Blueprint for Interactive Classrooms: Helpdesk

Ask your question directly to the BIC Project Team

Frequently Asked Questions about Videoconferencing for Learning and Teaching

Questions about Teaching Style and Approach

• Can you use videoconferencing to teach all subjects?
• What about language teaching?
• How can you make a session more interesting and, in turn, effective?
• How can I control discipline at remote sites?
• Do students learn effectively in videoconferencing sessions?
• What makes an effective teacher in a videoconferencing situation?
• How do students normally react in a lesson given via videoconferencing?
• Can there be small group discussions?
• How do you stimulate interaction?
• Do you need interactivity in a session?
• Do I have to change my teaching style?
• How long should a videoconferencing session last?
• Is videoconferencing teaching different from traditional teaching?
• How do you prepare your lesson plan for a videoconferencing lesson?
• How can I learn to do a videoconferencing session well?
• How much time do I need for preparation?
• What kind of preparation should I make?
• What do I do if it breaks down?
• What do you do after a teaching session via videoconferencing?

Questions about Management and Operational Issues

• How do you organise a session with more than two sites?
• What is the maximum number of sites that can participate?
• What about my overheads or other visual support materials?
• Can you mix videoconferencing with other technologies, Internet for example?
• Can I do a videoconferencing session from my office?
• How do you set up the room for teaching via a videoconferencing link?
• How do I set up the classroom for the students?
• Should I have students in front of me or not?
• Should I have a technician with me or not?
• How much does the equipment cost?
• And what about the connectivity costs?
• Can you set up a videoconference link with anywhere in the world?
• Where can I see a videoconferencing lesson or classroom at work?
• What about videoconferencing in the future – what developments are taking place?

Questions about Technology, equipment, network, cost

• What is videoconferencing?
• What do you need for videoconferencing?
• Why is the picture quality poor?
• What can you do about image and sound quality?
• Why can the audio quality be poor on occasions?
• Are there alternatives for videoconferencing?
• What other networks can you use, Internet?
• What have satellites to do with videoconferencing?
• What is desktop videoconferencing?
• What is room based videoconferencing?
• What is ISDN?
• What is a codec?
• Can we share documents?
• What is H.320 and is it important to me?