Communication with the students, before the course begins, is critical. A gradual introduction to the CV classroom may be appropriate. Optional review sessions were offered late in the semester to increase student experience with CV technology. When faculty are not on site, the perception of a lack of control may be fostered. To minimize this, faculty need to work closely with support staff or facilitators at the distant site to ensure smooth delivery of course materials, examinations, and to trouble-shoot problems as they arise.
Communication is extremely important at all levels.
The technical people at both sites need to be aware of the capabilities of each site, and to test them. Although on paper the local and remote sites may have compatible equipment, the connections need to be checked extensively prior to the first class. Tulane's department for distance learning provided training as well as guidelines for presentation materials. These guidelines were not completely applicable to the AR site and advice received from the Tulane site contradicted advice from the AR site in specific areas. Mechanisms for receiving fast feedback from the distance site should be in place.