Telepresence and Interactive Television Within MnSCU:  Where Are We, and Where Are We Going?

OverviewThis paper is a broad review of conferencing technologies used within MnSCU institutions. Specifically, various methods are used at the institutions within the system, ranging from web conferencing tools, to high-definition interactive television, to immersive telepresence, serving students, faculty, and staff in a range of ways and mediums. These systems must be accessible and useful to those who need them, with the technology remaining transparent to the end user. However, clear direction for the MnSCU system is not readily apparent and more review is needed to ensure that the system employs strategies and systems that enhance student learning without limiting access.

ContentsOverview....................................................................................................................................................1

Purpose.......................................................................................................................................................2

Methodology..............................................................................................................................................2

Terminology...............................................................................................................................................2

Literature Review......................................................................................................................................5

Conclusions of Literature Review................................................................................................................8

Uses of Video Conferencing Within MnSCU..............................................................................................9

Implications for the Future........................................................................................................................10

Summary of Learning Network Data......................................................................................................10

Interactive Television and Telepresence Offerings Outside of the Learning Network........................13

Role of MnIT and the Learning Network in Providing Services to MnSCU...........................................13

Review of Technical Trends and Adoption Rates.......................................................................................13

Interconnectivity of Systems: What Are Impacts on Students and Faculty?........................................15

Where Do We Go from Here?..................................................................................................................16

Works Cited...............................................................................................................................................17

PurposeThe purpose of this review is to provide a consolidated overview of the current state of videoconferencing technology within MnSCU so that strategic planning can ensure that students, faculty, and staff will have accessible educational and administrative options. Additionally, a literature review has been completed to help identify trends. The intent is to provide a summary that allows system personnel, particularly the Educational Innovations group, Learning Network directors, and MNSCU CIOs to have a starting point for strategic discussion and long-term planning.

MethodologyThe authors of this review have studied recent articles on the technology from peer-reviewed journals, reviewed existing summary data from the Learning Network, and spoken with MnSCU CIOs and other system technology personnel to gather additional data. This document is not all inclusive nor is it cumulative of all data on the subject. It is intended as a starting place for discussion.

TerminologyTerminology in the videoconferencing space is extremely vague. For example, the use of the word “telepresence” can imply any system from a desktop video monitor, to a portable videoconferencing unit, to a remotely operated camera in a classroom (ITV), to an “immersive” three-screen room, and even a shoulder-mounted remote instruction platform.

Examples:

Polycom Personal Telepresence and Cisco Telepresence EX 90

Cisco Telepresence 500 and Lifesize Unity, compare to portable ITV classrooms)

Cisco Telepresence Precision 60 (compare to ITV classrooms)

Polycom RPX 400 Telepresence (compare to Cisco three-screen “Immersive” rooms)

Grasp Telepresence robot (for remote instruction)

This terminology confusion exacerbates communication issues within MNSCU. Accordingly, it is helpful to use a taxonomy that describes the various features employed. The examples illustrated above could be characterized as follows:

Type Size Intended Use Camera Type(s) Microphone(s) Screens

Desktop small 1 : 1, many 1, fixed 1 1

Portable ITV medium

several : 1, many

1, fixed or adjustable

1 1

Classroom mounted ITV

large many : many 1, adjustable 1, many 1, many

Immersive large many: many 3, fixed many 3

Immersive Telepresence - generally used to describe rooms at a distance that are designed and decorated to look like the same space, so that users on both ends of the connection feel as though they are in the same room, though separated by screens. Telepresence generally utilizes large, multiple panoramic screens. Design is often similar down to the paint color, table design, and chair style. Immersive telepresence is often two sites, but can be more than two.

Additionally, immersive telepresence has the following features:

1) multiple cameras, multiple microphones, and multiple screens on each side (local and remote), this is why multiple ports are used on the learning network bridge during an immersive call. The value of this is in situating people in conversations both visually and audibly.

“The usage of multiple cameras allows the conveyance of additional information about the local environment and special characteristics of the conference room. Surveys have indicated that remote partners feel much more comfortable if they see their respective partners and their positions within their environments, rather than only seeing talking heads. However, this requires multiple video streams (Borghoff & Schlichter, 2000, p. 293).”

2) the point of the immersive screens is to make all the participants life-sized, which changes the nature of the interaction between participants. “During face-to-face discussions, the distance

between participants plays an important role. In the context of video conferencing the size of the video image implies the perceived distance between the participants” (Borghoff & Schlichter, 2000, p. 293).

3) the resolution of immersive rooms, as described in the Trends and Adoption Rates section, is 1080p or even 4000p, while most ITV endpoints are 720p (Learning Network Data, 2015). When bandwidth is not available, the resolution adjusts down accordingly.

Interactive Television - generally refers to the use of television in an interactive environment, where viewers can interact with the presenter through voice and video. Early ITV studios experienced delays; with the increase of bandwidth and improved technologies, these delays no longer occur. Primarily, one screen is displayed on each site, and one microphone is live at a time, as opposed to immersive telepresence, which has multiple screens and microphones. The larger differences lie in room set up and modeling.

Web Conferencing Technology - refers to the web-based technologies available in which users can interact through voice and video. Examples include Skype, Jabber, Lync, Webex, Adobe Connect, and many others.

Literature ReviewThis literature review gives a brief synopsis of several current articles or white papers that discuss videoconferencing. A summary of the trends is included at the end of this section.

In “Videoconferencing: Can You See Me Now? The Truth Behind the Hype,” the authors give a broad overview a current video technologies, listing within three categories: web collaboration platforms, which include Skype and GoToMeeting; Mobile video calling platforms like Skype and Apple FaceTime; and enterprise video teleconference teleconferencing, which includes the ITV players and immersive classrooms like Cisco, Tandberg, Polycom, and life-size. Growth in all three segments has been a very brisk, with the ubiquity of mobile devices along with the availability of free to use software. Furthermore, enterprise-grade video teleconferencing (VTC) is also growing "at a rate of 20% per year" (AMX, 2013, p. 3).

Figure source: (AMX, 2013, p. 3).

In the article, “TelePresence in Rural Medical Education: A Mixed Methods Evaluation,” by Gray et al, the authors focus on using telepresence in rural medical education. In this application, the system utilized is

a Cisco telepresence 500 system, which is not an immersive room. However, the system utilized is 1080p. This set up was paired with a similar unit in a remote location, with a dedicated Internet connection of 10 Mb download speed and 2 Mb upload speed. Participants in the study completed questionnaires to measure their perceptions of the teaching and learning experience using the systems.

The data shows that participants found the technology easy-to-use (5 out of 6 participants), with a high visual quality (5.4 out of 6), and reasonably high audio quality (4.7 out of 6). Learners rated the technology slightly higher than teachers. Most importantly, the majority of participants felt that the telepresence connection created a “feeling of intimacy” with participants on the remote side (Gray, et al., p. 4). The authors state that the visual quality made facial expressions more easy-to-read and understand more clearly what participants at the distant sight were saying" (Gray, et al., p. 6).

Drawbacks of this telepresence system, which mirror drawbacks found in other (older) telepresence systems, included the use of fixed cameras which prevented movement about the room, a dedicated focus on a particular area of the room, as well as a dedicated set up of a particular room (Gray, et al., p. 7). The study calls for the addition of flexible cameras to the units in order to address these shortcomings. Hopper (2014), in “Bringing the World to the Classroom through Videoconferencing and Project-based Learning,” also reviewed the value of videoconferencing for connecting remote partners across great distances, including national and International interactions.

Abdous and Yoshimura, in their article, “Learner outcomes and satisfaction: A comparison of live video-streamed instruction, satellite broadcast instruction, and face-to-face instruction,” compare student learning outcomes between face-to-face classes, satellite broadcast instruction, and live video stream instruction. The final grades for participating students were highest in the face-to-face classroom, followed by the satellite broadcast, and the lowest occurred in the live stream instruction model. However, this variation was slight and not found to be statistically significant. The authors conclude that earlier claims by previous researchers that student outcomes were not significantly different in any of these modalities was confirmed by this research. However, there was potential concern about the higher rates of failing grades and withdrawals from distance learning modes.

Jude Higdon, Interim Associate Vice President for Technology, as well as other members of the MSU-Mankato technology team, recently completed an article (“Telepresence Journal Article”) which explores the use of immersive telepresence at MSU-Mankato. The article reviews literature regarding social presence and the use of video technologies in support of creating improved interactions. The purpose of telepresence is to "provide life-size, Real-time, human interactions across distance" (Higdon, 2015, p. 2). These interactions are distinguished from typical video interactions, where instructors lecture and students passively received information. The idea of the immersive rooms is to highlight the element of social presence, which should theoretically further educational value of such interactions for students and faculty. The extremely high definition video and multiple microphones help create the immersive environment. Furthermore, the use of multiple cameras allows instructors and students quote to view the environment from multiple perspectives" (Higdon, 2015, p. 4). Higdon used surveys of students and faculty in the immersive rooms to measure variables including perceived connection, ease-of-use, stability, and support for teaching and learning. Results for all measures fell into the “agree” or “strongly agree” category. One important caveat was that instructors rated the connectedness measure lower than students, a finding that was duplicated in the Gray, et al., nursing study.

The work conducted by Higdon, et al., reflects previous research in the area of social presence and video technologies, including Schlichter & Borghoff. In their book, Computer-Supported Cooperative Work: Introduction to Distributed Applications (2000), Schlichter & Borghoff found that “the usage of multiple

cameras allows the conveyance of additional information about the local environment and special characteristics of the conference room. Surveys have indicated that remote partners feel much more comfortable if they see their respective partners and their positions within their environments, rather than only seeing talking heads. However, this requires multiple video streams (p. 293).” Furthermore, larger screens created a greater sense of proximity between participants in the discussion.

While schools like MSU Mankato attempt to use higher video and audio quality to increase social presence, cheaper and more readily available technologies at the mobile end of the spectrum have also been shown to increase social presence, especially when compared to their asynchronous counterparts. In “Use of Synchronous Virtual Classrooms: Why, Who, and How,” Martin and Parker focus on virtual classrooms that are enabled through the use of mobile and desktop applications employed by students across many different remote locations. Examples of this technology include WebEx and Wimber. Martin finds that use of these technologies is growing rapidly, a trend also seen within MnSCU, especially students using Adobe Connect and WebEx technologies. The features most employed by faculty in Martin and Parker's study include the ability to archive the session, the ability to view the webcam, and the ability to chat via text. The article also notes that approaches like these allow students to conduct backchannel conversations and ask questions during a lecture without interrupting the instructor by utilizing built in tools such as chat (Martin & Parker, 2014).

Hagan, Yorgey, and Lichterman’s presentation on the “Educational Applications of Videoconferencing” highlights strengths of the immersive approach, while also describing challenges and weaknesses. These challenges included the significant investment required for rooms and equipment; the technical support, network performance, hardware, software, and instructor skill; limited scalability; and the quality expectations to exceed web conferencing performance. Ly, Saade, and Morin, in “Immersive Interactive Learning Environments: a PhD Case Study,” focus on the future of the immersive environments including virtual reality for teaching and learning situations. Ly provides a case study of students using a virtual reality environment to learn computer technologies. The article finds that these virtual reality (VR) technologies enhance student learning outcomes. Building on this emerging market, companies like Plextek have created new products to take advantage of the learning potential of VR devices (http://oculusrift-blog.com/plextek-consulting-launch-immeric/2060/). Plextek Consulting, a company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has launched a new product that ties an immersive video experience with a virtual reality headset, specifically, Facebook's Oculus Rift. The concept of this approach is to allow a remote camera to be controlled by head movements on the local side, allowing the viewer to be immersed in the remote environment. Some potential uses identified by Plextek include remote healthcare services and dangerous situations where remote monitoring would be the safest option. However, such a device would certainly have high potential in educational settings as well, not only for healthcare, but also for giving students and faculty access to real world equipment and settings important to their fields.

Several articles focused on discipline-specific application of telepresence. Fonda and Lippincott, authors of “Graduate nursing students’ experience with synchronous, interactive videoconferencing within online courses,” discuss web collaboration tools, focusing on the Blackboard Collaborate platform and use in graduate nursing online courses. The findings were that participants greatly enjoyed using the collaborate platform; students also enjoyed the flexibility and convenience of being able to participate from any location. Some of the students felt that the interaction was higher than sitting in classes, and these students found that the overall experience was as good or better than face-to-face courses. However, technical issues did occur that impeded coursework and overall student satisfaction.

Furthermore, the experiences of highly motivated graduate nursing students may not be transferable to the general student population.

Giesbers, Rienties, Tempelaar, and Gijselaers, in “Why Increased Social Presence through Web Videoconferencing Does Not Automatically Lead to Improved Learning,” determined that increasing social presence as a method to improve student outcomes was not successful for an economics course taken in three different modes in the Netherlands. These modes included a simple discussion mode format, an enhanced discussion form with additional scaffolding, and a web videoconferencing design with discussion forums. It was anticipated that the web videoconferencing design would result in higher social engagement and higher social presence. However, the student outcomes showed no significant difference in ratings involving the learning experience, group collaboration, goals and tasks, or teacher presence. More interestingly, students in the course with the video conferencing design had the lowest pass rate.

Penalba, Rojas-Rajs, Lorente, Iglesias, Fernandez, and Monguet, in their article, “A telepresence learning environment for opera singing: distance lessons implementations over Internet2,” describe creating an immersive experience for opera students in remote locations. They attempted to create a homebuilt telepresence unit, but they were unable to allocate appropriate bandwidth for video interactions. However, the importance of creating immersive environments with multiple microphones was highlighted, particularly for performing arts students and faculty.

Conclusions of Literature ReviewThe patterns that emerge from the national literature review of video trends and technologies along with the overview of video technologies within MNSCU consist of three primary elements. First, there is continuing growth (20%) in the use of enterprise video teleconferencing (VTC) technologies nationally (AMX, 2014). However, the usage of such rooms is not confined to educational purposes and is primarily focused on administrative uses outside of higher education. VTC is expensive, requires relatively high bandwidth, and often requires room remediation (e.g., to control for audio issues, network throughput, and electrical capacity). Furthermore, VTC requires an extensive internal and external implementation and support team, especially in MNSCU, where the network providers, conference bridging teams, and local configuration teams are all managed by separate entities. In MNSCU, the usage of VTC may actually be falling (Learning Network statistics, 2015) for classroom usage (increasing in meeting usage, for a net static use), and that trend may also be occurring in higher education more broadly as blended and online approaches become the most common ways to connect to remote audiences. The growth in these approaches leads us to the second pattern.

The literature and the data show that a new focus has emerged on connecting individuals from multiple, disparate locations (rather than room to room). The use of "web collaboration platforms” (AMX, 2014) like Cisco WebEx, Adobe Connect, Microsoft Skype/Lync, Go-To Meeting, and Google Hangouts has increased rapidly, not only because of online and blended approaches, but also because of the rapid adoption of mobile devices and handsets globally. As faculty become more comfortable with distance learning modalities, there is correspondingly less emphasis on instructional delivery to seats in traditional classrooms. The web collaboration approach has many advantages for working students and for students in places far away from the traditional campus. Furthermore, the bandwidth requirements are much lower and often based on the individual user’s local network providers. Consequently, web collaboration platforms can support a much wider population across great distances without the internal and external support teams required for enterprise VTC. The low bandwidth requirements (and variable

connection speeds for remote learners) can also pose quality-of-experience challenges, however, and therefore require instructors to adopt new ways to promote and maintain student engagement.

The final pattern that emerges from our study of trends and literature of video technologies in higher education is a growing adoption of immersive individual experiences involving virtual reality (VR). The Ly, et al., study (2014), recent work in MNSCU in VR in education (Higdon, et al., 2014) along with new vendors like Plextek and a host of VR headset manufacturers, have highlighted new opportunities for personalized and powerful immersive educational experiences, not only in healthcare, but also in art, engineering, and archeology (among many others). Under this model, students can manipulate priceless objects or visit remote or dangerous locations without leaving the classroom.

Uses of Video Conferencing Within MnSCUA recent survey of usage within MnSCU was compiled by Kris Boike of North Hennepin Community College in April 2015. The report in its entirety is included as Appendix A. The survey and report focused on use cases for students, faculty, and administration within MnSCU.

Highlights of this document include the following:

Three goals for conferencing were defined: communication, collaboration, and coordination. Student use cases were gathered: student to student (both within and outside of institutions),

student to self, student to faculty, student to services (admissions, financial aid, registration, advising, counseling, tutoring, help desk support, etc.).

Faculty use cases were gathered: faculty to administration, faculty to faculty (within discipline, within and outside of institutions), faculty to student (office hours), faculty to support services (help desk), etc.

Administrative use cases were gathered: Presidential meetings, administrator meetings (within and outside of institution), administrators to faculty, Business Office and HR meetings, and grant administration.

This report also gathered data on the collaboration software used, such as Cisco Webex for Telepresence, Cisco Jabber, Adobe Connect, Kaltura, and Microsoft products, such as Skype, Yammer, and Lync. The report also looks at other software that does not currently have large usage, such as Acano, Google Hangouts, and Vidyo. A complete listing of technologies and software is found on page 10 of Appendix A.

While there are many use cases described and technologies used for these meetings, classes, and support, no clear recommendations for what technology is best for what particular use have been established. Some technologies may work best for certain applications, while others perform more of the required task in another application. Even with teaching and learning applications, no one software or technology may be best in all applications across disciplines. However, faculty and student involvement in what applications and technologies are used should be considered, at least in teaching and learning environments.

On page 11 of the report, a summary of minimum criteria for the collaboration software is provided (shortened version provided here):

1. Presentation Delivery2. Desktop or Application Sharing

3. Text Chat4. Shared Whiteboard5. Basic Security6. Remote Control7. Persistent Meeting Space8. Persistent Database / Data Storage Space 9. Integrated VoIP Audio10. Video11. Mobility12. Deployment Model13. Recording and Sharing14. Break out rooms15. Interactive Functions

This report was the basis for a MnSCU RFP and also included end-user technical requirements on page 11. The RFP and other information are now available in the IT Connect SharePoint site.

Implications for the FutureThe report details some shortcomings with current practices, including a lack of strategic direction, both in the IT arena and the Educational Technologies arena. At present, these groups are separate and not collaborating on a direction that positively impacts students and faculty. The focus to date has been on the technical specifications. In some cases, vendors have offered discounts to get their system in place at specific institutions. Support at the system level for these systems is limited, and the Learning Network does not have purview over these systems. Inconsistent set up exists across the system, and this negatively impacts the end user experience.

The report recommends institutional and system collaboration to define direction and provide a road map that will positively impact the options available for faculty and students. Cross-institution interoperability is a critical component of this roadmap.

Summary of Learning Network DataThe Learning Network regions have recently held their annual meetings and the following is a summary of the data provided by this organization. The Learning Network is comprised of six areas:

CMDLN = Central Minnesota Distance Learning Network METNET = Metropolitan Educational Telecommunications Network COMET = Consortium of Minnesota Educational Telecommunities NEAT = NorthEast Alliance for Telecommunications NETS = Northwest Educational Technology System SHOT = Southwest & West Central Higher Education Organization for Telecommunications &

Technology

The following graphic displays the counties/regions covered by each of the consortiums:

Graphic: http://its.mnscu.edu/lnm/regions.html

These six areas serve 66 campuses, with the smallest, CMDLN, having 8 campuses, and the largest, METNET, serving 15 campuses. These six learning networks also serve 13 “non-campus locations”, or “learning centers.”

The Learning Network reviews the following measures each year.

Video Conferencing

Hours of Use Courses offered Credits offered Credit and non-credit events

Income Sources

Grant Member fees Contracted services Other Income

Expenditures

Application Support Related WAN Circuits Admin/ Tech Support

Additionally, the Learning Network gathers qualitative data regarding video conferencing applications across the state:

Wider access & efficiency Shared courses between multi campus colleges.

4 year to 2 year institutions sharing courses. College courses to off campus learning centers, i.e. Roseau Students with health issues attending classes remotely Adjunct or distant faculty instructing courses to on campus students. Collegiate offerings to K12 communities or K12 teachers in the evenings Numerous shared courses to address low enrollment, increase course access for students or tap

other instructional resources. A single shared streaming & video management system for MnSCU & UM campuses (Minnesota

Media Management System). Region support for K12 video activities Numerous meetings to save travel & time Statewide training or community development by state agencies or Minnesota Extension. Surviving an Active Shooter Training DHS Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services DHS Leech Lake Homeless Issues Chinese Dance to grade school children

The SHOT annual meeting presentation (Appendix B) provides additional data and details on these measurements.

Interactive Television and Telepresence Offerings Outside of the Learning NetworkVery few interactive television offerings are organized outside of the Learning Network; however, some cases may exist. Both two-year and four-year colleges have some telepresence offerings that are outside of the Learning Network consortia.

The activity outside of the Learning Network is not necessarily “rogue,” but it is harder to track than that activity that occurs inside of the established system.

Role of MnIT and the Learning Network in Providing Services to MnSCUMnIT provides the backbone of IT infrastructure to the colleges and universities within MnSCU. MnIT also provides infrastructure to greater Minnesota, where many MnSCU students reside. Additional, six of the seven MnSCU institutions are in greater Minnesota and not in the Metro area. Infrastructure services are critical to meet the educational needs of the rural regions of the state, where broadband is not commonplace and access to education can be impacted by planning that doesn’t consider student resources.

Conversations between MNSCU, the Learning Network, and MNIT staff have highlighted the difficulty of coordinating the adoption of new technologies (e.g., immersive VTC) and providing adequate support channels for these technologies. Planning for new instructional delivery methods like immersive VTC would ideally include all parties at regular intervals, with written service level agreements. Many of the issues involving new immersive rooms adopted by MSU, Mankato, Normandale CC, NHED, and North Hennepin CC were not necessarily bandwidth-related problems, but instead problems relating to different configurations of network gear under each organization (MNIT, MNSCU, and Learning Network; specifically regarding Quality of Service configurations). Therefore, although adequate bandwidth was available for the connections, the service was sporadic and suffered intermittent failures over the course

of a year. Only after involving external vendors and consultants (Cisco and CoreBTS) was the problem accurately identified. Even after the issues were identified, resolution took several more months. This is at least partly due to the following: 1) no common service ticketing and escalation system is shared between these parties (i.e., MNSCU, MNIT, and Learning Network); 2) each Learning Network region can make independent decisions about investments, configurations, etc; and 3) the three parties have no shared strategic planning sessions regarding instructional technologies and related needs, either from an infrastructure or support perspective.

New cloud-based vendors for video bridging services may help ameliorate these historical issues. These vendors, which include Acano, Blue Jeans, Vidyo, and others, offer to host all video-based connections and related support for their customers. Conversations with video experts from around the state have identified these cloud vendors as the likely next steps for adoption of VTC. This approach resolves many issues, including the high expense of video bridging systems and ports as well as the difficult coordination of state and local support entities. However, the need for strategic coordination and adoption of new technologies among these entities remain.

Review of Technical Trends and Adoption RatesTechnological trends in the area of videoconferencing fall along a continuum between a mobile-friendly, location-agnostic approach and a high-definition (HD), immersive approach with dedicated locations. In MNSCU, these technologies are represented by Skype/Lync and Google Hangouts at one end and Cisco’s immersive Telepresence (TX5000/TX9000 series) rooms on the other. The middle of this continuum in MNSCU is occupied by what is informally known as “ITV” (Interactive Video) technologies, which comprise a variety of HD video vendors, from Polycom to Cisco. The “ITV” vs “Telepresence” nomenclature is confusing in that all of Cisco’s HD products (formerly Tandberg) are also called “Telepresence" units. Therefore, many “ITV” classrooms in MNSCU are also “Telepresence” classrooms, and vice versa. The defining characteristics of “ITV” are that the each side has one camera and one microphone, whereas the immersive units utilize multiple cameras and multiple microphones on each side.

On a global level, the continuum is constituted of a similar range of technologies from mobile-based approaches to deeply immersive dedicated rooms. However, technologies outside of MNSCU are proceeding very quickly into higher resolutions, even for mobile solutions. For example, Cisco’s latest immersive rooms offer 4K resolutions along with 15 microphones. This trend reflects a larger consumer trend in the TV market: 720p (HD) TVs are no longer sold, having been replaced by 1080p units. (Note that ITV units in MNSCU run at 720p.) Furthermore, 4K TVs are already becoming the new standard, with many units at a price point below $1,000. The difference between these resolutions is demonstrated in the following figure.

The continuum of video conferencing approaches can be represented by a tradeoff between individual access and low bandwidth needs versus high quality video and audio along with dedicated locations:

Interconnectivity of Systems: What Are Impacts on Students and Faculty?Students are taking courses across MnSCU, and systems need to easily connect to support faculty and staff. While some technologies have web-based or PC-based clients that allow students to access the system (such as using Jabber to connect to an ITV or Telepresence room), have faculty and IT staff integrated these workarounds in ways that are helpful to students? Are faculty comfortable with allowing students to participate at a distance? If not, how can support be given to these faculty so that they become comfortable with these models?

Where Do We Go from Here?Several critical areas should be addressed in the future.

Alignment and communication, system-wide and state-wide, are important. All of the IT players (MnSCU, MN-IT, and the Learning Network) need to be involved. Additionally, faculty and student input is critical, and perhaps best provided through the MnSCU Educational Innovations unit.

Budget is critical if we are going to continue to support ITV and immersive telepresence. The Learning Network has had budget reductions. MnSCU (and subsequently, IT within the System Office and within institutions) has had budget stagnation if not reduction. Gathering evidence of return on investment is important in reversing this trend.

Teaching and learning focus is important. When making decisions and developing a road map, how will we support faculty who want to integrate technology to reach a larger audience? What training and support will be provided institutionally? From the System Office?

What metrics will we use to assess success? Are there baselines that can be developed for evaluating how systems are used within institutions?

Works CitedAbdous, M., & Yoshimura, M. (2010). Learner outcomes and satisfaction: A comparison of live video-

streamed instruction, satellite broadcast instruction, and face-to-face instruction. Computers & Education, 55, 733-741.

AMX. (2013). Videoconferencing: Can You See Me Now? The Truth Behind the Hype. AMX.

Borghoff, U. M., & Schlichter, J. H. (2000). Computer supported cooperative work : introduction to distributed applications; with 18 tables. Springer.

Gray, K., Krogh, K., Newsome, D., Smith, V., Lancaster, D., & Nestel, D. (n.d.). TelePresence in Rural Medical Education: A Mixed Methods Evaluation. Journal of Biomedical Education, 2014, 1-8. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/823639

Hagan, E. J., Yorgey, M., & Lichterman, R. (n.d.). Educational Applications of Videoconferencing.

Higdon, J. (2015). Telepresence Journal Article. White paper.

Hopper, S. B. (2014, May/June). Bringing the World to the Classroom through Videoconferencing and Project-based Learning. TechTrends, 58(3), 78-88.

Martin, F., & Parker, M. A. (2014, June). Use of synchronous virtual classrooms; Why, who, and how? MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 10(2), 192-210.

Penalba, F. A., Rojas-Rajs, T., Lorente, P., Iglesias, F., Fernandez, J., & Monguet, J. (2013). A telepresence learning environment for opera singing: Distance lessons implementations over Internet2. Interactive Learning Environments, 21, 5, 438-455. Routledge.

Unknown. (2015). Plextek Launches Rift-based Immersive Telepresence Concept. Retrieved from Oculusrift-Blog: http://oculusrift-blog.com/plextek-consulting-launch-immeric/2060/