Faculty Success Story – Synchronous Distance Learning  
Associate Professor Co Nguyen 

 

Overview 

This faculty success story features a student string quartet (a musical group of four string players). This particular string quartet's desire to have a long-distance coaching section with a teacher living in Vienna, Austria was facilitated by Associate Professor Co NguyenDirector of Orchestral Studies within the Department of Music. It's emphasis uses live streaming, allowing students  to communicate, rehearse, and receive in time feedback. Using Skype, students are given the ability to collaborate with Sebastian Gürtler, first violinist of the respected Hugo Wolf Quartet, based in Vienna, Austria. Sebastian Gürtler in real time offers a critique evaluation which then provides an opportunity for guided practice as well as a different perspective on the musical piece. Future plans include a similar section, held in the School of Music classroom. Multiple remote sessions in Fall 2016 were conducted using the Fletcher Jones Computer Lab #112.   

 

Purpose 

Provide synchronous learning via web conferencing tools enabling students to receive real time critiques from a professor located in Austria.  

  

Implementation  

Semester Fall 2016 

 

Student Benefits 

  • Real time Collaboration  
  • Lesson Flexibility - International 
  • Critique's and assessed in real time 
  • Increase student engagement and accessibility
  • Catalyze Institutional Change

Technology 

  • Skype & Adobe Connect  
  • Fletcher Jones Computer Lab

Skills Utilized 

  • Higher order thinking skills 
  • Synchronous Communication 
  • Technology Integration 

Target Skills 

  • Synthesis  
  • Student Responsibility
  • Learning Ownership 

 

Instructors Perspective, Co Nguyen  

"Technology has given our students many opportunities to learn with famous musicians living abroad. The fact that the location distance between teachers and students are no longer a limit is astonishing. Reserving the room in a Fletcher Jones was easy and the IT staff was very helpful. The image and sound quality were very good. If you would like your students to learn from or collaborate with artists, researchers, writers, scientists, etc...who would not be able to come to Redlands, web conferencing tools are your solution. "