Do most students attend the course live via compressed video? Are the other modes (videotape and streaming video) effective?
Approximately 65% of the MSETM students do NOT attend live. Many actually prefer the videotapes or cd’s due to the flexibility they offer. Our students are able to program their study habits, using the tapes, in a way that allows them to allocate their time most effectively between family, work, and school. At this end, there seems to be no discernible difference in performance whether one attends live or watches via tape delay. The jury is still out on streaming video. OSU has been putting some courses on the Internet via streaming video since the inception of the MSETM, and plans to use this mode much more during the 1999-2000 year. This mode works best if a network connection is available. A 28.8K baud modem is annoyingly slow, based upon student feedback.
