The system can do so many things, such as text editor and Whiteboard, in addition to audio and video. On the first day of class, some of her students were apprehensive about seeing themselves on the computer screen, she said, but they have adjusted. During the class, El-Kadi can ask for volunteers to show their face when she's asking a question, and she can even see the entire class, thanks to video cameras located in a corner of each classroom. In addition to the regular classroom session, El-Kadi puts information on a message board, a Web page designed for the class. The message board allows for an interactive conversation, which is valuable for both the students and the instructor.
Students can also turn in assignments and essays via e-mail.
She makes an extra effort to call on these students to increase class participation. Hussein Abdel-Wahab, professor of computer science and one of the principle designers of IRI, has taught several computer science courses using the new system. Through teaching, he is able to find out the system's shortcomings and pitfalls and then work on solutions. Maly said Old Dominion is the only university he knows of that is developing its own IRI-type system. The University of New Hampshire and Harvard have used a commercialized software, called LearningLinc, for distance learning courses, but it doesn't offer the capability of video.