Cross-continent course a success for most

Most students who have taken typical online courses before know what to expect.

The professor assigns readings, discussions — and then does a live broadcast of the lesson from another continent?

The latter seems a bit unusual, but for more than 100 undergraduate anthropology and philosophy students at UCF, that's exactly what they got.

In November, humanities professor Bruce Janz and anthropology professor Rosalyn Howard went to South Africa and Swaziland to teach the second half of Janz's African Humanities and Howard's African Societies and Cultures online courses.

The expedition was made possible by Interactive Expeditions, a research partnership between UCF and Cobham Inc directed by Phil Peters, a film and digital media professor at UCF.

The satellite-based project offers real-time, mobile and remote education solutions that connect learners at home with subject matter experts in the field. As long as there is a satellite link, researchers are able to broadcast to and from multiple places very quickly.

"It can be done in the middle of the desert," Janz said.

The production equipment involves a mixing board and a B-roll, which allows media such as slides, PowerPoint and previously taped material to be edited into the live broadcast.

"What's unique about it is students have real time access," Janz said. "They can use their webcams to ask questions, and they can talk directly to the people we're talking to. It combines the interactive part with the mobile."

Peters has done past INTX research projects in Bermuda, India and the deserts of Utah and Arizona, which acted as trials that would set the planning for South Africa in motion.

Field testing the equipment was a big goal for Janz, who wanted to access the software upgrades on a breakthrough teachers tablet — a piece of technology that allows the professors to interface with the whole system.

"It's a little bit like having an iPod in the field," Janz said.

Howard joined the crew in Johannesburg until Janz could meet them in Durbon a few weeks later. She had never been to South Africa before, but was eager to immerse her students in distance learning.

"As a cultural anthropologist, I want my students to learn about other cultures and when they're learning from books and films, there's sometimes a gap," Howard said. "This gave me the opportunity to give my students face-to-face, real time exposure."

The first broadcast was filmed at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. They spoke to the chair of the anthropology department about the history of South Africa and contemporary African music.

The second broadcast was done in Soweto, at Nelson Mandela's old residence. Rev. Jesse Jackson attended and granted the team a live interview to the students.

"He was kind enough to speak with our host for about 15 minutes, which is an exceptional amount of time for such happenstance," said Jason Craycroft, a fourth year interdisciplinary studies major who took the course last semester. "It was amazing."

In total, there were eight, 90-minute broadcasts twice a week for four weeks and every broadcast had time allotted for a question and answer session.

The broadcasts were for both Janz's and Howard's classes, with the content of them ranging from history lessons, to contemporary art and live music.

In order to create one comprehensive picture, Howard emphasized South African history, and where people were coming from, whereas Janz emphasized contemporary Africa, and what it means to be creative in Africa today.

While in Swaziland, Howard and the crew were able to show the students House on Fire, a venue showcasing eclectic African artwork. For many who saw it, it left a big impression.

"The House on Fire might be the most interesting of the African locales because this place is an astounding creative arts venue that I have yet to see matched even here in the U.S.," Craycroft said.

Howard believes in using art as a tool in the fight against AIDS.

"It was like walking into a fantasy world," she said.

One of Howard's favorite places was a small town called Bulembu in Swaziland, that is solely dedicated to becoming a self-sustaining community and helping orphans whose families and communities have been wiped out by HIV/AIDS.

During the sixth broadcast, the students got to experience a tour of the Library of African Music by Andrew Tracy, the son of the man who founded it. They also got to see Souza dancers perform, and to Janz, that is what the expedition was all about.

"The ideal thing is to ship them over there themselves. If you can't do that, then this is a great way to get the content," Janz said.

The only drawbacks were the faults in technology. Some of the students in the class thrived because of the real time interaction, while others became discouraged when glitches occurred, or they didn't have the availability to sit stationary and watch each 90-minute broadcast.

"This was a pilot," said Howard who, along with Janz, did not hesitate to say they would do it again.

Craycroft didn't seem to mind the difficulties either, and overall appreciated the ability to see things for himself.

"All too often, and possibly ironically so, when we study the humanities, we focus on the art and not the artist — the ‘human' in ‘humanities,'" Craycroft said.

He said that in a typical class setting, it would be impossible to recreate the clear mindset of the various people that were shown.

"Literally all of the people we spoke to had a very inspiring attitude towards life and community and this was probably the best lesson to take from the class," he said.

"Overall it was a success," Janz said. "It was a lot of hard work, but in the end, good things always are."