Interactive Television (ITV) Courses

Interactive Television courses use an interactive, two-way video network to connect universities, colleges, secondary schools, medical centers, and other agencies throughout the world. Johnston Community College participates in ITV courses with 2 state-of-the-art video classrooms. A course in these rooms is either broadcast to another college or received from another college via video. This allows JCC to send and receive high-quality courses with partners throughout the state, enhancing the educational experience of our students.

What constitutes an ITV classroom?

ITV classes utilize a two-way, fully active, full-motion video and audio system connecting specially designed classrooms at participating institutions. Using this telecommunications technology enables the instructor and students at either institution to hear, see, and talk to others in comparably equipped distance learning classrooms. The simultaneously interactive environment means that the instructor and students remain in visual and verbal communication at all times during a class.

How do ITV classes work?

The classroom in which the instructor is located is the host site. The classrooms to which a host site transmits are called remote or receiving sites. Each classroom contains equipment which may be similar to the following:

• A document camera to display visual material and serve as an “electronic chalkboard”
• A camera in the back of the room, focused on the instructor
• A camera in the front of the room, focused on the students
• Ceiling or desktop microphones to transmit audio
• Monitors in the front of the room for student viewing of remote sites and any material displayed by means of the document camera or other video input
• A phone, fax, and copy machine to transmit hard copy between sites (quizzes, homework, instructions, etc.)
• Control station used by facilitator to select specific cameras