BCNETwork News

October 2006

Lakehead University Revolutionizes Education Delivery with "Smart" Classrooms

If necessity is the mother of invention, Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario is a perfect example of identifying a need and then filling it using state-of-the-art technologies to expand the university’s reach into its student community.

Alternative Methods for Delivering Education

The challenge was to make Lakehead University a leader in delivering course material and lectures to off-campus locations via user-friendly technology. With more than 263 distributed learning courses available to full- or part-time students -- some in remote northern locations -- the need for alternative methods of delivering lectures and other material was growing exponentially.

Sony Videoconferencing Provides the Solution

“We began looking to technology deployed within what we call ‘smart classrooms’ to streamline off-campus education delivery and found videoconferencing to be an ideal solution,” says Frank Christen, Networking and Multimedia Supervisor. “We chose Sony Canada Ltd. as our primary supplier of videoconferencing technology because of the breadth of its product line and its outstanding reputation in the audio-visual field. They provided us with Sony PCS-1 videoconferencing systems and service expertise, and acted as system integrator with other technology manufacturers.”

Smart Classrooms Ramp-up

By 2005, Lakehead had 18 smart classrooms operating, with nine featuring Sony Videoconferencing Systems. Sixteen classrooms were located in its new Advanced Technology and Academic Centre (ATAC) and two in other campus locations. Lakehead also installed Sony videoconferencing solutions in two university boardrooms and one general purpose seminar room, in addition to three ATAC computer labs feature smart classroom technology.

“Smart classrooms,” says John Bonofiglio, Videoconferencing Specialist, “offer modern facilities that integrate computer, multimedia, and network technologies, including data projectors, sound systems, video- conferencing technology, laptop connections, DVD and VCR players and document cameras. We chose Sony PCS-1 solutions as well as other Sony peripheral equipment such as plasma screens because of their longstanding reputation for quality. In addition, the PCS-1 offered a comprehensive set of standard features and the option of adding new features in the future when required.”

Robust Videoconferencing Solution

The Sony PCS-1 system, a member of Sony’s advanced family of high-performance videoconferencing systems, features technologies that have proven themselves again and again in rugged, real-world applications. For example, data sharing capabilities allow presenters to share presentation documents originating from a PC, as well as handwritten content on a whiteboard.

Sony’s leading audio quality and video technology delivers natural sound and crisp, clear picture quality. And, by attaching other media source to the PCS-1, professors can display presentation documents and digital photos without connecting to a PC. Furthermore, using Sony state-of-the-art Multi-point Control Unit (MCU), a multipoint videoconference serving up to six sites or more can be set up with an option to also accept audio-only connections referred to as audio add-ins.

Lakehead Now Delivers Courses in Three Ways:.

Videoconferencing allows real-time point-to-point or multi-point and interactive classrooms that link the professors and students to remote locations. It makes use of video cameras that allow professors to show their students three-dimensional images of anything from a map to a bone fragment.

Video Streaming is used when a lecture is digitally recorded and posted live on the Web. Students can participate by logging on to the appropriate URL, giving a pass code, and then watching the lecture as it progresses. They also have the option of asking questions and participating in real-time over the telephone allowing them to interact with the professor and students in the classroom. They can also use the chat feature which is available on the web site.

Web Posting occurs when the lecture is recorded and posted on the web for students unable to attend the “live” lecture. “We use video over the Internet for our videoconferencing initiatives to avoid long distance ISDN charges,” says Andrew Brigham, Network Specialist. “That way we realize substantial savings without sacrificing any picture or sound quality.”

Dr. Hope Fennell, a professor in the Faculty of Education at Lakehead, finds the videoconferencing systems excellent teaching tools. “They enable one-on-one curriculum delivery for students in remote areas,” says Fennell. “When we first offered distance learning via audio, and then audio/video, there was often a video lag that impacted both teaching and learning. Our new technology, however, delivers simultaneous transmission and reception that supports a highly effective teaching/learning process.”

Thesis Defence

In addition, Dr. Fennell notes that they have used the system to conduct interviews and, in their joint Ph.D. program, to carry out oral defences of students’ research portfolios and dissertations. “Video conferencing will even allow us to have conferences with colleagues on other continents,” says Fennell.

Indeed, Lakehead University is now able to serve the needs of students from all parts of the province and it has gained international recognition for its unique initiatives to allow students to access resources, peers and experts from around the world.

How Popular is Lakehead’s New Learning Initiative?

"We have approximately 10,300 registrants in distributed learning courses for the 2004/2005 semesters,” says Gwen Wojda, Director, Continuing Education and Distributed Learning. Negotiations are also under way to create videoconference-enabled satellite classrooms closer to major cities, so that professors with exclusive expertise in their fields can easily gain access and deliver lectures anywhere in the province via videoconferencing.

“Our Sony videoconferencing solutions are rapidly becoming the backbone of our distributed learning initiatives,” concludes Mr. Christen. “They offer off-campus students access to lectures and seminars, and are helping redefine the way education will be delivered in the future.”


For more information about Sony Videoconferencing, click here.