Video conferencing effectiveness in IT training for higher education institutions

¶ … Video Conferencing

In this chapter, actuaries are going to be looking at the methodology that will be utilized as a part of the research project. This will be accomplished by examining different areas to include: the research design, participants, procedures, instruments, data analysis, validity / reliability, ethical considerations and limitations. Together, these elements will provide specific insights as to how additional training can be provided to IT personnel. In the future, this will allow these individuals to use their knowledge and skills to improve the quality of higher education. This is the point that these insights will enhance the rates of responsiveness (among IT personnel) and quality.

Research Design

The basic methodology that will be utilized is the quantitative approach. This is when series of open ended responses are provided to respondents. The objectives are to understand their views on video conferencing. Actuaries will then, concentrate on how this influences the quality of higher education. Moreover, the study will focus on the effectiveness of these tools in developing curriculum, troubleshooting critical challenges, enhancing the skillsets of technicians and its impact. (Hughes, 2012)

To fully understand the way that these techniques could be used requires considering a number of variables that will focus on specific aspects of the problem and offer innovative solutions. This means carefully examining various challenges and possible resolutions over the long-term. It is at this point when these ideas can be used to enhance training and knowledge. (Needy, 1997) ("Annual 2010 -- 2011," 2011)

Participants

Target Population

The participants will be males, who are selected from within the IT and educational sectors. They will be chosen by asking each person to voluntarily contribute to the survey. The subjects will come from those professionals who are currently working in higher education. This will provide specific insights about the challenges impacting colleges and universities when it comes to video conferencing. Furthermore, the opinions of respondents will be sought out to understand the most effective approaches for dealing with these challenges. This will be the dependent variable of the project. (Needy, 1997) ("Annual 2010 -- 2011," 2011)

Once this takes place, is when a second group of female respondents will be selected from within the IT industry. They can share their ideas about potential challenges that are effecting other educational institutions and how to address them. This will serve as the independent variable. (Needy, 1997) ("Annual 2010 -- 2011," 2011)

These insights are essential, in allowing actuaries to compare the challenges of using video conferencing at a wide variety of educational institutions and inside other sectors. This will help everyone to see if these issues are isolated to the field of higher education. Furthermore, these insights are offer unique solutions for addressing these challenges over the long-term. This is when the quality of education is improved with stakeholders having more choices available to them. (Needy, 1997) ("Annual 2010 -- 2011," 2011)

Procedures for Selecting the Sample

The basic procedure that will be utilized for collecting the sample will be to concentrate on comparative analysis. This is when actuaries will objectively look at different facts and then compare their findings with other information. The basic idea is to understand the overall trends and how they are impacting respondents. This will improve the accuracy of the research and it allows everyone to mirror these results in future projects. These ideas can be used as a foundation for comprehending the challenges impacting IT professionals and improving training / knowledge. (Brown, 2011)

This instrument is often used in educational research to compare the impact of different ideas on contrasting systems. It was developed as a way to objectively analyze the data and identify the underlying trends. This improves the validity of the findings by forcing actuaries to corroborate these facts with others. Anything that does not meet these objectives will be disregarded as an anomaly. (Brown, 2011)

As a result, the other salient information will be divided into different categories to understand and compare these responses. The most notable include: current problems, opinions, recommendations and insights. These areas will help actuaries to quickly analyze the information and identify the overall trends. (Brown, 2011)

This approach was used by Brown (2011), for contrasting video conferencing solutions at: North Dakota State University and with special programs for New Zealand farmers. What is happening, is Brown determined that North Dakota State had an effective alternative education program (using e-learning solutions). To determine if these techniques can work on others, she compared them with those that were used by the New Zealand government. They wanted to offer low cost, educational solutions to everyone. The basic philosophy is to use this to increase the number of choices and provide better quality services. (Brown, 2011)

In a test program, the government began to see if teleconferencing will help select segments of farmers. The results were that there was a dramatic improvement in participation rates, achievement scores and the ability to recall key ideas in the future. Commenting about these findings Brown observed, "These trials have demonstrated that e-learning based on video conferencing supported by other technologies such as document cameras and flip-videos can successfully deliver an interactive learning program that caters directly for individual learning style preferences and their need for learning to be social and tailored to their own interests, experience, context, systems and issues." (Brown, 2011) This is illustrating how the basic approach we are using can be successful in deciding the issues impacting IT professionals and the way it is affecting quality.

Moreover, permission to invite all participants will be obtained from Director of Technology Facilities Planning and Support. They have already expressed their support for the research project and its merits. This office will play a central role in helping to recruit and maintain a list of the trainees. Any kind of personal data (such as emails and telephone numbers) will be collected through this office.

Researchers will contact IT professionals via email with a request to participate in the study. At the same time, introductory letters will be used to explain the purpose of the project. These letters will communicate the confidentiality and voluntary nature of participation. Furthermore, it will provide a copy of the informed consent form to the subjects. Actuaries will then confirm the willingness of the subject to participate in the study by placing follow up telephone calls or emails.

The execution of training will be to concentrate on the following areas to include: conceptual framing, guided practice / modeling, evaluation / assessment benchmarks, technical support, retraining (if needed) and recognition. The conceptual framing will be conducted with the study participants. This is designed to identify the needs of these technicians with the actual training outcomes.

Guided practices and modeling schemes consist of active learning and hands-on training. The modeling approach serves as an opportunity to assess the subject's proficiency. The benchmarks will be converted into a checklist as participants implement and complete the training activities. Training will take place in accordance with the higher educational videoconferencing procedures. All surveys will be mailed or emailed to participants.

Describe Data Collection

The surveys will be provided to respondents from different geographical locations. It will consist of structured questions which are designed to collect the most relevant data for researchers. They will then use the subject's contact information to send the survey to willing subjects. Only those who have confirmed their participation in the study will receive the surveys.

After sending out the questionnaires, researchers will follow up with respondents via telephone and email. This is to confirm that all subjects have received the information and plan on completing the survey. All data collection will take place over a period of 30 days.

If at the end of the period, only a small amount has mailed or emailed the surveys back. Then, researchers will use the data they received. This will avoid any kind of delays by forcing actuaries not to wait on additional surveys. Instead, there will be a cutoff date used to determine who will be included as a part of the project.

Procedures

The basic approach that will be utilized is the survey method. This is when respondents will be provided with an actual survey and asked to give their opinions / insights on a number of issues impacting their training / knowledge. The strategy is using quantitative techniques that are augmented with comparative analysis. This will be accomplished utilizing questions to focus on specific challenges and potential solutions for addressing these issues. ("Health Professions Division," 2012) ("Office of Information Technologies," 2007) (Lim, 2009)

The data will be collected through a survey based off of the research questions of the study. This will help actuaries to create specific situations where respondents can understand the challenges, how to relate to them and share with us their views. When this happens, actuaries can see the way this is hurting quality. It is at this point, where these insights can be used to create new solutions that will address any kind of problems. ("Health Professions Division," 2012) ("Office of Information Technologies," 2007) (Lim, 2009)

As a result, the process will involve utilizing a number of steps in conjunction with each other throughout the course of the research study. The most notable include:

Step 1 Identify potential areas where respondents are most relaxed and open: During this phase, actuaries are seeking out IT professionals. The basic idea is to communicate with each person in a way that increases their chances of participating in the survey. Those who can approach the subjects when they are in this frame mind; will locate the best individuals to be a part of the research project. This will occur by sending them an email or letter with an invitation.

Step 2 Have participant's take the survey: In this stage, the subjects have agreed to be a part of the study. This means that they were provided with the various disclosure documents stating how participation is voluntary and everyone will be treated ethically. Once this takes place, is when the different subjects can answer the questions and mail / email their responses to actuaries. Furthermore, there will be an emphasis on having the individual identify themselves based upon: gender and age demographics. This will ensure that everybody can be completely honest about expressing themselves anonymously.

Step Three Compare the responses with each other: In this stage, actuaries will compare the responses to the survey with each other using comparative analysis. During this process, they will focus on the responses for each category and how they contrast with others. This allows us to establish the basic trends and patterns that are occurring within the field.

Step Four Analysis: