It should come as no surprise to faculty and staff that technology changes quickly and making the right choices when selecting and implementing new products is vital to the success of twenty-first century institutions.
One such technology that is currently undergoing a dramatic shift is content capture. Formerly referred to as “lecture capture,” this is a catch-all for the ways in which we record and share content in our courses. In the past, this was mostly accomplished by equipping classrooms with audio and video equipment and then recording lectures, which could be shared online. While this is a very useful method for reaching distance learners and capturing lectures for later viewing, it’s not especially good at incorporating the many ways students and professors interact. It’s also financially disadvantageous because it requires video and audio recording equipment to be installed in every classroom and it can only capture what happens during a class session.
Outside of this basic technology, there has been significant growth in the ability and feasibility of capturing and sharing other aspects of the learning experience. We now use web content, slides, document cameras, conferencing tools, and other non-lecture paths for connecting students and instructors. What’s more, learning itself is becoming an anytime, anywhere activity and more students are learning in blended classrooms or completely online. Because of this, we need a solution that goes far beyond the simple recording of lectures.
Starting this summer, as part of Simmons Moodle (our new learning management system), we will be simultaneously pilot testing two software-based content capture systems for possible long-term use. We have selected two products: Tegrity and Panopto. Both are software-based solutions that take advantage of existing infrastructure at Simmons (screen capture, webcams, document cameras, etc.) and provide simple organization and editing of content. Additionally, it puts the professor in control of their own content. Instructors can decide what content is captured, where and when it appears, and how many times it has been viewed. We want content capture to be respectful of students’ and faculty members’ time and intellectual property. This solution will minimize the time spent organizing and maximize control of the content you have created.
Perhaps the biggest advantage to these content capture systems is the ability to directly integrate what you’ve captured into Simmons Moodle. There will be no need to upload videos or other content to a personal or external site. You will be able to use one interface to upload, edit, organize, and share what you’ve created.
Our goal is to begin testing Tegrity and Panopto during the second summer session. Once the pilot sessions are up and running, we will update everyone on our progress and seek your input so we can make the best choice for faculty and students. Please keep an eye on future issues of TechNews for information on how you can get involved with this exciting initiative.