CET 740

Instructional Systems Design

Dr. Dan Coldeway, Instructor

Using Web Commander to Schedule a Videoconference

Final Exercise

Cliff De Long

As we are implementing a new videoconferencing network and system, it becomes apparent that the staff, administration and faculty will need to be able to successfully gain access to the reservation pages, the database tables and the MCU that will run the conference. In order to accomplish this, they will need instruction in the usage of the Videoconferencing units themselves as well as the web-based server solution.

Our instructional goal is for our end users to be capable of scheduling a videoconference without any outside intervention. Or, in their words: “I can schedule a conference without any help.”

The task analysis for scheduling a videoconference through Web Commander follows:

· Open Browser

· Open URL

· Login

· Click on desired Conference Template

· Click on Start At

· Click on Start Date and Time and enter them

· Click OK

These seven objectives are classified as Information, Application and Procedural Skills that require Motor Skills to perform successfully. These skills are identified as components of the “TIP Taxonomy”.

FYI/FAQ

Using the Web browsers, users may perform the following operations:

• Create a new Conference template
• Modify the parameters of a Conference template
• Define new participants for the conference and add them to the database
• Assign participants from the database to a conference template
• Modify the parameters of a participant assigned to a conference or stored in the database
• Start an on-going conference or schedule a conference to start in the future based on a conference template (if the appropriate permission is assigned to the logged in user)
• Delete a Conference template from the database
• Delete a participant from the Conference template and from the database (if the appropriate permission is assigned to the current user)

Once the reservation is started from the Web, you can:

· View the status of the participant in the conference

· Connect or disconnect participants

· Delete participants from an on-going conference

· Add participants to the conference

· Modify the conference duration

· Terminate the conference prior to its scheduled end time

· Lock or unlock the conference

· Enable or disable the Lecture Mode

· Change the conference Video Layout

· Video Force

· Mute or Unmute the audio and video channels of participants

· Block the conference audio transmission to the participants

All the members of our target population are capable of surfing to a website and logging in, however, they have not worked with collaborative software products prior to this instruction.

End User System Requirements

· 586 processor

· 64 MB RAM or more

· 32-bit operating system, such as Windows 95, Windows 98,Windows ME, Windows NT or Windows 2000 Windows XP, Macintosh, OS X, Linux and Unix.

· Internet Explorer 4 or later, or Netscape Navigator 4

The following sequence of objectives has been determined to be effective with post-secondary personnel at other locations and appears to be a valid sequencing strategy for a self-instructional unit.

1. If your Web browser is not active, open it now.

2. Enter the address of the videoconferencing Service Provider site.

3. http://vconf.olc.edu

A Welcome screen opens.

2. Select the language that will be used in the Web Commander to display the screens, menus and commands. For example, click the English button to display the windows and menus in English. Select the desired language by clicking the appropriate button.

The Login window opens.

4. Enter your login name and password, and click the Login button.

The Web Commander Main Menu window opens.

Scheduling a Reservation

To schedule a reservation that will start in a few minutes or in the future:

1. Click the radio button next to the Conference template you want to use to set up the reservation and then click the Start At button.

The Start Time dialog box opens.

2. Define the reservation Start Date and Start Time

3. If you are not defining a recurrent reservation, click OK to add the reservation to the Reservations Calendar. If the reservation was successfully scheduled on an MCU you will be prompted whether to send an e-mail to the conference participants. Select Yes to send an e-mail or No to skip sending e-mails.

Implementation and Evaluation

We will need to provide group and individual trainings on the above process at multiple locations. Although the process will be documented in entirety on the website and appropriately linked, without hands-on experience and observation, we cannot assure ourselves that our target audience has internalized the process until we actually see them perform the task. The individual will actually schedule a real videoconference during their training session and watch it occur and modify conference parameters on that active conference. Repetition will be required for retention. However, once we have seen the individual successfully schedule a conference, we will presume that the individual has met our objective. Finally, our prime indicator of success will be a decreased call frequency on the tech support hotline for videoconferencing problems.