The Rural Recreation Integration Project: reaching out with interactive video technology.

Approximately 640,000 people live within the 70,000 square miles that makes up North Dakota. Living in a rural, sparsely populated state can often mean less specialized resources, especially those that provide inclusive recreation services for people with disabilities. It can also mean that professionals in park districts and other recreation agencies must be committed to and know how to provide inclusive services to all residents within their communities. From this scenario grows the critical role of therapeutic recreation specialists: to advocate for inclusion and educate parks and recreation professionals on how to provide more and better including recreation services for people with disabilities.

In a 1994 North Dakota state-wide needs assessment. parks and recreation professional reported feeling a lack of awareness about the need of people with disabilities, feeling untrained to meet those needs in their programs and feeling a lack of knowledge about inclusion. To meet this need, the Rural Recreation Integration Project began disseminating innovative training and technical assistance. The project, a collaborative effort between the University of North Dakota and the North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department, is partially funded by the U.S. Department of Education/Rehabilitation Services Administration. Its purpose is to provide training and technical assistance from therapeutic recreation specialists to recreation and human service providers across the state. The information is geared toward facilitating the physical and social integration of people with disabilities into recreation/leisure services and settings.

Since North Dakota is a rural state with a low population density and large geographical area, the training method needed to be innovative in order to reach professionals accessible and convenient, we used the North Dakota Interactive Video Network. This technology enabled us to provide training to all corners of the state and involve many diverse participants and guest speakers.

The Interactive Video Network--What Is It and How Does It Work?

Interactive video networks allow for two-way, voice-activated video systems to transmit live, high-quality audio and color video between several sites. An instructor or trainer at the home site is able to see and hear the students in remote sites. Conversely, students in remote sites are able to see and hear the instructor and all other students. The North Dakota Interactive Video Network (ND RVN), administered by the North Dakota University System and the North Dakota Information Services Division, has sites across the state (see Figure 1). In addition to the ND RVN, there are several interactive video networks across North Dakota developed by a local telephone cooperative and used primarily by cooperating school districts.

The ND IVN allows several sites be linked during one transmission. All sites have a camera focused on the students. Two monitors at each site show their own site and another site. The system activates the site where a person is talking, the images are broadcast over fiber-optic cable and all sites see and hear that person. Thus, several sites hundreds of miles apart become, in essence, one large classroom and interaction is possible between any of the students at any time.

Interactive classroom instructors have many tools available to them. The teaching console, usually at the head of the classroom, controls the cameras. The instructor can switch the camera angles, zoom in or out or switch to another camera. The person controlling the console can also control an array of instructional technology, including a visual presenter, computer display, slide transfer unit, and VCR, The visual presenter is like an overhead projector, but has a video camera instead of a projection lens at the top. Instructors can use the device to display and zoom in or out on objects (such as a piece of adaptive equipment), graphics, lecture notes, or other information. The computer can be used to display presentation graphics and is attached to an auxiliary video outlet on the instructor's console. The slide transfer unit displays 35 mm slides much like a regular slide projector, but can zoom in or out on images like a video camera. In addition, a fax machine and copier are available at each site for last-mute handouts or other material. ND IVN provides a site technician in each classroom to help with the use of the technology.

Students in the interactive video classrooms sit at tables that have several very sensitive microphones built into them. When a student speaks, the microphone is automatically activated, the camera focuses on that person so that all other sites can see and hear that student. The instructor or site technician can turn off the microphones at each site at any time with the touch of a button if needed. This is helpful when students are involved in small group exercises during a training, and large group interaction is not necessary. The instructor can leave the microphones on at any one of the remote sites if they would like to participate in the small group discussions at that site.

Using interactive video-networked classrooms is really not much different than using any other learning environment. Good planning and effective teaching techniques are needed to provide a high-quality learning experience. There are, however, some guidelines to keep in mind when using interactive video instruction. Because of the distant sites and the video format, instructors must adapt their teaching strategies to maximize the learning experience for the students and to accommodate any limitations of the system. These guidelines are summarized in Figure 2.

The interactive video network seems to be an ideal way to reach out to remote corners of a geographic area in order to provide training or connect people for idea sharing. But how does it really work in practice? The following case study describes our experience with the Rural Recreation Project in using the North Dakota Interactive Video Network.

A Case Study: Training North Dakota Recreation And Human Service Professionals On Include Recreation

In the past two years, the Rural Recreation Integration Project has provided two series of intensive training opportunities on the ND IVN. In the first year, we provided an in-service series consisting of nine three-hour sessions spread over two and a half months. In the second year, we provided six three-hour sessions over two months. Our training sites were spread out across the state. Professionals from large and small communities, as well as remote state parks, participated. More than 150 professionals have received, training on inclusive recreation, thus far.

The curriculum summarized in Figure 4 focused on disability awareness, physical and programmatic accessibility and how to implement inclusion. Numerous guest speakers (professionals and self advocates with disabilities) were utilized from around the state. Most guest speakers lived in or near a community with an ND IVN site, so travel costs were minimal. During the training, a strong emphasis was placed on forming local networks to maximize resources and expertise in rural areas. Recreation professionals and disability professionals worked together to complete assignments between the training sessions; a two to three mouth period. Assignments ranged from doing accessibility surveys to examining agency brochures and publications for inclusive language, to actually providing inclusive recreation services to people with disabilities.

The use of the ND IVN was monitored and evaluated throughout the training. Participants' attitudes toward people with disabilities and knowledge about inclusion were measured to determine if any change had occurred by the end of the training. During the first and last training session, participants completed the Attitude Toward Disabled Persons (ATDP) Scale and the Integration Knowledge Scale. They also provided quantitative and qualitative feedback on mid- and post-evaluation forms.

The scale scores showed a significant change in participants' attitudes toward people with disabilities and knowledge of inclusion by the end of the training. The greatest increase was shown in improved attitudes toward people with disabilities (see Figure 3). The interactive video network training appeared to be effective. What did the participants think of their learning experience on the ND FVN? Overall, the professionals involved in the, training had a positive view of the IVN as a means of receiving this training opportunity. On a five-point scale, participants gave the training an overall evaluation of 4.1. Figure 5 provides a summary of perceived advantages reported by participants. The two most cited advantages were the convenience of using the FVN and the ability to network across the state. One participant stated, "I was able to attend these sessions, which normally I couldn't have if they would have been in a central location. It is a great tool to enable people from across the state to share ideas."

Effective Continuing Education 

Using the interactive video network was not without its problems. There were some technical difficulties and this learning format is new to many people. Figure 6 summarizes the perceived disadvantages reported by participants using the network.

Is the interactive video network an effective way to provide continuing education and thing? Most participants and the instructors is the Rural Recreation Integration Project would answer this question with a resounding YES! The convenience, the ability to network and share ideas across the state, the "shrinking" of a large, sparsely populated geographical area to "video community" have all been significant benefits.

The benefits seem to far outweigh the uncomfortableness with the technology and the occasional technical difficulties. Perhaps the remoteness of our state has given us impetus to put this technology to good use. Regardless, it is a method for many professionals in our field to educate each other and for therapeutic recreation specialists to share their expertise where it is needed.

Figure 1. North Dakota Interactive Video Network Sites

1. UND-W Williston 2. FBCC New Town 3. DSU Dickinson 4. MISU Minot 5. BSC Bismark 6. State Capitol 7. UTTC Bismark 8. SRC Fort Yales 9. NDSU-B Bollineau 10. TMCC Belcourt 11. UND-LR Devils Lake 12. LHCC Fort Tollen 13. State Hospital Jamestown 14. UND Grand Forks 15. MASU Mayville 16. VCSU Valley City 17. NDSU Fargo 18. NDSCS Wahpelon

Figure 2. Guideline for Teaching on the Interactive Video Network

Prior to the training session or in services:

* Receives training on the use of the interactive video network from your local site.

* Become familiar with the video and instructional technology.

* Prepare "TV friendly" visuals--these must be sized to fit the dimensional of a television screen and be of a color and size that will project well on camera.

* Plan your training to be interactive, not just a lecture.

* Structure student interaction (e.g. case studies, simulating games, discussion questions, cooperative learning groups) to help students overtime their inhibition of "being on TV."

* Have a well-planned curriculum--it must fit exactly into the time slot you have on the network. At the end of your allotted time, the network "freezes," regardless of where you are in completion of your in service or training session.

* Orient quest speakers to the system so they can adequately prepare.

* Mail out manuals, handouts or other learning materials that the students need ahead of time--use the fax and copy machine only as a backup.

* Have a backup plan in case of technical difficulties with the fiber optic lines.

During the training session or in services:

* Travel to and instruct from each site (if the training is for more than one session) to build rapport and make actual contact with as many students as you can.

* At the beginning of your training, have the students at every site introduce themselves--plan enough time for this in your curriculum.

* Use site hosts or facilitators for the remote sites--orient them ahead of time.

* Keep the instruction moving and lively to avoid the "TV zombie syndrome"--use student interaction frequently.

* As instructor, be sure to talk to all sites by looking directly into the camera. Although you wan to avoid talking only to you home site, do not ignore them either by only talking to the camera.

* Obtain permission to video tape your training if you plan to tape the session for other to watch later.

* Relax and be yourself.

Figure 3. Charges in Attitudes and Knowledge After IVN Training.

Pre-Attitude(*) Post-Knowledge(*) Post-Knowledge(*) Scales

Year One 136 6 7(**) Year Two 136 8 9(**)

(*) Higher scores indicate more positive attitudes or greater knowledge (**) Statistically significantly difference using a t-test at the .05 level.

Figure 4. In service Curriculum on Inclusive Recreation.

Session One:

* What is inclusion; disability awareness

Session Two:

* Physical disabilities; physical accessibility; universal design; ADA 

Session Three:

* Mental illness; social integration and programmatic accessibility; the integration process

Session Four:

* Development disabilities; activity and equipment adaptions

Session Five:

* Advocacy; facilitating friendship development

Session Six:

* Administration concerns with inclusion

Session Seven:

* The future of inclusion and people with disabilities

Session Nine:

* Structural for social inclusion; discussion and questions--where do we go from here?

Figure 5. Advantage of Using the Interactive Video Network

* Convenience

* Ability to network with diverse people around the entire state

* Not having to travel

* A large number of people can be reached, though individual sites still feel small

* Time savings

* Diverse and interesting quest speakers from around the state

* Showed the widespread support for inclusion around the state

* Fun to be a part of using the technology; something new

Figure 6. Disadvantages of Using the Interactive Video Network

* Feeling uncomportable and hesitant to talk on the network; "TV shy"

* Technical difficulties

* Some delays in communication

* Hard to stay focused on TV monitors at times

* The time limit was difficult to meet--would often be in a good discussion and the system would freeze because the allotted time was up

Figure 7. Who Can You Contact to Learn About Interactive Video Networks in Your State?

* Higher Education:

-- Universities and colleges

-- Vocational and technical schools

* School districts and education cooperatives

* Local and regional telephone cooperatives

* County extensions offices