Two-way Interactive Television Research Articles

Creative, Yet Practical: 20 Years of Distance Education Teacher Preparation

For more than 20 years, distance education has provided an option for prospective special education teachers to achieve licensure and a graduate degree. The program began as a two-way interactive television endeavor located at area community college sites. Over time, the program evolved to include online coursework with synchronous class meetings. In addition, changes in licensure and the graduate program have affected the schedule and offerings. Although changes are part of the story, the mission has remained the same, to provide quality graduate instruction to teachers of students with disabilities in a convenient, connected manner. This article includes a reflection on the original program and highlights of four major transitions over the 20 years of the program.

Experience and perspectives of distance learning of pharmacists-interns in the system of continuous education

Modernization of the educational process at the postgraduate stage using modern computer technologies is extremely urgent.
 The purpose of the study was to analyze the experience of distance learning of pharmacists-interns at the department of Organization and Economics of Pharmacy, drug technology and pharmacoeconomics and to substantiate promising directions for conducting distance education of pharmacists.
 Methods – questioning, interviewing of pharmacists-interns, questionnaire development. A special questionnaire has been developed and the method of individual questioning has explored the possibilities of distance learning of the pharmacist-interns at the postgraduate stage.
 The questionnaire included the passport part: the age, the form of training of the pharmacist-intern, the former place of work; A special part on the questions blocks under study. A survey was conducted of 128 pharmacists-interns: 72 full-time study form and 56 people of external study form. The questioning was conducted by each individual pharmacist individually, so it can be considered independent.
 As a result of the survey, we found out that about 61% of the pharmacists-interns do not have previous experience in distance learning. However, 81.5% are ready to independently study the topics of interest to them on pharmaceutical topics: New drugs registered in Ukraine, rational use of medicines, pharmaceutical care and assistance, etc.
 67% of the surveyed pharmacists-interns believe that knowledge control is better done after the development/study of each topic, and 33% is better at the end of the study of the thematic cycle.
 The optimal ways of conducting distance learning are established: two-way on-line interaction, publications on the educational program website, two-way interactive video.
 At the Department of the Organization and Economics of Pharmacy, the Technology of Medicines and Pharmacoeconomics, experience has been accumulated and a system for studying pharmacoeconomics has been created and activities conducted by the Ukrainian Department of UCOPOR. Considerable attention is paid to the use of information and communication technologies from pharmacoeconomics for distance learning on the basis of the home site from pharmacoeconomics (www.uspor.org.ua), and 6 instructional modules on pharmacoeconomics developed by teachers in cooperation with international specialists are available on the international website ISPOR in Ukrainian.
 Prospective directions of the further development of postgraduate education, taking into account the results of questioning of pharmacists-interns can be the development of distance learning technologies, which will be actively introduced both in the preparation of the pharmacists-interns, and for the pharmacists-trainees of the training cycles, thematic improvement.
 It is established that more than 80% of pharmacists-interns are ready to independently study the topics of interest to them on pharmaceutical topics: New drugs registered in Ukraine, rational use of medicines, Pharmaceutical care and assistance, Pharmaceutical cosmetology and Pharmaceutical legislation
 To control and evaluate the self-mastered material, 67% of interrogated interveners interviewed believe that it is advisable to conduct it after processing / studying each topic. It has been established that the optimal methods for conducting distance learning are: two-way on-line interaction, publications on the educational program site and two-way interactive video.
 Teachers of the Department of the Organization and Economics of Pharmacy, drug technology and pharmacoeconomics have developed a special distance learning program with pharmacoeconomics based on international modules, which is designed to provide knowledge and skills on the methodology of pharmacoeconomic research.

Developing criterion-based competencies for tele-ICU

In Brief Telemedicine nursing includes: telephone triage, two-way interactive video, nurse-to-patient (home-health setting) communication, nurse-to-nurse and nurse-to-physician collaboration (critical-care setting), and in emergency, combat, or trauma situations with the use of high-technology equipment.

From Two-way Television to the Internet: The Evolution of a Rural Distance Education Program

This first part of this article describes the beginnings of a rural distance teacher education program developed using two-way interactive television. The authors share lessons learned from data gathered over several years of teaching on television. The second part of the article describes an online distance teacher education program that prepares large numbers of special educators in both urban and rural settings. The effectiveness of an online approach is discussed along with knowledge gained through ongoing evaluation of the program. The article ends with thoughts about the future of rural teacher preparation through the use of new technologies.

Reliability associated with the Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS) adapted for the telemedicine context

Objective This study's purpose was to adapt the Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS) for telemedicine clinics and to investigate the adapted measure's reliability. The study also sought to better understand the volume of technology-related utterance in established telemedicine clinics and the feasibility of using the measure within the telemedicine setting. This initial evaluation is a first step before broadly using the adapted measure across technologies and raters. Methods An expert panel adapted the RIAS for the telemedicine context. This involved accounting for all consultation participants (patient, provider, presenter, family) and adding technology-specific subcategories. Ten new and 36 follow-up telemedicine encounters were videotaped and double coded using the adapted RIAS. These consisted primarily of follow-up visits (78.0%) involving patients, providers, presenters, and other parties. Reliability was calculated for those categories with 15 or more utterances. Results Traditional RIAS categories related to socioemotional and task-focused clusters had fair to excellent levels of reliability in the telemedicine setting. Although there were too few utterances to calculate the reliability of the specific technology-related subcategories, the summary technology-related category proved reliable for patients, providers, and presenters. Overall patterns seen in traditional patient–provider interactions were observed, with the number of provider utterances far exceeding patient, presenter, and family utterances, and few technology-specific utterances. Conclusion The traditional RIAS is reliable when applied across multiple participants in the telemedicine context. Reliability of technology-related subcategories could not be evaluated; however, the aggregate technology-related cluster was found to be reliable and may be especially relevant in understanding communication patterns with patients new to the telemedicine setting. Use of the RIAS instrument is encouraged to facilitate comparison between traditional, face-to-face clinics and telemedicine; among diverse consultation mediums and technologies; and across different specialties. Future research is necessary to further investigate the reliability and validity of adding technology-related subcategories to the RIAS. The limited number of technology-related utterances, however, implies a certain degree of comfort with two-way interactive video consultation among study participants. Practice implications Telemedicine continues to increase access to healthcare. The technology-related categories of the adapted RIAS were reliable when aggregated, thereby providing a tool to better understand how telemedicine affects provider–patient communication and outcomes.

Assessing the Use of Two-Way Interactive Video (TWIV) Conferencing to Offer Heart Failure Continuing Education to Rural Pharmacists

ABSTRACTTo assess the effectiveness of using two-way interactive video (TWIV) conferencing technology to offer heart failure continuing education to rural pharmacists, a continuing education program was simulcast from a metropolitan hospital to two rural hospitals via TWIV conferencing. A series of three surveys (pre-program, post-program, six month follow-up) were administered to assess heart failure knowledge and pharmacist confidence when treating patients with heart failure. Fifteen pharmacists participated in the study. Baseline heart failure knowledge significantly improved in the post-program vs. pre-program assessment (90% vs. 66%, P = 0.002) as did the six month follow-up assessment vs. pre-program assessment (81.3% vs. 66%, P = 0.034). Confidence levels of heart failure patient management were significantly improved in the post-program vs. pre-program evaluation (P < 0.022). This study showed that TWIV conferencing can be an effective way to offer live continuing education to pharmacists practic...

On Different Teaching Delivery Methods: What Happens to Instructor Course Evaluations?

This study investigates how students’ evaluation of an instructor's teaching skills, rapport with students, grading policies, knowledge of materials and presentation skills are affected when different delivery methods are used. MBA students'course evaluations in traditional, two-way interactive television, and Internet-based Marketing Management classes taught by the same instructor were compared. Results suggest that assessment of the instructor varied depending on the instructional delivery mode. Students enrolled in the traditional class consistently ranked the instructor the highest in the five evaluative criteria. Except for grading policies, no differences were found between students'responses in the ITV and Internet-based courses.

Teaching statistics online in a blended learning environment

Several Versions of a Web-based graduate-level course in statistics are described. In the final version, the experiential aspects of a face-to-face course in statistics are maintained through frequent interaction between the instructor and students using digital video lectures that depict real-time statistical computations. The use of text-based explanations, two-way interactive television technology, interactive whiteboard technology, and videos created from VHS recordings also are discussed within a recently described framework for evaluating the instructional effectiveness of new media.

Socio-Cultural Analysis of Two Cases of Distance Learning in Secondary Education

Virtual Schooling for primary and secondary students is becoming increasingly common across the United States. Although distance education has typically been used to address the needs of adult U.S. learners, its use with schoolchildren has been limited. The rapid development and diffusion of ICT has prompted advances in the use of distance education to serve these students educational needs--particularly those in remote rural settings. In this paper we analyse and contrast two case-studies that were gathered to inform researchers and practitioners of online schooling--a case in which two rural schools `coordinated' the use of two-way interactive video to provide live synchronous learning, and a school `replacement' model that provided an interactive online course for dispersed students with periodic live interactive synchronous learning sessions. Analysis drew on Cobb and his colleagues' (2003) techniques to delineate communities of practice and Wenger's (1998) work on boundary encounters, brokers, and boundary objects.

A Comparison of On-Site and Telepsychiatry Supervision

Telemedicine has been used in rural settings for more than 25 years to provide services for patients and educational opportunities for practitioners. There is little documentation in the literature about using telepsychiatry for supervising psychiatric nurse practitioners. This article discusses the supervision experiences of two groups of psychiatric nurse practitioners. One group of four nurses met weekly with a psychiatrist on-site. The other group of four nurses, working in three different clinical locations in Maine, met via a two-way interactive television connection with a psychiatrist based in Boston, Massachusetts.

Telemedicine and doctor-patient communication: a theoretical framework for evaluation.

The literature on doctor-patient communication demonstrates that patient, provider and contextual characteristics influence behaviour within medical encounters, which in turn is an important determinant of health outcomes. This paper introduces a conceptual model which posits that telemedicine affects health outcomes through changes in the way doctors and patients communicate with one another. It also proposes that this process depends on the medium through which the consultation takes place, whether in person, over the telephone, via fax or email, or through two-way interactive video. Since participants in two-way interactive video-consultations rarely meet in person, it is particularly important that the effect of substituting video for face-to-face consultations be delineated.

Evaluating Instruction in Distance Learning Classes

Techuology-mediated distance education (e.g., two-way interactive television, Web based instruction) is revolutionizing the delivery of university-level courses. The great promise provided by increased enrollments in efforts to meet supply and demand needs has made learning at a distance particularly popular in special education. In this research, student ratings were compared in a methods course that was affered on campus and off campus using different means of instruction. Students' ratings were also compared for students in the distance education course at local and remote facilities. End-of-course student evaluations (e.g., overall mean, and component evaluations which examined course, instructor, and general evaluation items) were examined using an independent groups comparison design. Analysis of outcome measures revealed no difference in the overall course means. Overall ratings as well as cluster ratings for course, instructor, and general items were similar for a methods and materials course in learning disabilities taught on campus and at a distance. When outcome measures for on-campus students vs. off-campus students were examined, again, no differences were evident in the overall ratings. Similarly, course, instructor, and general item ratings were similar across settings and courses. Implications for future research in planning, implementing, and evaluating instruction at a distance are suggested.

Telementoring and teleproctoring.

Telemedicine has previously been defined as "live two-way interactive video communication between a physician and a patient and/or another physician, where all participants are able to see and hear one another much like a face to face encounter." This concept has gained recent notoriety because of the great advances in telecommunications and the potential future increased cost-effectiveness associated with its utilization. We have developed a telementoring deployment protocol that can be effectively used to introduce a student to telementoring processes. The strict protocol uses military commands to facilitate smooth information transfer. The use of a concept called tactical information deployment provides the surgeon with rapid access to reference information in the operating suite. Multimedia interactive CD-ROMs, with digitized movie clips, illustrations, sound bits, and the latest academic review of the literature arm the surgeon with a database that establishes an unprecedented clinical adaptive capability (CAC). The availability of this information is invaluable to surgeons in their initial advanced laparoscopic procedural efforts. Telementoring simulator opportunities are included to acclimate the participant to the process. If the process seems comprehensive, it is meant to be. This is a high-risk situation, and a patient's welfare is on the line. If this concept is to reach its maximal healthcare delivery potential, responsible and academically credible training programs should be established with directional guidelines.

Student Satisfaction with Two-Way Interactive Distance Learning for Delivery of Early Childhood Special Education Coursework

Two-way interactive television (ITV) can be a viable alternative to traditional course delivery in Early Childhood Special Education. ITV involves students and faculty at different locations in the live transmission of two way auditory and visual signals simultaneously between sites. Two preservice master's level courses in Early Childhood Special Education, Characteristics of Young Children with Disabilities and Methods of Young Children with Disabilities, were taught twice across two academic years through distance learning using ITV Results from structured telephone surveys evaluating student satisfaction with ITV are presented. Factors critical to the successful implementation of an ITV model are discussed and include establishing a collaborative learning environment, providing an experienced instructor who can promote interaction, promoting a support system for ITV within and across institutions of higher education, and assuring high quality and delivery of the technology used.

Teaching Introductory Psychology at a Distance by Two-Way Interactive Video

In this article, we describe a project evaluating the academic effectiveness of 2-way interactive video as a means of delivery for Introductory Psychology from a television studio on a main campus to a remote site. Final grades assessed student achievement, and a short survey assessed their attitudes regarding aspects of course delivery. Performance at the remote site was not significantly different from performance in the same courses on the main campus. Students' attitudes toward the delivery method were generally positive. We also include feedback from the instructors and the studio production staff and recommend that future endeavors of this sort recognize potential constraints with such a delivery system and alleviate them as much as possible.

Distance learning: Moving toward online geoscience classes in Georgia

A variety of types of distance learning have been used in geoscience education in Georgia. One of them, the Georgia Geoscience Online project, is a model technology-supported Physical and Historical Geology course sequence, which uses a combination of technologies including Web-based course notes, course delivery over the Georgia Statewide Academic and Medical System (GSAMS) two-way interactive video system, and communication via e-mail. Online geoscience courses are being developed to serve the nontraditional student.

Incorporating electronic-based and computer-based strategies: graduate nursing courses in administration.

The use of electronic technology allows faculty to improve their course offerings. Four graduate courses in nursing administration were contemporized to incorporate fundamental computer-based skills that would be expected of graduates in the work setting. Principles of adult learning offered a philosophical foundation that guided course development and revision. Course delivery strategies included computer-assisted instructional modules, e-mail interactive discussion groups, and use of the electronic classroom. Classroom seminar discussions and two-way interactive video conferencing focused on group resolution of problems derived from employment settings and assigned readings. Using these electronic technologies, a variety of courses can be revised to accommodate the learners' needs.

Research Notes

In the summer of 1995, a required MSW course was taught simultaneously to two sections of students at the University of Georgia, 11 on the main campus and 9 at a branch campus. Each section was alternately taught using live instruction or distance learning (two-way interactive television). At the conclusion of the course, students evaluated each method of teaching using Biner’s (1993) instrument for measuring attitudes toward televised courses. Live instruction was rated significantly higher than distance learning. Although distance learning technology has potential for augmenting social work educational resources, it has not yet demonstrated comparable outcomes in terms of student learning.

Two-Way Interactive Television: An Emerging Technology for University Level Business School Instruction

Abstract In this study, we examine data from a public, upper division university to help answer several questions related to the use of two-way interactive television for university level business instruction. The study explores differences between distance learners and their oncampus counterparts in terms of age, gender, overall academic performance, and performance in a specific interactive course. The findings suggest that remote classes are more likely to comprise slightly older students, with a greater proportion of females than oncampus classes. The differences in overall academic performance and in classroom performance were not statistically significant, suggesting that there is no perceptible drop-off in academic performance that can be systematically related to problems with the technology.

Planning for the Twenty-First Century: The California State University

The San Jose State University School of Library and Information Science and the Office of the Chancellor in cooperation with industry partners designed and implemented a broadband network prototype to explore leveraging human and instructional resources among the 22 campuses of the California State University. With its current OC-3 capacity, the prototype network is capable of supporting near-broadcast quality two-way interactive video with simultaneous access to multi- and hypermedia resources across the network. Faculty and student collaborative work is facilitated by desktop video teleconferencing from faculty offices and student computer labs. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.