Student's Guide to ITV (Interactive Television)

Welcome to the Electronic Classroom!

When you first walk in to today’s classroom, you’ll see a variety of technology installed and available for instructors and students to use:  Cameras, Monitors, DVD’s, VCR’s, Microphones, Laptop Jacks and “Smart Boards” have taken the place of the chalkboard and standard instructor’s desk.  Interactive Television is one of the technologies employed to deliver and receive classes over the internet remotely.  Courses delivered through Interactive Television, as well as other digital media technologies, are becoming more commonplace at Winona State University.

Why Use Interactive Television?

Winona State is committed to providing the “best in class” content on both the Rochester and Winona campuses.  Delivering classes using ITV allows WSU to make available a broader ranges of courses, because it integrates classes from another campus that are not available on the local campus.  Because of this, ITV also saves time and travel expenses for all parties involved.  This method of Long-Distance education invites students to participate in educational opportunities they normally wouldn’t have.

How to have a Successful ITV Class Experience

Taking a class via ITV is slightly different than a non-ITV class.  There are a few important steps to ensuring that your ITV class experience is positive and productive.  We’ve tried to list the main points below:

1.  Be On Time!

ITV classes are controlled through an electronic switching system that schedules and connects classes automatically between at least two different campuses; sometimes more than two.  These class spaces are in high demand, and are rarely able to go beyond the scheduled time.  For this reason, classes will start and end on time!  We recommend that you make a habit of arriving early to class; not only will you be better prepared, but there are times when the ITV connections begin a few minutes early- which may provide a few minutes to talk with the instructor or other students at the remote site.  (Please remember that your instructor can also be reached via email, and will have office hours if you need to contact them.)

2.  Sit where you can be seen, and near a Microphone!

The Instructor and students on the remote campus only know that you are there if they can see you on their television monitor.  If you choose to sit outside of the viewing range of the camera, people might not perceive you as being present, involve you in class discussions, and might question who the unknown voice is if you choose to speak.  It is generally better for everyone if all members of the ITV class can be “seen” when in class.  It is also necessary to make sure that you can be heard- so you’ll want to sit near a microphone when in an ITV class. 

Microphones in an ITV classroom are very sensitive, and generally run in an “always on” state.  This means they can pick up any extraneous noise- such as rustling papers, zippers on laptop bags and/or clothing, whispering or other “side conversations”- any of these may be loud enough to activate the microphone and switch the focus away from the instructor to YOU!  Please avoid making any unnecessary noise, and of course, keep the microphone clear of any “classroom clutter”- books, papers, or laptop bags- all of which block microphone reception and keep you from being heard clearly. 

3.  Be Assertive and Participate!

Typically, the Instructor will establish some sort of protocol for handling questions during their presentation during your first class session.  Make sure you know what it is, or if they haven’t told you, be sure to ask.  When asking questions via ITV, we generally suggest that you state both your name and your location, (i.e. “Professor Jones, this is Jamie Smith in Rochester”) at least until the instructor grows comfortable enough with your voice that they know who and where you are. 

Dring the class, it is important to let the instructor know if something goes wrong, or isn’t working.  If you can’t see the graphics they’re displaying, or the PowerPoint isn’t running correctly- chances are, they may not know this.  It is important to tell them as soon as possible so that a correction can be made.  It is YOUR responsibility to let the instructor know immediately if you lose the ITV connection!  Don’t be afraid to speak out when something doesn’t seem to be running right, please make sure your instructor is aware.

4.  How to Get Help if Something Goes Wrong!

As we mentioned above, normally, the instructor will ensure that everyone can see and hear everyone else at the start of class, but if your site loses an audio or video connection during the class, they’ll need to know right away! 

If there is a technical problem during the class, and you can’t communicate with the instructor, there are a couple things you can do to get help quickly:

On the Winona campus, in the front of the classroom, there is a “Crestron” Video control unit- which looks like a typical computer monitor.  This is a touch panel display, so if it is dark, simply touch the screen, and look for the “ITV Help” button to call for assistance.  You can also reach Classroom Support in Winona through the Help Desk, 457-5240.

On the Rochester campus, the Master Control is located in ST 107, which is in the center of the hallway with all of the ITV classrooms.  Someone will be inside monitoring all of the ITV classes, and although they may already know that there is a technical difficulty, do not hesitate to contact them to be sure.  Rochester Media Services can also be reached by dialing 285-7228.