Preparation for ITV Class
Whom to Contact
Contact the office of Extension and Community Education, 483-1860, prior to the first night of class to introduce yourself and receive information about ITV couriers, class schedules, rooms, etc.
Student Materials for Off-Site Classes
Prepare a supply of courier envelopes with your name and mail code for your off-site students to turn in assignments.
Have the materials for students, (i.e., syllabus, handouts, courier envelopes) at the Office of Extension and Community Education by 10:00 am the day of your class to ensure timely delivery to the off-site classrooms.
Syllabus
Plan in your syllabus for the conflicting spring break times between Shiawassee schools and LCC.
Provide a clear written policy for making up classes and exams, and for the acceptance of late assignments. Be sure to emphasize this policy to your students during the first class meeting and throughout the semester. Having remote sites and relying on couriers complicates paperwork and requires more time for the exchange of materials between students and instructor. Plan accordingly. Clearly state to your students your policy for returning their assignments and how they can request a meeting with you to discuss their work or grades. Prepare guidelines outlining your requirements for student participation in class. Include these in your syllabus and discuss them on the first day of class.
Overheads
- Prepare horizontal rather than vertical overheads to fit a TV screen.
- Overheads should be on pastel colored paper, rather than white or dark colors, in order to avoid glare and to transmit well over the television monitor. These overheads replace any work you usually write on a chalkboard or on overhead transparency film.
- Use at least 36 but preferably 48 or 72 point font size, on your overheads and avoid fancy lettering like italics.
- When utilizing the overheads, use no more than 5 words per line and 3 lines per page. Any more information does not transmit well.
Clothing/Appearance
- Avoid clothing with small patterns and stripes that may visually distract students.
- Do not wear jewelry that may cause reflections on camera or make noise that will be picked up by the microphones.
- Avoid all white or all dark colors. Medium colors, like blues, greens, or pastels, transmit best on the monitors.
- Remember that the transmitter for the wireless microphone needs to be clipped to a belt or put in a pocket. It is roughly the same size as a pager.
Promote Interaction with Students
- Dedicate time during the first several class meetings for all students to be in front of the instructor's camera (student introductions, ice-breaking exercises, etc.) This is essential to learning students'names, recognizing faces and letting students at all sites get to know each other. During the first class meeting have all students fill out a seating chart and provide copies of each seating chart to all students. This will help you and the students learn names.
- To improve the image you present to your off-site students, look into the camera instead of at the monitors.
- Call on students by name instead of by site, i.e. "Mary, how did you answer number 12," instead of "Laingsburg, what did you get for #12."
- Visit and present class from each off-site location at least once during the semester. To increase rapport with off-site students, make these visits early in the semester.
- Incorporate a variety of activities, like small group work and discussions to facilitate participation and active learning. This variety also allows you to get to know individual students and accommodates different learning styles.
- During the first class meeting, discuss with students the procedures for dealing with audio, video, and/or other technical difficulties.
Basic Tips for Students in ITV Courses
- Keep noise to a minimum. Whispering, shuffling papers, eating, etc., can be heard over the microphones and is distracting to the class.
- Speak clearly toward the nearest microphone when you have a comment or question.
- Care needs to be taken with the microphones in the classroom. Avoid laying books and papers on top of the microphones. Avoid redirecting microphones as this may produce audio feedback.
- When speaking, identify yourself and your location for the instructor and for your classmates at the other sites.
- Do not interrupt each other. Only one person can speak and be understood at any given time. If two people speak at once, their voices drown each other out over the audio system.
Center for Teaching Excellence
Technology and Learning Center, Room 324
Phone: (517) 483-1680
Email: cte@lcc.edu
Mailcode: 8111
Additional contact information »
Open Hours
Monday - Thursday: 8am - 6pm
Friday: 8am - 5pm
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