DEOSNEWS Vol. 6 No. 9, ISSN 1062-9416.
Copyright 1996 DEOS.
Director of ACSDE and Editor of AJDE: Dr. Michael G. Moore.
DEOSNEWS Editor: Dr. Melody M. Thompson
 
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EDITORIAL
 
Today's increasingly powerful and flexible telecommunications
technologies offer numerous delivery options for businesses seeking
cost-effective ways of providing effective employee training. In
this issue of DEOSNEWS, author Harry Fetterman presents a
framework for evaluating the appropriateness of videoconferencing
for training in business contexts.
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VIDEOCONFERENCING TRAINING: ASSESSMENT OF APPLICABILITY
 
Harry E. Fetterman, Instructional Technology and Training
Effectiveness Evaluation
Susquehanna Steam Electric Station
Pennsylvania Power and Light Company
hef103@psu.edu
 
 
INTRODUCTION
 
Often attempts at training via technology fail due to insufficient
or inappropriate assessment of business and training needs. Each
technology comes with its own price tag, works very well for
specific purposes, and has limitations. Since videoconferencing
training is a relatively new technology, little has been written or
taught to help determine when this technology is the right medium to
deliver a class or series of classes. This article proposes a
framework for assessing the viability of videoconferencing training
in business settings.
 
After a training need has been identified, trainers must wear two hats
when they make decisions about how to deliver the appropriate
training intervention. Under their andragogy (effective teaching of
adults) hat they must search for the best instructional methodology
to fulfill the business need for training, and under their business hat
they must meet the business need cost effectively.
 
For the purposes of this assessment framework we will define
videoconferencing as a system which employs synchronous two
way video and two way audio for group settings. No single method
of instructional delivery, whether it be computer based training,
video tape, satellite transmissions, mass lecture, one-on-one
instruction, or any other method best meets the needs of all training
interventions. The most appropriate means of delivery is dependent
upon the complex environment that surrounds each intervention.
We will look at several factors to consider when selecting, or
rejecting, videoconferencing as the instructional medium for a
given course. As we proceed, keep in mind how this assessment
applies to your business applications and environment.
 
 
IS VIDEOCONFERENCED TRAINING APPROPRIATE FOR THE COURSE
YOU'RE GOING TO DELIVER?
 
Rossett (1987, p.107) says, "Once we understand the organization
or structure of a subject matter, research provides us with guidance
on how to teach it." Today's human resource development (HRD)
specialists should have the skills to analyze the best method(s) to use
to deliver valid training content, but with the newness of many
technologies, most HRD specialists do not.
 
Professional development for trainers on using videoconferencing is
a hidden cost that you may not have expected. Unless told
otherwise, some trainers and managers may think they can
effectively use exactly the same techniques for videoconferencing
that they used in the traditional classroom. To enhance the chances
for successful training experiences at all locations, trainers need to
learn new techniques to improve their presentations with the new
media (Horn, 1994).
 
Many courses that would be deliverable in a classroom can be
effectively videoconferenced. Hands-on laboratory sessions are
note a good choice unless the distant site is only required to view
demonstrations. Also, courses requiring much physical movement
are not good selections for compressed video transmission.
 
Timing and time are key issues in assessing whether to
videoconference a course. Timing refers to the organizational need
to have new information and training distributed promptly.
Videoconferencing allows that to happen. Developing and
delivering training sessions on new processes, just-in-time, using
this technology is relatively easy when compared with the amount of
time required to develop computer based training or the logistics
necessary to up-link to a satellite.
 
The timing element of feedback from the trainer to the student is
maximized using videoconferencing. Students and trainer are face-
to-face, even at a distance, which offers students the opportunity to
interact with the trainer and other students during class time.
Students are not left without a person to talk to when a problem or
question arises. If interaction between students and between trainer
and students is important, videoconferencing has the advantage over
any other existing technological means for transmitting courses at a
distance.
 
The component of time needs to be assessed in several areas:
 
- Has the same content been used for classroom training before?
Do trainers or developers already have adequate skills to develop
classroom training material? Designing and developing training
material for videoconferencing is a modified version of what
trainers and developers are accustomed to for classroom training.
This is quite unlike the special skills necessary for developing
computer based training. While classroom or videoconferencing
training development may range from 10 to 40 hours per hour of
training, computer based training development estimates are 200
to 500 hours per hour of training.
 
- Is the content subject to frequent change? If so, the training
material that is being videoconferenced is relatively easy to change
to match. When compared to changing computer based training
material, reshooting videotape presentations, or rewriting self-
study workbooks, reformatting a training session for a live
videoconference presentation is much less time intensive.
 
- How long are the class sessions going to be? If the classroom
version of a course is eight hours long, it is generally difficult
to keep an audience's attention for the duration. This is compounded
for the distant site(s), who are watching a video screen all day.
 
- Videoconferencing is best used for a portion of the day's training,
supplemented by a few other techniques, such as
* print based materials
* oral questioning
* written quizzes
* small group activities
* role plays
* case study analyses
* on-the-job training
* performance objectives
 
- Can the course be shortened? Ideally, the course, when designed
or redesigned for videoconferencing, will make use of several
techniques such as those mentioned above, to reduce the amount of
class time. Another way to accomplish this is to maximize students'
responsibility for their own learning. The cost benefits of training
are best illustrated when students receive effective instruction in
less time. Key factors in that statement are "effective instruction"
--students must receive all information necessary to optimally perform
their jobs--and "less time"; time saved in training is multiplied by
the number of students.
 
One final issue to be dealt with in this discussion of the fit between
the course and the medium is "Will there be a written test?"
Proctoring becomes a logistic concern, although not an
insurmountable one, if using videoconferencing. Options of how to
administer the test at a distant site include:
- second instructor at that location
- supervisory person administering the exam
- qualified test proctor
- instructor at transmitting site observing via videoconference
system
 
To make the best use of resources, the individuals mentioned in the
first three options would only need to be present during the
administration of the test, not for the entire training session. The
last option is feasible if your organization has a strong academic
honesty policy and the trainer follows through all steps at the
distant site that are performed in the near classroom with the
watchful eye of the camera.
 
 
IS VIDEOCONFERENCED TRAINING APPROPRIATE FOR THE
ORGANIZATION?
 
Is the volume of training or the business need for training at a
distance sufficient to warrant a videoconferencing system? One of
the primary considerations to analyze is the extent to which distance
is involved in your organization's training strategy. How many of the
students are distant from the trainer's location? Is the equipment
available to the trainer and close enough to the trainer's location, at
least closer than the distant site that needs the training?
 
In the business world, by necessity, we continually look at the
question "What will it cost?" The bottom line return on investment
is what determines a company's success or failure. Schwier and
Misanchuk (1993, p. 148) recommend the principle of reduction: "the
simplest, least expensive combination of media available to address
the problem." In the case of videoconferencing, the initial outlay for
equipment is quite high, and the cost of telephone line transmission
is not negligible. It will cost approximately $30 per hour for toll
calls and a monthly line fee of roughly $100. The greatest cost
justification comes about through repetitious savings of student and
instructor hours. How many times have we sent instructors or
students on a four-hour round trip to attend a half-day training
session? How many times have we sent instructors or students
away for days at a time for training seminars? It takes just a few of
these road trips to start seeing thousands of dollars spent for
unproductive time, or saved by using videoconferencing technology.
 
Your company may have other technologies to facilitate the
course(s) to be taught. To maintain our best business sense, we
must consider the alternative methods that may already be in place
for delivering the material. For instance, does the company already
have systems to provide any of the following?
- computer-based training
- computer mediated communication
- local area network
- wide area network
- closed circuit television
- satellite down-link capabilities
- satellite up-link capabilities
 
Keeping an open mind, your organization should also consider
simpler approaches that do not include any technology. Is it feasible
to distribute the training content on paper as a required reading
assignment? Another approach that is often very effective is
structured On-the-Job Training (OJT). If OJT can be accomplished
in a timely manner, subject-matter experts in the field may be the
best medium to transmit knowledge, skills, or attitudes to the
intended audience. If an alternative method effectively accomplishes
the objective, don't complicate the training mission unnecessarily
with technology.
 
 
DOES YOUR COMPANY HAVE VIDEOCONFERENCING EQUIPMENT?
 
If your business plans include use of this technology, an affirmative
answer will facilitate your company's getting there. Having a
videoconferencing system dedicated to training purposes is even
better. A dedicated system is a statement of your company's
commitment to investing in human resource development.
 
If your company has a videoconferencing system, and if it is available
to you for training purposes, that may be just as useful. However,
your company may have purchased the system for Board Room and
meeting use. If you have to vie for time on it, the logistics become
more complex. Business meetings may conflict and take higher
priority than training sessions. Another indicator of your
company's commitment to the importance of training is illustrated by
the allocation of time on the corporate system for training purposes.
 
Is the room right? Corporate videoconference systems are often set
up in board rooms. These settings are often inappropriate for a
training session due to space limitations. However, for general
lecture and discussion portions of the training session, a board
room, or U-shaped seating arrangement is probably ideal.
Preferably, the _training_ videoconference room will have enough
space for 20 or more students. The room should also allow space
for conducting other classroom activities such as demonstrations,
presentations, and small group break-out sessions. If both the
student population and the room size match, using the
videoconferencing board room for training is a great place to start.
 
 
CAN YOU COST JUSTIFY VIDEOCONFERENCING EQUIPMENT
FOR TRAINING?
 
If your company does not yet have the equipment, and you have to
start with the cost justification, the time and effort expended prior
to implementation is greater. Initial outlay for a videoconference
system could run anywhere from around $10,000 for a small desk-
top system to well over $100,000 for a sophisticated, customized
classroom system. In 1995 moderate systems with two monitors,
document camera, and a user-friendly control panel cost
approximately $65,000. As is the case with many electronic
devices, the technology is constantly improving and the costs are
declining.
 
Background data that you should gather to help analyze and justify
the costs include:
- travel and expenses for instructors
- travel and expenses for students
- time lost by students and instructors while traveling to and from
training
- number of training sessions saved by having the instructor give the
training session only once to two or more sites at the same time
- the immediacy by which just-in-time training can be disseminated
to several distant sites using videoconferencing
- benefits to be realized by videoconferencing the training from a
vendor or collaborative effort rather than costs involved in
developing your own subject matter expert and associated training
material
 
Another way to get started is to rent time on a system. Many
corporations or universities have videoconference rooms set up that
are not used all the time. An estimated price for an hour of
videoconference room time is $300. Using one of these systems on
a trial basis can help your company prove, or disprove, the value of
videoconferencing training for your applications.
 
 
SUMMARY
 
The information presented here can help trainers in business make
informed decisions about the use of videoconferencing for meeting
training needs. These decisions should be based on the principles of
teaching adults (andragogy) and on information about the specific
business context in which the training will occur. Attention to both
elements will contribute to effective training at a distance.
 
 
REFERENCES
 
Dubois, D. D. (1993). _Competency-based Performance
Improvement: A Strategy for Organizational Change_. Amherst,
MA: HRD Press.
 
Horn, D. (1994, October). Distance education: Is interactivity
compromised? _Performance and Instruction_ 33(9), 12-15.
 
Rossett, A. (1987). _Training Needs Assessment_. Englewood
Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications.
 
Schwier, R. A. & Misanchuk, E. R. (1993). _Interactive
Multimedia Instruction_. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational
Technology Publications.
 
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