Distance education at Douglas College coming closer

istance education at Douglas
College has come a little
closer this fall.

Instructional Media Services (IMS) is
in the middle of phase one of a $231,000
Skills Now-funded distance education
project, with phase two beginning this
coming January.

Phase one involves converting several
College rooms into teleconferencing
rooms and interactive classrooms. Room
3100A (just inside the IMS front door) is
in the initial stages of being converted
into a very sophisticated teleconferencing
facility, says IMS Director Rob
Linschoten.

“Tt has completely hands-free
teleconferencing, permitting up to ten
people to participate at once. During the
initial phase it will also have satellite
downlink capability, and by January it
will also be capable of two-way video
interaction.” It can be booked for
conferencing purposes by calling
Facilities at local 5362.

 

The room will be used for
conferencing functions, distance
meetings with faculty and administrators
at other community colleges. “It’s a
chance for faculty to see how video
conferencing can work,” Linschoten
says.

Room 3270 is being renovated to
become an activity classroom, and will
support a small class or an instructor
teaching a class at another location.
Several cameras, a Pentium computer, a
fax, and other equipment is required.
“Pop quizzes can still happen by fax, even
if the instructor is in Terrace,” says
Linschoten. A user committee will
determine the priority of classes that will
use the room, which will be operational in
January.

Phase two includes a one-year
experiment that will see Room 3272,
currently used as a television and photo
studio, turned into a full-blown classroom.

-It’s big enough to experiment with the

lighting and physical layout that will work
best for a distance education classroom.
“We can apply the lessons learned there to
actual classroom locations in the College,”
says Linschoten.

Call Rob Linschoten at 5250 for more
information. I

 

Briefs

 

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@® Video at Victoria

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Tf you have scheduled classes at
Victoria Centre and require the use of a
VCR and monitor, you must reserve as
early as possible because there are only 3
mobile units for 6 classrooms. The
Library’s A/V Dept. has the key to the
Victoria Centre video machine lock-up.

Call 5187 to reserve a key for the date and

time block that you need.

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Bonds available

It’s Canada Savings Bond season again,
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Applications are available in the Payroll
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October 25.1