Closing the gap in distance learning
In Texas, schools are using Polycom's video communications systems to deliver cutting-edge programs to make learning more exciting -- and to provide new opportunities to sites that once had limitations.

Bob Avant is thinking big. He's committed to helping Texas schools become one of the top-ranked educational systems in the country. He believes enhanced distance-learning programs will help meet that goal. And he is convinced high-quality, interactive video communications can play a big role. That's why he partnered with Polycom, a Silicon Valley-based broadband communication solutions company that designs and delivers the ViewStation™ video system, the world's best-selling group videoconferencing system.

"We're committed to delivering equal opportunities for content to every participating district regardless of location or size, and video communications technology will enable us to do that," says Avant, distance-learning specialist for the Texas Education Service Center, Region XIII. "Videoconferencing will help us deliver cutting-edge programs that will improve the quality of education, especially for special-needs and advanced students."

Avant has built a network of 35 Polycom ViewStation systems in high schools blanketing 15 counties in central Texas. The network covers more than half the school districts in the region; he hopes that every district will be linked in the near future.

"Most of our districts are quite remote and very small," says Avant. "Our smallest has only 26 students. In some cases, teachers have to travel nearly two hours each way to attend a staff development workshop. In one district, we had a student who wanted to take an advanced placement course, but his school didn't have a teacher to teach it. They found a neighboring district with a qualified teacher and then drove the student 20 miles there and back every day. Videoconferencing closes the distance and opportunity gap. Now we can have master teachers in a given subject anywhere in the state and enable them to present a course to one or more locations, to one student or many, without students having to travel."

Distance learning by video communications can significantly increase college enrollment in Texas and, for the matter, anywhere in the world. Dual enrollment classes are offered by Texas colleges and universities in which high school students can enroll to earn both high school and college credit simultaneously. Videoconferencing enables high school students to complete these classes without traveling offsite to college campuses.

"Texas colleges and universities can be too far for many kids to travel," says Kathy Lauer, a high school teacher in the Nixon-Smiley district. "Our district is 30 miles from the nearest private college and 80 miles from the nearest community college. We need videoconferencing to deliver these programs to our kids right here in our schools. It's critical because high school kids with college credits are more inspired to continue their education after they graduate."

High school students aren't the only ones who will benefit from the network. Region XIII has plans to link videoconferencing systems in colleges to those in high schools for GED and other adult education courses. After normal working hours, adults will be able to attend remote classes and workshops at their nearby high school. In addition, teachers, administrators and staff members will have greater and more convenient access to a whole range of professional development workshops and meetings that otherwise some must travel hours to attend.

One member of the network is the Texas School for the Deaf, which requires some students to leave home to live on campus.

"The distance can be really tough on kids and families, especially since many of them are separated for the first time and they can't just pick up the phone to chat," says Avant. "We plan to use Polycom's ViewStation systems to keep deaf students and their parents in touch. They can connect face-to-face and sign to each other and have a much greater personal and satisfying experience then they would typing over phone lines and using interpreters."

Interactive video communications offers opportunities to enhance curriculum through special one-time events. Expert guests can speak to students and faculty at many sites without having to travel around the state. Resources all over the country, such as zoos and museums, can use video systems and high-speed broadband connections to give kids an opportunity to see, hear and interact in real time. Now Region XIII can use ViewStation systems to access such programs through broadband networks.

To its credit, Region XIII developed a strict set of criteria to evaluate and then enter into competitive bids for interactive video communications systems. To hold students' attention for one- and two-hour classes, it's critical for systems to provide both high-quality video and audio. Jerky images and poor sound quality would be distracting to students and the learning process. Through its research, Region XIII found that Polycom's ViewStation systems deliver smooth, full-motion images at up to 30 frames per second - as well as exceptionally clear voice quality, a result of Polycom's patented, state-of-the-art Acoustic Clarity Technology™.

Plus, since teachers' demanding schedules leave little time for becoming technical experts, ease of use was also imperative. That was an important distinction for Debbie Coleman, a distance-learning class facilitator in Region XIII.

"All I have to do is turn on both TVs and the camera, and then use the remote control," says Coleman. "The microphone covers a 15-foot area so we don't even have to pass it around. It makes the experience seem so natural. So we can focus on the event, rather than the technology."

Price was another key factor. Half the sites in the network are fully equipped with additional devices as origination points of instruction. These enhanced rooms used to cost up to $60,000 to complete. Now, with Polycom's video communications systems at the core, the total cost of outfitting a room has dropped to less than $30,000. For sites that focus on receiving two-way interactive content, the cost for the room set up is about $15,000, and this includes additional devices as well.

Through initiatives such as Region XIII's, innovative distance learning through interactive video communications will continue to evolve and improve the quality and availability of special educational programs. It can help boost college enrollment, enhance community relations through adult education at local high schools, and facilitate department communication and professional development programs. The Education Service Center, Region XIII, continues to strive for improvements in education and in student performance. It believes that the addition of distance learning will help bring this goal into reality.
Disclaimer: The preceding is an account of the experience of the Texas Education Service Center, Region XIII (ESC-XIII), with Polycom, and it is not intended as an endorsement of Polycom's products. No compensation in any form has been realized by the ESC-XIII or any of its staff as a result of the sharing of these experiences.