HAMILTON, N.Y., Dec. 12, 2005 - Even though she hadn’t been on campus since October, Liz Pavle rejoined her art history seminar class at Colgate University last week without missing a beat.

Pavle, an art history major, was seriously injured in an Oct. 6 car accident. Unable to physically return to campus until she recovered, Pavle kept up with her studies for the past two months by taking classes electronically from her home in Maryland.

Using a web camera and iChat audio/videoconferencing, she participated in her Colgate courses in real time over the Internet — 350 miles from campus.

“I’m a senior and it was really important to me not to fall behind in my classes,” said Pavle. Friends offered to take notes for her, but it was essential to Pavle to “be there” as much as she could.

“There’s something to be said for seeing the lecture and taking notes for yourself,” she said.

It was two of her Colgate professors who would come up with the solution. Shortly after her accident, which occurred a few miles from campus, Pavle received e-mails almost simultaneously from Robert McVaugh, associate professor of art and art history, and Anne Pitcher, professor of political science.

They suggested using videoconferencing so that Pavle could still “attend” their classes.

“A few days later, I received the camera (from Colgate) in the mail,” said Pavle.

Josh Snyder ’05, a technology support analyst for Colgate's Information Technology Services, set up the web cameras in the campus classrooms. Pavle installed iChat and her camera at home.

After a trial run, Pavle was back in class — she could see and hear her professors and classmates, and they could see and hear her. She took two classes, her art history seminar and a political science course, through her computer.

“The setup is actually quite simple,” said Snyder. “Built into Apple’s operating system
is an AOL instant messenger client called iChat. It offers both audio and videoconferencing via the standard AOL buddy list.”

The technology, though new to being used in this way in academics, is actually common, according to Snyder.

“Businesses and long distance corporations have used technologies like these for years — it’s just been recently that smaller companies and even individuals have really been able to participate to such a great degree,” he said. “Similar setups like this are also being used to conduct meetings with individuals abroad or in training, and students communicating with parents, for example.”

The audio and videoconferencing worked well as she recovered, said Pavle.

“I would really recommend this to anyone in a similar situation — you see the class and your fellow classmates and you don’t fall behind,” she said.

For Pavle, though, who didn’t expect to return to the Colgate campus until the spring semester, nothing compares to the feeling of being in a classroom.

“My recovery and desire to return to campus are so strong that I’m actually able to come back weeks ahead of schedule,” she said.