College of Education and Health Professions Using Interactive Video to Reach Out

The College of Education and Health Professions has been using interactive video systems to connect with other institutions for research, presentations, conferences, meetings and course guest lecturers.

The University of Arkansas launched the LifeSize and ClearSea interactive video systems on campus last summer. Faculty, staff and students can use these systems to initiate, conduct and participate in standard or high-definition video conferences.

College of Education and Health Professions faculty and staff can schedule video conferences with one person or many by using one of three portable LifeSize carts that can be set up in any conference room, classroom or office that has an Internet access port and power outlet. Automated scheduling for recurring sessions, the ability to archive and stream content, and assistance with streaming content to up to 1,000 viewers are available.

More information is available on the IT Services website.

Uses for and benefits of videoconferencing include:

• Recording lectures and lessons
• Collaborating with students
• Conducting virtual field trips
• Inviting guest speakers and industry experts
• Minimizing travel costs
• Holding classes or office hours when physical attendance is not possible

Fran Hagstrom, an associate professor of communication disorders, said the technology has allowed students in the program to view grand rounds at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock as well as presentations on topics such as gerontology and psychology. Grand rounds refer to a teaching method in which medical conditions and treatment options of a particular patient are presented to an audience of medical professionals and students. Watching a medical scenario brings what the students are learning in a book come alive, Hagstrom said.

“It offers a good teaching tool for us,” said Hagstrom, who also serves as head of the department of rehabilitation, human resources and communication disorders. “It helps students understand how a team works together on a case. We also plan to use this technology with our programs in counseling and rehabilitation.”

Her goal is for academic programs such as communication disorders to offer information to other groups, such as speech-language pathologists who need continuing education hours to maintain their licensure.

“We can help these professionals upgrade their skills,” Hagstrom said. “For example, we can offer the latest advances on swallowing. Instead of going to a conference, they can learn about key issues and advances in the field from us. As a research institution, we are on top of these things.”

Some of the faculty in the College of Education and Health Professions who have used the technology are Brendon McDermott, assistant professor of kinesiology, research presentations to North Dakota State University and the University of South Carolina; and Kathleen Collins, professor of special education, classroom lecture to Sam Houston State University on “Mixed Methods Research.”

The systems have been used several times to connect the college with UAMS, University of Oklahoma and Missouri State University for lectures, demonstrations and teleconferences. Some of the topics:

• “Using Play Therapy to Enhance Parent-Child Relationships”
• “Disruptive Behavioral Disorders”
• “The Role of Nutrition and Exercise as We Age”
• “Apple 1-to-1 iPad Initiative”
• “Connecting the Arkansas Delta”
• “Evidence Based Practice”
• “Third Party Reimbursement for Athletic Trainers”
• “Oxidative Stress and Metabolic Pathology of Autism”

The College of Education and Health Professions is also looking at the use of this technology to try new initiatives such as classroom observations and clinical research observations required in the special education program.

For more information on the videoconferencing experience in the College of Education and Health Professions, contact Rebecca Martindale, director of web- and instructional-based services, at 479-575-4554 or by email at ram11@uark.edu.