Wizards of OZ - Change in learning and teaching

OZ is a distance learning environment for lectures, seminaries, and exercises in computer science at Humboldt-University, where “OZ” means distributed in space (ortsverteilt) and independent of time (zeitversetzt). The focus is on computer-“exercises”, which has certain implications on the technical setup: the back channel is very important and the teacher’s presentation as well as the student’s computer screens is visible on both places. Different modes of use are possible. Two rooms at different campuses of the university are connected by the universities internal high-bandwidth, but non-reserved, TCP/IP-connection. Each one is equipped with two data projectors, where one is used as white board mirroring the teacher’s or a student’s computer screen, while the other shows the teacher and the opposite room inhabitants. Each room has its own control computer that is also used for video or audio streaming. By the use of wireless connected laptops a comfortable degree of freedom for teachers and students is achieved. Despite this, we use low-cost hardware and standard software wherever possible. The audio-taped lectures are combined with the screen materials, mostly PowerPoint slides enhanced with QuickTime media, so that lectures as well as other stored materials are accessible via Internet. After more than two years of thorough experiments the installation has reached now a state where it is relatively stable, so that it is transferred now for regular use in our teaching activities. 0. Introduction University teaching has always been an activity reflecting two quite contrary challenges, namely the motivated acquisition of knowledge and skills versus a proof a professional abilities documented by examinations and degrees. This strange mixture of demands was met over centuries by canonical forms of teaching and learning: lectures, exercises, seminaries and practical training, followed or accompanied by examinations. While societies were under a strict pressure of technological change during more than two centuries, the teaching environment was kept stable to an 1 To appear in in: Proc. Conference EUNIS 2000, Berlin