Use Of In Class Streaming Of Material In Engineering

Abstract

The authors are experimenting with the use of real-time, in-class streaming of lecture materials to portable personal computers that students bring to class. Lecture materials, including audio and visual streams, are saved on both the student and instructor computers in recordings so that class sessions can be reviewed at any time. Students can also take notes electronically. These notes are integrated as part of the session recordings and can be edited during playback. Participants can search their notes for important points and share their notes with other participants. Since the authors prefer to avoid Microsoft PowerPoint presentations in class, they have opted to use a tablet PC during lectures. This material is simultaneously broadcasted to the participants in class (either locally or remotely) and displayed on screens in the front of the classroom. The authors' experiences during a trial use of the technology are presented and discussed.