Large Scale Video-Conferencing

Since September 2009, the SWan alliance has been successfully delivering a number of BSc Biomedical Science(s) module lectures via video-conferencing to Year 3 course students across Kingston, St George's and Royal Holloway Universities. These are being simultaneously recorded and then uploaded onto each Institution's Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) - Blackboard at Kingston and Moodle at St George's and Royal Holloway.

'Behind the scenes' preparations for this initiative involved conducting technical tests of video conferencing and streaming media services across the three Universities, as well as researching any potential end-user issues. A SWan Innovation Award on Video Conferencing Usability produced a guide for lecturers on how to make best use of the technology and a number of training sessions for BSc staff were subsequently held.

Feedback from staff and students on their experience of this delivery mechanism has been extremely positive. The obvious benefit to both is not having to travel, but students in particular seemed to enjoy the experience - 75% voted it better than having to attend a lecture in person!

Posted: 15 Feb 2010