Instruction

Virtual Instruction:

Virtual instruction is similar to personal point of need instruction except that it is provided in a virtual environment. The GIS Service at the Map Collection offers this instruction service to Yale affiliates by appointment. This is particulaly useful to patrons who may be far from campus or are doing field work outside of the state or country. The GIS Service at the Map Collection uses NetMeeting software (free from Microsoft) to conduct virtual instruction sessions. This software allows participants to talk (voice), see each other (video), chat, share programs, share a whiteboard, and tranfer files. This allows the GIS Service specialist to transfer geospatial files to the patron or instruct them on how to perform a particular task using GIS or other software.

There are a few requirements and recommendations for using the virtual instruction service:

Requirements:

• Must be a Yale affiliate (student, proffesor, staff, etc.)
• ISDN, cable modem, network connection or faster (56k is to slow).
• NetMeeting software (included with Windows operating system 2K or higher; can be downloaded for free for Windows 98 from Microsoft site).
• Appointment (made by contacting the GIS Specialist at the Map Collection: abrahamparrish@yale.edu, 203-432-0221)

Recommendations:

• Webcam (it is easier to communicate if patron can be seen).
• Headset speaker and microphone (unless patron uses telephone concurrently with NetMeeting)