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C4I Publication Abstracts
Distributed Education and Training

C3I-7005

An Open-Source Web-Based System for
Synchronous Distance Education

Authors: Dr. C. Snow, Dr. M. Pullen, and P. McAndrews

Inexpensive computers and Internet connections can be used in teaching engineering and technology courses to make the classroom presentation of a lecture available anywhere with connectivity. With rapidly growing demand, particularly from working professionals who need courses to remain current or for advancement in their careers, and reductions in financial support, universities face increasing pressure to find solutions that are effective academically and fiscally. This paper describes an open-source system that fulfills both "smart classroom" and distance-education roles and that is inexpensive, easy to use and operate, and highly effective, even when used over dial-up connections. The software is available at no cost for academic use.

IEEE Transactions on Education, November 2005

C3I-7001

A Web Portal for
Open-Source Synchronous Distance Education

Authors: Dr. J. Mark Pullen and Priscilla M. McAndrews

Network EducationWare (NEW) is an integrated collection of open-source software for synchronous Internet communcation, where a class is simultaneously taught to local students and distributed over the Internet. In order to scale use of NEW to multiple courses, we have developed a Web portal that provides coordinated access to each major function. We describe the way this portal works with the NEW client and server software to reduce effort and enhance effectiveness of online course management. The resulting system provides a simple, low-cost means of tending teaching and learning over the Internet. The portal webpages and other NEW software are available at no cost for any academic activity.

Proceedings of the IASTED Conference on Computers and Advanced Technology in Education, Hawaii, August 2004

C3I-7002

Low-Cost Internet Synchronous Distance Education Using
Open-Source Software

Authors: Dr. J. Mark Pullen and Priscilla M. McAndrews

In the School of Information Technology and Engineering at George Mason University, we have integrated a suite of open-source software for teaching simultaneously in the classroom and over the Internet. The system uses five open-source components from other groups plus a master client, live server and playback server that we have developed. All software is available at no cost to educational users and runs on low-cost Windows or Linux systems. We have presented about thirty courses using this system, with enthusiastic student response. In order to manage this growing system effectively and at low cost, we have developed a web portal and set of procedures for support. This paper will focus on lessons learned in eight years of operation that now enable us to combine this form of delivery effectively with standard classroom courses, using minimal resources.

Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education, Salt Lake City, Utah, June 2004

C3I-7003

A Software System for Cost-Effective Internet Delivery of
Synchronous Distance Education

Author: Dr. J. Mark Pullen

The Internet is used widely for asynchronous distance education. Synchronous distance education is harder to deliver; it poses challenges in technology, economy, and organization in addition to the challenge of distance. We have developed an Internet- based system for synchronous distance education, where the instructor's voice, graphics, dynamic annotations, and optional video are streamed to the student at home or office and also recorded for server-based delayed online delivery. Network EducationWare (NEW) will deliver a total of twenty full-length courses this year at George Mason University. NEW has been assembled from open source Internet multicasting software and is made available free to the academic community in the same spirit. We describe issues faced in scaling up NEW to meet the demands of multiple courses and large number of students.

Proceedings of the IASTED International Conference on Computers and Advanced Technology in Education, 2003