Upping the Quality for Online Dissertation Students with Web Conferencing

When I mention that I am an online doctoral dissertation chair, I am often asked, "Do you ever meet with your doctoral dissertation students?" My answer used to be, "No, never face-to-face," but I am increasingly answering "Yes." Faster and more capable computers, portable communications devices, and communication networks are making it increasingly easy and inexpensive to use web conferencing for fully interactive, face-to-face discussions online with individual doctoral dissertation students, as well as with their dissertation committee members.

The typical dissertation process involves completing a topic concept paper, research proposal (chapters 1, 2, and 3), Institutional Review Board application, implementation of the research study, analysis and write-up of results and conclusions (chapters 4, 5, and 6), and oral defense of dissertation. In this process, most online students are at a disadvantage because they lack face-to-face contact with their dissertation chair or committee members to discuss their work and receive detailed feedback. However, when doctoral programs offer web conferencing for dissertation students, this isn't the case. Web conferencing can enrich many areas in the dissertation process, including formulating research questions and hypotheses, determining data collection procedures, and conducting the oral defense with the entire committee. Can these areas be covered in an asynchronous manner using online class posts and e-mails? Yes, clearly they can — but not nearly as thoroughly as they can through face-to-face contact, which permits an interactive dialogue that can streamline the process and enhance communications.

Web conferencing also offers much more comprehensive help in clarifying and fine-tuning a dissertation project's many intricate scholarly research issues. For the dissertation oral defense, seeing and interacting with the entire dissertation committee in a virtual meeting room with the student controlling his or her presentation slides also allows for a much more productive and comprehensive encounter. Web conferencing lets participants see each other's facial expressions, which can indicate comprehension (or lack thereof); participants can also gesture to emphasize points. Further, because it requires only an Internet connection, web conferencing can occur anytime and anywhere, offering greater flexibility than traditional office hours. It thus can be easier to schedule meetings and offer more opportunities to meet during crucial research periods.

Former dissertation student Tom Adams, who earned a doctorate in education, describes his experience of using web conferencing:

"In preparation for the oral presentation phase of the dissertation, I reviewed comments from previous graduates. The general discussion centered on the availability, not the efficacy, of teleconferencing. The ability to consult one's notes to frame a brilliant response to a committee member's questions, complete with appropriate citations, might prove advantageous to some. From my experiences, a distinct advantage to web conferencing was the ability to use visual cues — an important component of communication. Web conferencing might be free or inexpensive (under $30), and to an online learner, provider sites are user friendly, combining HD video, presentation, and file sharing.

"The significance of the oral presentation and the compressed time allotment necessitated clear, concise communications. Body language, facial expressions, and gestures provided quick clues whether a response to a committee member's question was direct on-topic, going astray, or long-winded. Instead of an inquisition, with disembodied voices posing questions, I felt the oral presentation became a discussion. Being able to receive immediate feedback had a calming effect, making the final step enjoyable and a pleasure to finally ‘meet' the persons who provided an invaluable service."

Online Education: Fast Becoming the Norm

In 2010, 6.1 million university students were enrolled in online courses.¹ In addition to offering associate and bachelor's degrees, online institutions increasingly award full degrees at higher levels. This is true not just of well-known online institutions, such as University of Phoenix and Ashford University, but also of more traditional institutions. For example, University of California, Berkeley is offering a master's degree in public health with 85 percent of the coursework completed online.² Online doctoral programs are also increasingly common; although most have on-campus residency requirements to complete concentrated, research-focused group course work, the majority of the work takes place online.³

Graduate-level study encompasses considerable research, often involving committees and advisors who help students design and execute their scholarly research work. Historically, this interactive dialogue has occurred in person, with the opportunity for full explanations and examples. This face-to-face interaction among online doctoral dissertation students, dissertation chairs, and dissertation committee members can continue using web conferencing.

Web Conferencing and the Dissertation Process

Web conferencing is a broad term that describes live, online, face-to-face, interactive discussion, including web meetings, multicasting, webcasting, webinars, virtual meetings, digital meetings, video chats, video calls, and voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). All of these different terms can get confusing; for the purpose of this article, I use "web conferencing" to mean the use of the Internet for live one-on-one or small-group video, voice, and document presentation online through basic computer systems, such as laptops, tablets, and smart phones. Web conferencing lets dissertation chairs (sometimes called dissertation mentors, advisors, or supervisors), dissertation committee members, and dissertation students see, speak, hear, and view documents instantaneously. This is analogous to a dissertation chair or committee members sitting down with the dissertation student in the same room to discuss and critique the student's dissertation work.

Most universities require a dissertation chair and committee members for doctoral dissertation students. The relationship between these advisors and the doctoral student is a close working relationship that often lasts for several years. It involves a great deal of focused communications and team work, as well as coaching by the chair, to achieve the ultimate goal: a high-quality research study. As John Garger notes,⁴ a dissertation chair serves as an advocate, manager, leader, and judge for the mentee. This is true for both online and on-ground doctoral dissertation students.

In this video (3:22 minutes) I describe my role as a dissertation chair and using web conferencing to advise doctoral students.

Web Conferencing System Requirements

Depending on your institution's existing resources, web conferencing can involve purchasing hardware and network upgrades and web conferencing software and services, as well as installation, setup, and practice time for users.

Hardware and Infrastructure

For web conferencing computer hardware, the stronger and more capable the better. This generally means a higher-end central processing unit, plenty of random access memory, very capable video graphics, a larger than normal display, and a decent amount of hard-drive storage, as well as audio (microphone) and video (camera) capabilities. Also, using headphones with an attached microphone is a good option for privacy.

The bottom line for hardware — whether you're using a Windows or Mac-based system — is to get good throughput speed to avoid voice or video delays during discussions. A good all-around hardware platform supports full voice and video synchronization. If you are buying new equipment, ask computer sellers if their computer systems are capable of handling flawless web conferencing.

As for Internet connectivity, high-speed broadband is essential, which typically means using a local cable provider, home satellite system, or landline telephone Digital Subscriber Line. As with a strong hardware platform, broadband speeds will help prevent delays that can cause intermittent freezing and blinking of the streaming picture. Wireless or Ethernet cable connections are fine. Most hotel and public Internet connections are broadband, so web conferencing from those locations should work.

Web conferencing is also an option for smartphone, tablet, and mini-tablets users. Here again, having the most capable hardware as possible is essential, as is having a microphone and camera. Because technical specifications are not as prevalent when accessing smartphones and other highly portable devices, it is always good to ask the salesperson and to check online regarding the capabilities of devices you are considering. For unbiased online reviews, CNET is a well-established and respected resource for both electronic devices and software.

As with standard computing, strong Internet capabilities are essential for web conferencing, which for most portable devices means wireless broadband. For mobile devices such as smartphones, 4G network capabilities are a must. Bluetooth capabilities are a plus because they permit better connectivity with other devices.

Finally, a variety of smarter and more-capable Internet communication devices and capabilities are quickly surfacing, including e-book readers and those included in newer televisions and cars. It is a good idea to keep these devices in mind when selecting web conferencing hardware.

Software Requirements

New and upgraded software applications are a way of life for all computer users. Most applications are not only compatible with major computer hardware, operating systems, and browser software, but typically install and configure themselves. Learning how to use them, however, can take a little trial and error.

There are several web conferencing applications to select from; based on Internet reviews and discussions with educational colleagues, the leading products seem to be Cisco WebEx, Citrix GoToMeeting, Adobe Connect, MegaMeeting, Nefsis, iLinc, Blackboard Collaborate, Saba Meeting, and Microsoft Live Meeting. All of these applications have strong capabilities for dissertation work, including interactive voice, video, and document sharing for presentations and discussions (see table 1). It's also helpful to have whiteboarding, public and private chat, file transfer, and the ability to record discussions. Strong security and privacy are important, which means user authentication (for signing in) and at least 128-bit encryption. Toll-free dial-in is a must, but because most apps don't have toll-free dial-in, most web conferencing software uses VoIP, which is definitely best for international sessions.

Table 1. Popular Web conferencing applications and features*

	Voice/Video	Document Sharing	White-boarding	Public/ Private Chat	File Transfer	Record-able
WebEx	X	X	X	X	X	X
GoToMeeting	X	X	X	X	X	X
Adobe Connect	X	X	X	X	X	X
MegaMeeting	X	X	X	X	X	X
Nefsis	X	X	X	X	X	X
iLinc	X	X	X	X	X	X
Blackboard Collaborate	X	X	X	X	X	X
Saba Meeting	X	X	X	X	X	X
Live Meeting	X	X	X	X	X	X

*Always check web conferencing software websites for new, enhanced, and changed features.

This might be obvious, but to use web conferencing, all users must have the same conferencing software — and ideally, the same version — installed and configured correctly on their computing devices. During initial set-up and configuration, it’s typically easy to determine the host and client categories because the communication relationship is technically peer-to-peer. However, when establishing a web conferencing session, you have to make minor customizations, such as indicating who will be the leader and manage the session.

Whatever software product you choose for web conferencing, it is important to have easily accessible support through a 24/7 toll-free telephone helpline, tech and user blogs, website FAQs, and built-in tutorials. Of course, Facebook, Twitter, and Google search engines are all good resources for troubleshooting problems. Hopefully, any product you select will have an intuitive interface and be easy to set up and use. Typically, however, there’s a slight learning curve.

Taking advantage of free, limited-time trials is always a good idea with software products. Most software companies offer some sort of trial period use for a few users. Licensing agreements, which must be paid for, can limit the number of users per session, so check this thoroughly. For a dissertation orals presentation, four users would typically be the maximum. If the dissertation student’s orals are open, however, you might have to accommodate many more guests. Most established web conferencing software providers charge by the month and offer specials if you sign up for a certain period of time. Of course, you should check with your educational institution administrators regarding what they like and use; they might already have a license for a certain product.

Finally, there are also software options with more limited capabilities for face-to-face voice and video calling, including Skype, ooVoo, Google Video Chat, and FaceTime. Many of these are free and might work fine, but do test them thoroughly before using them to make sure they have all the capabilities you desire.

Conclusions

Technology is a moving target. No sooner do you get comfortable with a new device or software program than a newer, faster, more capable, and better-looking product is released. The good news is that the newer product is typically easier to use and offers better features that can increase productivity. The bad news is that it means getting used to and learning new products, and usually entails a slight cost factor to stay up to date. Hopefully, your institution can pay for additional and ongoing software upgrades and any necessary training. Out-of-pocket expenses are often required, however — especially for part-time and adjunct faculty — but such expenses might qualify for a small business or required professional-enhancement tax deduction.
There are many benefits to implementing web conferencing for dissertation chairs and their students, related mostly to effectiveness and efficiency in the learning process. Although it is not easy to measure the motivational impact of having face-to-face interaction with dissertation students, it seems likely that web conferencing’s personal touch would increase students’ desire to do the best possible work, as well as help them better stick to a timeline for completion.
With the growth of online programs for advanced degrees and continued improvement in web conferencing technologies, it seems likely that doctoral dissertation chairs including me will rarely face the question of whether we meet with our students face-to-face. Of course we do, whenever appropriate and helpful for our doctoral students.
The expression win-win is a good way to concisely define web conferencing with online doctoral dissertation students. By using face-to-face interactive communications, students can easily present and discuss problems they might be having with their dissertation projects, and dissertation chairs and committee members can easily help students clarify these problems and find accurate and creative solutions. The overriding advantage to web conferencing is that it helps assure that a student’s final product will be valuable scholarly research.

Notes

1. National Center for Education, Online University Statistics, Statistics Brain, May 4, 2012.
2. Jess Wisloski, “Online Master’s Degree Program at UC Berkeley School of Public Health Is a University First,” [http://www.geteducated.com/online-education-facts-and-statistics/latest-online-learning-news-and-research/465-new-online-degree-program-at-uc-berkeley-school-of-public-health-is-a-university-first] The Consumer’s Guide to Online Colleges, Get Educated.com, Dec. 16, 2011.
3. Regent University School of Education, Doctoral Residency, Residency Information, May 25, 2013.
4. John Garger, “The Role of the Dissertation Chair,” January 8, 2011.

© 2013 Gerald W. Olivas. The text of this EDUCAUSE Review Online article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No derivative works 3.0 license.