TELEPRESENCE APPARATUS AND METHOD ENABLING A CASE-STUDY APPROACH TO LECTURING AND TEACHING

摘要

A telepresence method and system for mimicking a physical amphitheater classroom for a case-study course with remote students comprising a student wall shaped and arranged to define an amphitheater in an arc, an interior of the arc defining a teaching pit, the student wall including: a video display apparatus to present an array of images arranged in groups, a plurality of student speakers, and a plurality of student perspective cameras, each of the plurality of student perspective cameras associated with and located near a corresponding student image for capturing a unique perspective view of the telepresence classroom, wherein the dimensions of the student wall and of the images in relation to the teaching pit have a geometric relationship such that from the instructor's perspective the student images are approximately life-sized and the instructor can move anywhere within the pit and maintain a line of sight with the perspective student cameras.