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With the advent of recent technologies, colleges are scrambling to keep up with how those technologies can benefit both the instructor and the student. For the tech-savvy instructors, using streaming video in the online college class helps bridge the gap between the live classroom and the virtual one.
Here’s how it works: The professor lectures in a room at the college that is wired for sound and video. Just before class begins, he arranges to record the lecture. This enables students to watch the classroom in real time. Students can also view the recorded lecture at a time that is convenient for them.
While not all professors have enthusiastically jumped on board with the idea of video streaming technology, those who do see a marked advantage to incorporating it into their online courses. In fact, it’s becoming more popular at the university level and is expected to become even more integral to the college learning experience.
Here are three good reasons why video streaming enhances the online college class:
1. Streaming video gives online students the “live” classroom experience. One of the major complaints online students have is that they feel isolated from the true classroom experience. When students are able to see the lectures from home, they are privy to all the tools the professor uses, including PowerPoint presentations, blackboard notes, and the visual experience of learning “live.”
2. Streaming video allows online students to call in their questions. Some instructors allow time at the end of the class to take calls or questions via live chat or e-mail from students. This allows the students the experience to interact with the instructor without sitting in the classroom. It also allows both online and offline students the benefit of hearing the same, unaltered lecture.
3. Streaming video provides an opportunity to review the material. One of the biggest advantages is that recorded streaming video permits students the opportunity to review the material at a time that is convenient to them. It’s also a great learning tool for students who were absent from class the day the material was presented. Streaming video is also an excellent retention tool for colleges. That’s why more instructors are using streaming video to retain students who may have to miss several classes due to extenuating circumstances.
Using video streaming in the online college class makes online learning more attractive to tech-wary students. By incorporating innovative and creative technological approaches to distance learning, universities will open their doors to a bigger student population than ever before.
