When you look at a videoconference through the eyes of a student you realise how useful it is as a classroom tool. It leads to greater interaction between the students and the teacher, generates greater enthusiasm in the classroom and makes learning more fun. However, for this to happen the videoconference should adopt a student centred approach.

The students should be given a chance to interact with other students or experts based at remote sites; the time allotted for question-answer sessions should be high; presentations must use multimedia software; and there should be games, contests, role playing or plays to make the students look forward to the event.

There are two ways of mounting a videoconference. The first is the traditional way. In this, a student is only an end-user, an object. Content is prepared by teachers who then push it onto the students. The students are left to imbibe knowledge on their own.

The second way is to involve the students in generating and delivering content. Students are given the role of camera assistants, multimedia developers or involved in room set up and lighting jobs. They can even be asked to conduct introductions or moderate discussions.

This involvement gives a new dimension to the learning process. The students are no longer the recipients of content which is pushed at them every day. Instead, they become active participants in planning, researching and developing the content.

They not only learn more in the process but also help teachers to shape content according to their needs. This is the biggest advantage that videoconferencing offers over traditional teaching methods. It makes content more relevant and easy to understand.

Of course, there are disadvantages in this process. The students can make mistakes; the final presentation may not be as professional or seamless as it should be. There may be glitches, and breakdowns. It is for teachers to step in and guide the students. They should ensure that there is professional help available to prevent this from happening.

A test run can go a long way in identifying, and correcting the problems. Students can be made to rework multimedia presentations with the help of teachers; audio signals can be checked and adjusted to ensure that the sound is neither too loud nor too low. The assistants at the remote site can work out the best way to obtain and raise questions.

If handled properly, this can be exciting stuff. The teacher can expect full and complete participation from students – something that rarely happens in the traditional method of classroom teaching..

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