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<div>Eric & Gretchen,</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I teach a graduate level course "Introduction to Music Cognition"</div>
<div>online. The course combines video lectures, readings, extensive</div>
<div>course notes, study guides (for the videos), and twice-weekly</div>
<div>telepresence seminar discussions.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>The course material is derived from an existing course I've taught</div>
<div>for years. However, I had to redesign much of the content in order</div>
<div>to make it more online friendly.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Although the course is delivered entirely online, it remains</div>
<div>coordinated with the beginning of the semester. This is necessary,</div>
<div>otherwise we wouldn't be able to include seminar discussions.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Here are a few lessons I've learned from the experience:</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>1. I've found no common system (Skype, FaceTime, etc.) that is</div>
<div>reliable. There are always dropped lines and interruptions.</div>
<div>For this reason, one shouldn't attempt to give lectures in real-time.</div>
<div>I use these connections solely for seminar discussions where</div>
<div>interruptions are more tolerable. Virtually all universities have</div>
<div>a professional telepresence system. These are wonderful; they're</div>
<div>reliable and high quality, but they are too expensive to use for</div>
<div>weekly classes. Cisco had a nice semi-professional system (more</div>
<div>reasonably priced at circa $10k), but they pulled it from the</div>
<div>market. For now, lectures will have to be recorded rather than</div>
<div>live. Perhaps that will change in 2 or 3 years.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>2. When dealing with a group of people meeting in a room it is</div>
<div>essential to have good sound. A professional friend recommended the</div>
<div>ClearOne 160 Speakerphone. It is inexpensive, and is widely viewed</div>
<div>as the best speakerphone on the market.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>3. Try to avoid long recorded lectures. The YouTube generation is</div>
<div>used to 10-12 minute segments. Also, depending on the connectivity,</div>
<div>long videos are more likely to suffer streaming interruptions.</div>
<div>It is also harder for students to locate specific lecture materials</div>
<div>with long videos. In addition, it's easier to update content with</div>
<div>short videos.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>4. I've learned that one should always provide a study guide for</div>
<div>each video. This structures the viewing so students pay attention</div>
<div>to the content and don't simply lapse into "TV-watching mode."</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>5. Spend the money for a teleprompter. I use a relatively</div>
<div>inexpensive ($400) teleprompter that works with an iPad. This</div>
<div>allows me to see my lecture notes while looking directly into the</div>
<div>camera. Most viewers are unaware that you are reading. It makes</div>
<div>for a much more professional effect. I use an "Airturn" foot pedal</div>
<div>that allows me to control the teleprompter speed hands-free. We</div>
<div>got a local metal shop to fashion a device so that the camera and</div>
<div>teleprompter can sit atop a normal camera stand. The result is a</div>
<div>one-person operation: the instructor can run the camera, adjust the</div>
<div>teleprompter, and sequence the Powerpoints slides while lecturing.</div>
<div>It takes some skill, but it becomes smooth with experience.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>It's an advantage to have an entirely battery-operated system,</div>
<div>since one can record lectures anywhere -- such as in concert halls</div>
<div>or out-of-doors. My only regret is that we don't have a video camera</div>
<div>with a remote control, so the instructor can stop and start the</div>
<div>camera without having to walk behind the camera. Also, it's useful</div>
<div>to get a camera with either a large viewfinder that can be rotated</div>
<div>(so you can see yourself while recording), or with a connector that</div>
<div>allows a separate monitor. (You need to see yourself in order to</div>
<div>recognize when you are out of the frame, etc.)</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>6. Write a script for the initial minute and final closing of each</div>
<div>lecture. Then use point-form lecture notes to extemporize a normal</div>
<div>lecture. By scripting the beginning and ending, the whole lecture</div>
<div>looks more professional. You can get away with all the "ums" and</div>
<div>"ahs" in the middle.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>7. Anna Gawboy and I both use Camtasia for editing. It allows the</div>
<div>instructor to interleave and combine Powerpoint and talking-face</div>
<div>video, as well as add captions, titles, etc.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I have no data to suggest that the online course is better or worse</div>
<div>than the "live" version. The materials are more organized in the</div>
<div>online version, but the face-to-face version is more enjoyable.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Incidentally, if anyone is interested, the next offering of my</div>
<div>online graduate course "Introduction to Music Cognition" begins this</div>
<div>January. Individuals are welcome. If any institution is interested</div>
<div>in a possible future subscription, I'm sure that my school's Director would</div>
<div>be interested in chatting.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>David Huron</div>
<div>Arts and Humanities Distinguished Professor</div>
<div>School of Music & Center for Cognitive Science</div>
<div>Ohio State University</div>
<div><br>
</div>
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<div id="divRpF269414" style="direction: ltr; "><font face="Tahoma" size="2" color="#000000"><b>From:</b> smt-talk-bounces@lists.societymusictheory.org [smt-talk-bounces@lists.societymusictheory.org] on behalf of Isaacson, Eric J [isaacso@indiana.edu]<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Thursday, November 29, 2012 9:00 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> smt-talk<br>
<b>Subject:</b> [Smt-talk] Online music courses?<br>
</font><br>
</div>
<div></div>
<div>
<div>Dear Colleagues,</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>We would be interested in hearing about the experiences you or your institutional colleagues have had with online teaching in music. Our interest is not limited to music theory, but could encompass music history, music education, other academic areas,
as well as performance studies. We are NOT interested in speculative critiques of the idea of online education (we are perfectly capable of conjuring these ourselves!), but rather in real-world stories from the trenches. Responses might address:</div>
<ul>
<li>What subject was taught? </li><li>Who was the target population?</li><li>Was it an online adaptation of an existing course or designed for online delivery?</li><li>Was the course wholly online or blended? </li><li>What technolog(ies) were involved?</li><li>Is there any statistical or anecdotal information about the course's effectiveness, efficiency, etc., from the perspective of the students? The instructor?</li></ul>
<div>Best wishes,</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><span style="font-family:Optima; font-size:medium">Eric J. Isaacson</span><br style="font-family:Optima; font-size:medium">
<span style="font-family:Optima; font-size:medium"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"></span>Director of Graduate Studies, </span><span style="font-family:Optima; font-size:medium">Assoc. Professor of Music Theory</span></div>
<div>Gretchen Horlacher</div>
<div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"></span>Assistant to the Dean for Research and Administration, Assoc. Professor of Music Theory</div>
<div><span style="font-family:Optima; font-size:medium">Indiana University Jacobs School of Music</span></div>
<div><br>
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