Abstract

The Language Learning Center currently has a Polycom VS-4000 videoconferencing unit, which was purchased with STF funds in 2003. For the past two years, the unit has received substantial use by students, student organizations, faculty and academic units from throughout the university. Despite its ongoing and increased use, however, its capabilities are more limited than what is currently needed. Therefore we propose the purchase of a larger unit with greater functionality, enabling us to serve both larger groups and to improve the end-user experience. The older unit will continue to be used by smaller groups, and as such it will increase the availability of UW’s videoconferencing facilities. This ties in directly with the University’s vision of expanding its global connections.

Background

The existing LLC videoconferencing system was intended to gauge the usefulness of the equipment in the context of Foreign Language Learning, as well as international exchange. However, the system has had far more diverse use than we anticipated and has become an integral part of our operations. Initially we proposed a more ambitious system to the STF, but our proposal was revised at the request of the STF committee. It is now clear that, while the funded equipment served its intended purposes, we have outgrown our initial configuration. In order to adequately serve the groups and individuals that use this equipment, we are requesting an upgrade for the system.

Benefits

Hundreds of students have benefited greatly from access to video conferencing through the LLC over the past two years. By upgrading the system, we will be better equipped to service student needs, especially for entire classes and class-sized groups. Currently, larger groups have difficulty viewing the other participants because of the unit’s modest screen size. Better equipment would improve this and would also improve the quality on the receiving end.

Students and classes from the Center for Western European Studies, the Department of Linguistics, the Jackson School for International Studies, and numerous other groups regularly make use of the equipment and video conferencing facilities and will continue to do so. Video conferences have taken place with Stanford, Harvard, NYU, UNC, and universities in Morocco, the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Germany, and Japan, among others. The LLC is actively expanding its list of partner institutions with reciprocal technology, so the use and demand are expected to increase greatly.

To give but one example of videoconferencing's many benefits, the new Computational Linguistics Program has used the current equipment to broadcast live informational sessions about their program over the web. These sessions have helped spur the success of the program by attracting a large inaugural class. New equipment will greatly improve the quality of such webcasts. The success of the Computational Linguistics Program is attracting other on-campus groups to follow their model for attracting new students to the UW.

Video-conferencing allows individuals and groups to see and hear each other in real time. With improved capabilities, students will be able to participate in professional and academic gatherings anywhere in the world. They can also garner multiple perspectives on international issues and U.S. foreign policy directly from fellow students who live in the countries being studied. Additionally, students will be able to extend their job searches to remote locations by interviewing with graduate schools and companies over the Internet. Many students have already conducted job interviews and dissertation defenses using the videoconferencing equipment, and faculty have used these services to facilitate research with their international colleagues.

Student Access

The video conferencing facilities are available free of charge, by appointment, to students, student groups and organizations, and academic units throughout the university.

The multi-point system will be accessible sixty hours per week and can be reserved through the LLC main office. An LLC technician will help set up the unit for student groups or a student wishing to make a multi-point call.

Available Resources

All infrastructure costs will be supplied by the LLC, including wall mounts for the plasma screen, cables, wires, and other set-up material.

The video conferencing system will be maintained by LLC employees, which include six full-time staff, seven staff associates, and six lab operators.

Installation Timeline

The system will be installed and configured within three weeks of receipt.

Departmental Endorsement

As a large research university situated on the Pacific Rim, the University of Washington has the potential, the need, and the responsibility to continually expand its international contacts and relationships. This benefits students, the Seattle area in general, and international relations. Students can gain invaluable experience through the use of this equipment, and, in the words of the Provost, "take on initiatives that are both complex and difficult and are of global significance" directly without ever having to leave the campus. We have already seen many UW class groups interacting with classes from other countries and other universities in a variety of settings, and know that this momentum will continue to build. What's more, it increases the opportunities for rich, content-based international experience exponentially, since the service is free to students and faculty, and the amount of time required is the same of any other class.

Student Endorsement

Virtually every foreign language course offered by the university has an audio or video component. Thus, the proposed conferencing technology upgrade has a huge potential user base.

The initial proposal for video conferencing was endorsed by over 200 students via a petition (the LLC currently has the petition and signatures on hand).

Items

Below are the items making up the current proposal. The asterisk (*) beside items signify that they were approved by the committee. This however was not implemented correctly for our database before 2005, so earlier years may not show this.

Click an item's title to view details on that item, or show all item details.