IV DEDICATION I would first like to acknowledge and give thanks to God for His unsearchable riches in Christ Jesus and for His orchestration in allowing me to obtain this place in this life and security in the next. I would like to dedicate this doctoral dissertation to my mother who believed that I could do anything I wanted to do. I know that she would have been so proud of me. I see it in her smile. I also dedicate this dissertation to my husband, Craig, who I met while an undergraduate and

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... arried 34 years later. He shared my graduation with me then, as an undergraduate, and is sharing this graduation with me now, as a Doctor of Education. Our relationship has come full circle in so many ways. He has been loving, supportive, and encouraging in my pursuit of this degree. In more ways, than I can name, I could not have chosen a better man with whom to share my life and accomplishments. The purpose of this study was to explore the efficacy, benefits and student perceptions of using Internet videoconferencing and a web camera to connect college and university fashion students with apparel industry professionals. A total of 70 college and university fashion students, three instructors, and three apparel industry professionals participated in this introductory study. Data was collected through pre and post surveys from all three groups. Industry professionals were invited as guest speakers into the classroom via Internet videoconferencing using Skype and a web camera. The findings in the study indicated that students, instructors, and apparel industry professionals overwhelmingly benefited from this type of interaction. Although technical difficulties occurred, the effectiveness, cost, and overall benefits to the instructor, students, and industry professionals indicate a need to have this type of interaction regularly in the classroom. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE ABSTRACT v LIST OF TABLES ix ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xi CHAPTER 10 Videoconferencing: Communication across distances by way of video and audio contact and includes a wide range of situations from live video lecturing, to point-to-point, individual-to-individual computer chats (AT&T Knowledge Network Explorer, 2008; Coventry, n.d.). VoIP-Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP): One of services available in the marketplace (Holtz, 2005). With a VoIP system, two people can speak with each other by using computer connected headsets and microphones (Garfinkel, 2005). Web camera: Device that can be connected to the computer to facilitate video communication and connection over the Internet. Used interchangeably with the term "Web cam" or "webcam." 1. Completing and returning a Consent form (10 minutes) 2. Completing a Pre-Survey (10 minutes)