This paper describes the Course Online System~® (COL) used at the School of Computer Science, Telecommunications and Information Systems (CTI) at DePaul University. The Course Online project is a value-added component for the traditional classroom. This system works on the traditional teaching environment. It is divided into three major parts: capture of the classroom activities; remote administration; and client web service. It captures five resources in the classroom without the use of any manpower: audio stream, video camera images, document camera images, handwriting on the whiteboard, and the PC screen. These five data resources are synchronized and integrated into data files, and are then sent to the web server after the class session, ends. Students may then browse the class content a few hours later. The system captures the classroom activities, administers the procedure and publishes the class contents automatically. Therefore, COL can be used in a large number of courses. In the spring 2000 quarter we tested the system in seventeen classes; this fall, we expanded COL to more than eighty CTI classes. Other than the traditional modern teaching tools found in most classrooms, networked PCs and LCD overhead projectors, COL does not require much specialized equipment. The limited bandwidth of the Internet connection is a consideration. The system has an exceptionally clear playback of the PC screen, viewing which is equal to or better than the viewing experience of the local audience.
展开▼
