Remote or distance learning programmes are rapidly developing in many universities around the world. Designed for students who are in a location remote from the teacher, the programmes range from ready-made multimedia courses to real-time lectures with a complement of online features to facilitate class interaction. In the latter, several modes of interaction are possible (e.g., lecturer with students, between students, students using dynamic electronic media), all of which can occur at any place or time.

NUS encourages the use of IT in teaching, including giving lecturers the opportunity to reengineer their courses for a distance learning programme or for teaching on the Web. In a recent distance learning exercise, I conducted a series of three synchronous lectures over Singapore ONE (the national high speed information network) and have learnt much from that experience that I would like to share.

Last semester, I taught a course at Motorola for a group of employees who are also part-time postgraduate students in the Department of Electrical Engineering. Lectures were held at the company after normal working hours and, though the company is only 23 km away from campus, it took me more than half an hour just to get to class when there was heavy traffic. With a good excuse, Motorola’s and NUS’s blessings and our own curiosity, we held three of the lectures remotely via desktop video conferencing.

Remote learning classroom in Motorola

Using Microsoft NetMeeting, email and tools, students were able to electronically view lecture notes, receive assignments and submit reports. The course content (real time systems) also required the use of diagrams to illustrate the concepts of building real-time systems and concurrent programming. We experimented with NetMeeting’s whiteboard for this purpose but found that, since my lecture materials were prepared with Word 97, it was simpler to use Word’s drawing tools so the diagrams could be placed next to the lecture material. Several animation clips were also presented to students remotely.

The students shared a microphone and could ask questions at any time during the lecture. Their initial reluctance to talk via video soon gave way to lively discussions; this was made easier by the rapport we had established during previous lectures held in the classroom. After-class follow-up questions were sent by email, as were their reports.

There were several obstacles we had to overcome or contend with.

• Delays in the transmission of my voice and its audible echo from the remote site. This required conscious adjustment and compensation on my part and slowed the pace of teaching initially.
• Limited screen space, requiring a trade-off between space for the lecture material and for the video (i.e., windows for the host and remote sites).
• Visual difficulties. We had to dim the seminar room at the remote site so students would be able to see the video projection of the host site, making it difficult for me to see them. The problem can be resolved with better lighting and a brighter projector.
• Multitasking. In addition to delivering the lecture, I had to operate the keyboard to scroll the lecture notes, type additional material (analogous to writing on the blackboard) and make adjustments for better video and audio quality. This requires a mental balancing act but is quickly learnt.

This series of lectures provided valuable lessons on the use of distance learning resources that are constrained by availability, transmission bandwidth, and budget. Each site was responsible for providing the equipment and facilities needed. Except for the adjustments mentioned, students felt that the remote lectures were not that different from traditional ones. We believe that enriching experiences can be achieved through judicious use of available computer and communication technology—experiences that will pave the way for a brave new world where the university transcends the boundaries of its campus.

The author would like to thank Associate Professor Lawrence Wong, Assistant Director, Computer Centre, for his contributions to this project, and the technical staff of the Computer Centre for their untiring efforts in the set-up, testing and broadcast of the remote lectures.