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Telepresence in the classroom can be purely passive, where the instructor lectures to a remote location without the possibility on interaction or feedback. Such would be like watching a real time television show or listening to radio. It’s live, but unlike students in a classroom, or even spectators as a sporting event, communication is only one way. The audience can experience what is on the other side of the connection, can adjust the volume or image, bit cannot change reality at the source of this one-way communication.

An intermediate level is where students can type questions for the instructor in a chat window. However, a two way connection between the instructor and remote participants, or an instructor and a remote classroom, allows for real time, active telepresence in both directions. Instructors can interact with students in real time, nearly as well as being there. Software and web platforms such as Zoom, Webex, Google Meet and Team Viewer provide for multidirectional active telepresence.

Special classrooms set up with multiple, large monitors can increase the feeling of being at the other side of the communication.

Some classrooms attempt to go further and display a remote instructor via three-dimensional holographic projection. Such devices can be challenging to maintain and are not widely used. Daniel Bron describes holographic telepresence technology as “cutting-edge innovation that enables life-like, three-dimensional (3D) representations of people or objects to be projected in remote locations, facilitating real-time communication and interaction.”

Source

Daniel Bron (2023), “Communication and Collaboration in the Digital Age“, Medium,
Apr 23, 2023. Last viewed on 15 September 2024.

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