Enhancing Synchronous Online Education: Overcoming Connectivity Challenges with Innovative Video-Conferencing Solutions

The paper identifies the challenges faced by students in synchronous e-learning systems, particularly in areas with poor internet infrastructure, when using video conferencing. The study highlights the high bandwidth requirements of current video conferencing systems and proposes a novel approach to reduce bandwidth consumption in e-learning environments, where webcams are not the primary focus. The study evaluates the proposed system through various network conditions, using a group of 25 participants with permanently active webcams. The system utilizes a master computer to concatenate all video and audio feeds from participants into a single stream. Notably, the master computer is the teacher's computer, which requires more internet bandwidth than the students' computers. This approach enables multiple participants to engage in video conferencing without requiring high-speed internet connections. The results of the study demonstrate a significant reduction in bandwidth usage, with an average saving of 80% per participant compared to conventional video conferencing systems. This makes the system more accessible to students in areas with limited internet infrastructure.