Distance Education Clearinghouse

The following tips are provided by Instructional Communications Systems, University of Wisconsin-Extension. ICS has many years experience in working with county based Extension facilities and with university campuses in the design of distance education classrooms and teleconference meeting rooms.

The tips on this page are not meant for use in designing large multi-room distance education complexes that are typically found on university campuses, rather they are for helping the county office with design issues when remodelling or planning a new facility for distance learning using audio and videoconferencing, satellite and computer, or desktop collaboration.

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Telecommunications Wiring Considerations

1. Plan for plenty of telecommunications wiring into the classroom. If your construction or remodeling budget will permit, install more than what you need today, or at least provide conduit and access points to meet future needs.
2. Use conduit of at least 1" inside diameter for wall-to-ceiling runs. Install conduits and wall boxes every 10 feet of wall length, even if you do not pull cables into it now. The conduit will be there for future needs without having to rip the wall open later. Boxes should be at least "quad" in size (equivilent to two light switches wide). Conduit can open to a cable tray above the ceiling. If you can't locate conduit every ten feet, use 1.5 or 2 inch diameter conduit instead of one inch to provide more room for cables.
3. Telephone and data jacks should appear on every wall in your classroom. Locate them so they will be easily accessible with all furniture arrangements planned for the room while minimizing trip hazards. Telephone cables should be CAT 3 and data network cables should be CAT 5.
4. It is desirable for all telecommunications cabling to homerun back to an intermediate or main distribution frame (telco closet).
5. You or your architect may want to include a telecommunications consultant in your design phase of the project. The consultant will be knowledgeble of current wiring standards.
6. Please direct the AV or constrcution consultant to the information contained here on the web for general information on WisLine, WisSat, WisLine Web and videoconferencing. Pending staff availability, ICS may be available to provide information concerning distance education technologies during consultant's design phase. Fees may apply.
7. Meanwhile, if you are interested in learning more, here are some references to telecommunications cable installation and standards:
   1. Guidelines for Telecom Wiring from Wisconsin Department of Electronic Government
   2. How-to guide on cable installation by NetDay, non-technical organization for volunteers who wire local schools
   3. Cabling: Making The Best Of Limited Lifespan, Anixter, Inc.
   4. Technical References from Kray Cabling, Inc.
   5. Cabling Diagrams from Kray Cabling, Inc.

Dial-up, two-way compressed videoconferencing:

1. Discuss the possibilities with ICS, your UWEX-CES Communications Agent, Ingrid Gottfried, and with your telecommunications consultant to determine if you should plan for it in your future classroom. Ingrid and ICS contacts are lited at the end of this page.
2. Videoconferencing allows paticipants at both locations to hear and see each other while on a teleconference. Just as you use a speakerphone to participate in a Wisline meeting, or a computer uses a modem to access a phone line, the videoconference uses a device called a "CODEC" (compression-decompression). Codecs connect to other sites using the Internet (or WiscNet) using the standard known as ITU H.323. Please refer to our H.323 RECOMMENDATIONS for information on classroom design, LAN design, models of codecs supported and our multipoint services.

WisLine dial-up audioconferencing:

1. WisLine is an audioconferencing bridging service ICS operates for the University and State of Wisconsin agencies. It is used for meetings and distance education. Any telephone or speakerphone in the world can connect to WisLine.
2. ICS recommends the use of speakerphones or headsets for meetings that last more than 20 minutes. These will reduce strain on your neck and on your listening threshold.
3. Speakerphones and headsets should have a MUTE button or other means of turning off the microphone while you are in a listening mode. This will prevent conversations in your room, air handling noises, or traffic noises on the street from being heard on the conference call.
4. For your desk, we recommend either a headset or a speakerphone built into your telephone. Phones manufactured in the last couple of years usually have speakerphones of good quality, but remember, these are designed to work on the corner your desk, not in the middle of a conference room table or with a group of people. The microphone picks up voices that are directly in front of the unit. More info.
5. For your classroom, we recommend a speakerphone designed for group conferencing and matches the size of your room. It is very important that the speakerphone has a MUTE feature or other way of turning off the microphones. More info.
   • If you have a videoconference codec (as mentioned in the videoconferencing section of this page) that has an audio-call feature and a phone line connected, it can be used as a speakerphone when not in use on a videoconference. If your codec is permanently assigned to a classroom or conference room, this is an excellent way to reduce equipment clutter. The codec's control panel and microphones will function in a full-duplex mode like the units above.

WisLine Web:

1. Webconferencing provides the ability to share your PC's window or files with other peoples' computers using a web browser, such as Internet Explorer or Netscape. PowerPoint slides can be displayed at several sites at the same time while a presenter lectures over an audio or video conference. You may want to consider including a computer with an Internet (or WiscNet) connection in your room. A large room will need a video projector as well.

Satellite, Cable and Television Viewing:

Each UWEX county office has a downlink dish as a member of the UWEX-CES' WisSat satellite network. Your telecommunications consultant and ICS can help you plan for the moving and reinstallation of your satellite system.

1. Your telecommunications consultant can design for the correct type of cable and any amplification that might be needed. He can also design the system for distribution of both WisSat, cable TV or other local TV sources.
2. You can contact Kevin Winter at ICS, he is the WisSat repair technician. Kevin will work with you and your consultant to assure your satellite system will operate properly in the new room or building. The satellite receiver, VCR and black and white TV should be reinstalled in a secured area in or near the Extension office to provide easy access to the VCR for recording a program. Proper planning is required so the satellite receiver and cables to the dish are installed properly. He can also help you find someone to move the dish or work with your construction company to move it. Kevin's phone and email are listed at the end of this page.
3. TV jacks should appear wherever a wall mounted or rollabout TV might be used. Also locate AC outlets near the coax jacks to provide power the TV set. If a TV is to be wall mounted, jacks and outlets should be mounted higher on the wall, so that they are located behind the TV.
4. It is desirable for all telecommunications cabling to home-run back to an intermediate or main distribution frame (telco closet). The same is true for coax, where the satellite receiver and other television signals can be feed into the distribution cables.
5. Consider including a cable outlet and TV in the Extension office for monitoring satellite programs.
6. Provision should also be made to use a VCR in the room to record and playback a VHS videotape.

Computer Local Area Network (LAN):

1. May people now carry laptop computers with them to meetings and class, either as a presenter with slides to show or as a learner to take notes. In your classroom, include access jacks to your LAN and a phone line for modem connections. Staff working in the room or displaying PowerPoint slides from your server will need access.
2. The use of desktop videoconferencing and document or application sharing as a business tool is expected to grow over the next few years. You and your telecommunications consultant need to consider the impact of this on your LAN design.
3. We suggest you use Catagory 5 wiring and USOC RJ-45 jacks for computer networks and ISDN lines. This standard will provide you with the ability to upgrade your LAN to higher speeds, such as 100-BaseT.
4. For assistance with planning your LAN and computer needs related to Cooperative Extension programs and goals, refer to Wisplan. Contact ICS for more information on desktop videoconferencing, audiographics, application sharing, etc.

Other Audio/Visual Tips:

1. Consider a video projector for larger rooms. A ceiling mounted projector prevents unwanted tampering, but should be mounted on a movable or motorized sissors mount for lowering during maintenance. A portable LCD projector works fine for medium sized groups (up to 25), and can be rolled from room to room.
2. When selecting LCD panels, video projectors and TV monitors, consider "multiscan" units if budget will allow. Multiscan projectors and monitors can display satellite and TV programs and computer (VGA, SVGA, Macintosh) images.
3. Relationship of the projector screens and TVs to the lighting is also important. Light should not cause glare, reflections on TV screens or washout images on projection screens.
4. Whiteboards should also have no more than 50% reflectance so as to not cause glare to the cameras or participants. A light grey, beige or cream color would be preferred over stark white.
5. Ambiant noise level measured in any of the eight octave bands from 20 Hz to 10,000 Hz shall not exceed NC-30 when the unoccupied room is in normal operation with all ventilation systems and machinery running, including those in adjacent spaces.
6. Sound transfer coefficient (STC) shall be greater than or equal to STC 47.
7. Reverberation RT-60 shall be less than or equal to 500 milliseconds.
8. Do not locate your classroom next to noise generating equipment and spaces such as mechanical rooms, toilets, elevators, etc. However, public facilities, such as rest rooms and vending should be conviniently located.
9. Telephone, or pay phone, should be accessible, day and evening, for reporting difficulties during teleconferences to our HelpLine at 800-442-4614.
10. Staff offices usually do not need as much wiring and other treatments as a classroom, but will need to have at least two voice and data jacks in each single occupant office to allow flexibility in furniture placement.
11. If you will not be able to provide teleconference rooms during a remodeling project or a move to a new building, please contact Milly Jones so she can post your closed dates with the UWEX Registration Office.

Cooperative Extension Communications Agent

ICS Contacts

Distance Education Clearinghouse home page.

University of Wisconsin-Extension home page.

Please address questions, comments and concerns regarding this web site to webmanager@ics.uwex.edu

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