internet at up to 30 megabits per second. (Cable modems share the available transmission rate with the number of users who are on that loop and may vary considerably depending on usage.) At this transmission rate, it should be possible to provide reasonably good quality two-way video that could be used for training and instruction.