Issues in Delivering a Multi-Continental Graduate Seminar

Presenter:

Jandelyn Plane (University of Maryland College Park Computer Science Department)

The Project Summary

Kabul University Computer Science Department

• Kabul, Afghanistan
• Curriculum Development and Improvement of Pedagogy
• Faculty Capacity Building; Better Preparing Them to Teach
• Improving the Faculty Subject Area Credentials

Activities Required and Problems to be Solved

• Acivities Required (Multy Site High Quality Audio, Multi Site Live Video, text chat, other internet based communication)
• Scheduling Problems (time difference, students are most of the professors from the department)
• Internet Access problems (unstable connection in Afghanistan, limited access to location with stable connection)
• Cost and outside support had to be kept minimal

Master's Degrees

• Degree Granting Institution: The University of the Western Cape - Cape Town, South Africa.
• Thesis Only Master's Degree
• Thess Requirements (in a computer science area, evaluated by external reviewers, written in English)

Graduate Seminar through Desktop video Conferencing

• Weekly Seminar on Thursday Afternoon (Kabul Time) (discussions of thesis writing skills, computer science content, schedule and events, presentations by all participants)
• Branches Created Later (Weekly Seminar for English language Development, Weekly Meetings with Thesis Supervisor and Individual Student)

Different Types of Communication Protocols

• Client Server (Diferent Levels for differet tasks, MCU - Multipoint Conferencing Unit)
• Peer to Peer (Basic, Supernode)

Software Examples and How They work

• AOL- Instant Messenger (AIM) for the text
• Skype - for audio and text chat
• Sightspeed- for video

Lessons Learned

• Video helps in many different ways (keeps conversation goingj all people involved and accountable, alternative way to identify difficulties)
• Have alternative communications methods available and arranged ahead of time
• Things are similar to Face to Face but diferent in some ways (It helps to know the personalities of the group members, it takes a lot of my time planning, More indicating who should speak when, More translating and restating of the last idea, Use text window instead of whte board for remembering ideas longer term)