NITLE > Information Services > Multipoint Interactive Videoconferencing Services

Multipoint Interactive Videoconferencing Services

Institutions enrolled in our Multipoint Interactive Videoconferencing (MIV) Services are enabling their faculty and staff members to see, talk to, and work with colleagues and students--both on and off campus--in a web-based environment that includes audio, video, a shared whiteboard, group and private chat, and application-sharing. Our MIV Services offer "seats" in a virtual room--or multiple rooms--reserved for the enrolled institution's use. From their personal desktop or laptop computers, individuals can access MIV to connect with one another across distance to communicate, interact, and collaborate. See details and pricing for available services: Enhanced MIV Service, MIV Auditorium Access.

How can my campus use MIV?

MIV allows individuals to use their time efficiently and their travel dollars judiciously; it's a less resource-intensive way of reaching out across distance to share and work with colleagues and to develop and sustain relationships with distant peers and partners. Campuses have used MIV in a variety of ways:

• Conducting real-time discussions and lectures between campuses and otherwise supporting inter-campus teaching
• Hosting cross-training sessions for instructional technologists or others between campuses
• Connecting to students "in the field," such as students involved in teaching and students studying abroad
• Interacting and communicating with off-campus individuals, such as project partners, alumni, prospective students, and others
  

Importantly, MIV's minimal technical requirements make it easy to deploy widely.  For a successful MIV experience, users need only:

• a computer manufactured in or after 2005;
• a high-speed Internet connection;
• a web video camera;
  
• an echo-free audio system. (For hands-free use and quality sound, we recommend a USB head set.)

What about security and reliability?

Security and reliability are critical concerns when MIV is used in the classroom or to host campus meetings.  NITLE's MIV Services are based on the Marratech videoconference system, a cross-platform tool. The MIV server application does not persist any session content, and all data (video, audio, and groupware) is encrypted in transmission. Only clients participating in the meeting can access and record video, audio, or whiteboard content.

NITLE MIV Services have a greater than 99.9% rate of uptime over the past 12 months. The server application itself actually does not store, decrypt, nor process data, which makes it extremely reliable. The server is hosted in a Level III datacenter and is polled at 15 minute intervals by automated warning systems looking for signs of problems.

MIV rooms can be secured in 3 ways.

1. A single account can be set up for room access.
2. You can provide up to 30 accounts in a spreadsheet.
3. You can provide up to 120 accounts in LDIF format.

Please contact us if you would like more information on these options; please note that the second and third option require a 1-hour consulting fee.

What training and community opportunities are available?

NITLE's MIV Community (follow link to short description and online subscription form) offers forums for users to ask questions and share experiences related to their use of MIV. The MIV Community also provides self-guided training modules on the use of MIV:

• Convenient Quicktime videos that cover basic features in short, easy-to-access modules. 
  
• Collaborate with MIV. A 10-step do-it-yourself guide for new users interested in basic training on MIV, this module helps users learn how to participate and contribute successfully within the MIV environment.
• Lead and Teach with MIV. A 5-step tutorial for those who wish to use MIV effectively to lead events and/or teach. Users learn how to lead and teach effectively in the MIV environment by applying best practices to leverage participant video feeds, slideshow presentations, the collaborative whiteboard space, and application sharing.
• MIV White Paper on Network Concerns
• MIV Installation, Tips, and Start Up Wizard for Both OS

NITLE also provides, as follow-up to the "Collaborate with MIV" DIY training, weekly "Water Cooler" sessions (Thursday mornings at 11:00 a.m. Eastern) that take place live in MIV and allow users to try out equipment and features. To find out more, please subscribe to the MIV Community.

NITLE also offers "Web-Based Video-Conferencing: Teaching, Learning, and Collaborating," a professional development workshop available to participating institutions upon request. (Find out more about our Workshops To Go.)

Questions?  To enroll in or ask questions about NITLE MIV Services or to share your ideas for other similar services that would be useful to your campus, please contact Eric Jansson.