IN THE CLASSROOM ■ RICK HESSE, Feature Editor, Graziadia Graduate School of Business, Pepperdine University
SMIL and Videostreaming for Teaching Business Telecommunications and e-Commerce J. P. Shim, Department of Management and Information Systems, Mississippi State University & Faculty of Business Administration, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
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J. P. Shim is a professor of information systems at Mississippi State University and a visiting scholar at the Chinese University of Hong Kong for the 2000/2001 academic year. He has co-authored four textbooks and published over 40 articles and presented 80 papers. He has received numerous grants from Microsoft Corp, Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning, and NSF. Dr. Shim worked as a consultant for Booz-Allen and taught at Georgia State University and New York University while on sabbatical. He is a seven-time recipient of the Outstanding Faculty Award and the John Grisham Faculty Excellence Award at MSU.
[email protected]
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he primary purpose of this note is the user’s PC and viewed later. Streaming to present the results of using the video effectively brings audio and video SMIL and videostreaming technol- together into one affordable technology ogy as an instructional tool in the domain (Callahan, Shim, & Oakley, 2000). Due to of business telecommunications and e- its affordability, companies are using this commerce, and how it can be useful in technology to make their websites more teaching this subject. Videostreaming tech- interactive and, consequently, more appealnology provides a constant stream of ing. Creating a streaming video can be done video that is displayed in a window on the with a digital video camcorder, a PC, and user’s desktop. software such as Real Producer. The softSynchronized multimedia integration ware captures the video from the source language (SMIL) has been recommended by via Firewire (IEEE 1394), encodes the video the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to in streaming format and saves the file with allow integration of a set of independent the resolution and bit rate (e.g., 12000) multimedia objects into a synchronized specified. There are several compression multimedia presentation. It includes stream- techniques being used in videostreaming ing audio, streaming video, images, and text. today. Two of the most widely known are The language is similar to that of HTML. RealNetworks’ RealSystem G2 and WinThe Real Networks made beta SMIL imple- dows Media. Once the media is ready for mentation (G2) available in July 1998. In the use, it can be uploaded to a media server Real Player, SMIL is tailored to Real Audio, such as RealServer or Microsoft Media Real Video, Real Pix (graphics), Real Text, Server. and Real Flash. These media types are integrated through SMIL and are streamed for playback in the Encoding process Real Player. SMIL allows a person to put additional graphics on the screen with the video. Using traditional video, a person can only view the video. SMIL file allows the placement of different images and PowerPoint file on different portions of the screen. This allows the user to view both the video and the PowerPoint presentation at the same time. This differs from the traditional FTP method in that Video Capture Sound Card the video is viewed as it is sent Card rather than being downloaded to
Decision Line, July 2000
Videostreaming and SMIL for Business Telecommunications and E-commerce Technological developments have improved the delivery of information and interaction between the learner and the learning process. Several studies (Belton, 1994; Callahan, Shim, & Oakley, 2000; Rubin, 1993) indicate that the greater the interactive component in the learning process, the more material the student retains. Traditional lectures have proven to be one of the least effective methods of teaching.
E-commerce: the Magnitude IEEE Communications Magazine (Sep ‘99) Forrester Research estimates • Worldwide E-commerce market will grow to $3.2 million (by 2003) • R2C (in the USA) $18 billion (in 1999) to $108 billion in 2003 • B2B (in the USA) $170 billion (in 1999) to $1.3 trillion in 2003.
❖ Telecomm Act of 1996
Integrating computing technologies with the educational process provides students an exciting environment in which to learn. Traditionally, when teaching the subject of business telecommunication and ecommerce, the instructor has either followed textbook guidelines concerning the introduction of the business telecommunications along with its theory and applications, or developed his or her own guidelines. The author felt the need to give the business telecommunications students greater flexibility through SMIL and videostreaming technology-aided instruction. SMIL files allow students to view both the videostreaming and the animated PowerPoint slides with certain time intervals at the same time. This method combines traditional lecture, SMIL and videostreaming-aided instruction, and other instructional materials (e.g., case study, independent projects). Table 1 shows a list of real media (videostreaming) files and SMIL files for business telecommunications, that is, data communications/network, voice telecommunications, video
❖ Telecomm Industry Infrastructure
◆ Data Comm/Network
◆ Voice Telecomm
◆ Video Telecomm
• Intro to Data Comm • Groupware, e-commerce • TCP/IP Model • Physical Layer • Data Link Layer • Network Layer • LANs • High Speed LANs, BN • WAN, MAN • Network Design • Network Management • Network Security
• Voice Application • Voice Systems • Convergence • Voice over IP
• Videostreaming • Video Conferencing
Several telecom tapes (captured & encoded)
Internet 2 (captured & encoded)
Videostreaming-aided Telecomm Term Project http://real.msstate.edu:8080/ramgen/dept/bis/8513_project1.rm
Table 1: A list of SMIL and videostreaming files.
Decision Line, July 2000
telecommunications, and several telecommunications files (captured and encoded).
Experience The experiment was conducted during the 1999-2000 spring semester in the graduate course “Business Telecommunications.” To determine how well the SMIL and videostreaming aided instruction was received by the students as an instructional tool, the author developed a questionnaire [on a scale of 5 (strongly agree) to 1 (strongly disagree)] and gave it to graduate students (n = 26) in an experimental group who had completed the course during the 2000 spring semester. The author asked the students if they thought the technology-aided instruction served their needs and increased their understanding of the subject. The survey showed positive and favorable responses (between 4.42 to 4.69) on the SMIL and videostreaming-aided instruction. The most favorable reactions to the technology in the near future were very positive (4.61). However, the students did not believe that the SMIL and videostreaming technology should replace class lecture (2.11). Figure 1 shows effects of the SMIL and videostreaming technology, while Table 2 lists advantages and disadvantages of SMIL and videostreaming technology perceived by students.
Conclusion Over the last several decades numerous studies have shown the instructional benefits of the computer-aided visual interactive and multimedia-aided instruction approach (Shim, 1988). In previous years the author also observed that the SMIL and videostreamlining approach made teaching information systems courses more stimulating and productive for both students and instructors—business telecommunications and e-commerce or any other business courses are no exception. By utilizing videostreaming and SMIL, the instructors are able to familiarize their students with use of the Internet while presenting concepts and theories of business telecommunications and e-commerce.
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However, the author believes that SMIL and videostreaming technology should not be used to replace basic classroom teaching of fundamental principles. Rather, it should supplement class materials, so that concepts, theories and its applications are better understood by students.
References Belton, V. (1994). Decision support systems: Learning from visual interactive modeling. Decision Support Systems, 12(4/5), 355-364. Callahan, E. R., Shim, J. P., & Oakley, G. W. (2000). Learning, information, and performance support (LIPS): A multimediaaided approach. Interfaces 30(2), 29-40.
Disadvantages 1. No interaction with speaker (can’t ask questions)
Advantages 1. Allows playback of lesson anytime
2. Lag
2. The notes will be on the Web more convenient
3. Can’t print slides out
3. Able to view outside of class
4. Server not completely reliable (may go down at times)
4. Can watch if missed class
5. Some may not have computer (connections) capable of real/video
6. Access to new technology
5. Concise, timely, and interesting
7. Supplements difficult material
6. No classmates/groups 7. Poor quality (sometimes) because of slow connection
Table 2: Advantages and disadvantages of SMIL and videostreaming technology.
Rubin, A. (1993). Video laboratories: Tools for scientific investigation. Communications of the ACM, 36(5), 64-65. Senna, J. (2000). Streaming media for the enterprise. InfoWorld, February (14), 6366. Shim, J. P. (1988). The visual interactive computer-aided approach to teaching zerosum/nonzero-sum games. Social Science Computer Review, 6(3), 392-397. ■
Rick Hesse Graziadia Graduate School of Business Pepperdine University Malibu, CA 90265 email:
[email protected]
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Figure 1: Effects of the SMIL and videostreaming.
Decision Line, July 2000
