FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 8, 2004

CONTACT:
Lisa Lacher, (515) 271-3119, lisa.lacher@drake.edu

NEW DEVICE ENABLES DRAKE PROF TO TEACH CLASS FROM IRELAND

David Wright, associate dean of Drake University's School of Journalism and Mass Communication, did not let a trip to attend a wedding in Ireland prevent him from teaching his Communications in Society class in Des Moines this week.

The class met on Tuesday, Sept. 7, by using the new Polycom auto video conference unit and will meet again via the Polycom unit from 8 to 9:15 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 9, in room 106 of Meredith Hall, 28th Street and Carpenter Avenue.

The Polycom unit allows groups to communicate with each other regardless of distance as long as both parties have the unit. This device is different from other technologies because it works much like a computer by using standard Internet protocol; so there are no additional costs.

Students in Meredith 106 were able to see and hear Wright on a large screen and ask questions while Wright stood halfway around the world at the Waterford Institute of Technology in Waterford, Ireland, which also has a Polycom unit. In Ireland, Wright also had the ability to see and hear the students in Meredith and point to specific students to answer questions.

During the class Wright and his students compared and contrasted the news coverage in the United States and Ireland. In addition, the students were also introduced to Wright’s family.

"We have been close friends to the Conroys in Waterford for over 18 years," Wright said. "When they asked my children to be part of their daughter's wedding on Sept.11, we had to say yes. This presented quite a dilemma because missing a week of classes at Drake wasn't attractive to me. I came up with the idea of teaching live from Ireland in the shower one day. I wasn't sure if the technology was up to the challenge, but it has proved very interesting.

"The effort at Drake and WIT has been wonderful," Wright reported from Ireland. "I get to do the fun part by coming to Ireland. The hard part was setting up the technology and adjusting to a delay of about 5 seconds between sending and receiving the audio. I hope the students understand how revolutionary this whole process has been."

Brad Toussaint, director of the Telemedia Center and chief engineer, helped facilitate the
operation and was pleased with the results. “It was fantastic," he said. “To think that someone can be that far away but still be able to conduct class is amazing.”

Only once during the hour-and-15-minute class were the students and professor disconnected due to a two-hour limit that they exceeded as a result of testing prior to class. However, it only took 20 seconds to get the system up and running again.

Although it was not the same as having the professor in the classroom, it was a close substitute and far better than the alternative of canceling two classes.

Normally, the Polycom unit is used for a group of five to six people so using it to teach a class of 108 students was a different way to use the unit. “It was used out of the norm, but it performed wonderfully,” Toussaint said.

"This device gives Drake the ability to bring someone into classrooms without having to pay travel expenses and allows professors to participate in scholarly activities or groups in other geographic locations," he said.

In addition to being used for Wright's class this Thursday, the unit will enable sociology professor Joseph Schneider to collaborate with a group at the University of Wisconsin on Tuesday, Sept. 14.