The Rise of Replay

Posted on August 7, 2015 by Matthew Gracey-McMinn

replay_oxford

Re-branding

The pilot lecture capture service at Oxford has been branded as ‘Replay’. A lot of great ideas were put forward, but ‘Replay’ ultimately won out. This does not signal a massive overhaul of the software or lecture capture project, but it is an effort to give the project, and the associated recordings, an easily recognisable name and to emphasise the benefit to student learning by being able to replay lectures to support study and revision.

Having decided upon a name, the lecture capture team approached the Design Studio in the Public Affairs Directorate, who produced some excellent designs to use in presentations and on web pages. There are a couple included in this blog post. Look out for them around the university!

mic_stand

If you have questions, comments, complaints, or anything else relating to the lecture capture project, please contact replay@it.ox.ac.uk.

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The Journey So Far

Posted on August 5, 2015 by Matthew Gracey-McMinn

The Technical Trial

The 2014 lecture capture technical trial has ended! Throughout 2014, the lecture capture team worked closely with several departments to explore the uses and challenges of lecture capture. The general experience of the system has been positive, but, as with all trials, there were challenges to overcome. Resolving these taught the lecture capture team much about what to expect, and, perhaps most importantly, how to prevent such issues from arising once the system is rolled-out more extensively. Students aren’t the only members of the university learning!

Lessons Learnt

Staff and Skills:

  • Coordinators – Appoint a coordinator within each department, who will be responsible for:
  1. ensuring lecturers can use the software without issue.
  2. ensuring files are uploaded correctly and in a timely fashion.
  3. acting as a reference and contact point.
  • Labelling – Make certain lecturers know how to correctly label lectures (incorrectly labelled lectures have proven to be a massive source of frustration for students).

label-156637_640Equipment:

  • Fixed Equipment – Use a fixed microphone and camera, making sure they cannot be unplugged or removed, to maintain consistency and ease of use.
  • Hardware Tests – Run hardware tests beforehand whenever possible, just to be sure there are no technical issues.
  • Echo – Beware of echoes in large spaces, and be sure a lecturer does not stand too close to a speaker.

Network Connections: 

  • Wired Connection – Make sure there is a stable, wired connection. Erratic connections can cause files to only partially upload, and wired connections are more reliable than wireless ones.

FTP_cableProcesses:

  • Preparation – Ensure that there is a well-planned, well-organised, and efficient setup in advance.
  • Existing Infrastructure – Where possible, make use of the existing infrastructure (cameras, microphones etc.) to reduce the cost and time needed to install the system.
  • Course Materials – If there are other course materials, uploading these alongside the lecture recordings is a boon for students who were unavoidably prevented from attending the live lecture.
  • Simplicity – Keep things simple. Start by recording one lecture series, then roll out slowly as familiarity and expertise with the software increases.

Support:

  • Local Support – Establish a local lecture capture support network by collaborating with the local IT Services, Networks, local AV team, and WebLearn coordinator.

Conclusions

The technical trial produced positive results, and while there were some issues, these were small and easy to resolve. The lessons learnt during the technical trial have been helpful in ensuring the smooth roll out and running of the 2015 pilot project.

If you have questions, comments, complaints, or anything else relating to the lecture capture project, please contact replay@it.ox.ac.uk.

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The New Intern

Posted on August 3, 2015 by Matthew Gracey-McMinn

An Intern’s Footwear

Last summer this blog was maintained by an intern working closely with the lecture capture team, and the team has elected to employ a summer intern again this year. That’s me. I’m going to be taking over the blog for the next couple of months, attempting to fill the shoes of last year’s intern.

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Who Am I?

I am a student at Oxford (St Anne’s College), and have just finished the first year of a two year MPhil program in Traditional East Asia (essentially I study premodern East Asian history and languages) at the Oriental Institute. I did my undergraduate degree in History and Japanese at the University of Sheffield, so, although I do study the entire East Asian region, my focus is geared more towards Japan, and particularly its medieval period. However, I have also taken some courses on different education systems around the globe, which sparked my interest in e-learning and its impact upon students. That’s the main reason I applied for this internship; it gives me the chance to get hands-on experience with technology around the university, and maybe, in some small way, to contribute to the improvement of the University’s use of technology in classrooms and lecture halls.

What Will I do?

Aside from the blog, I’ll be speaking with academics, IT staff, and students to get their praises, grievances, and recommendations concerning lecture capture. Plus, I’ll be investigating innovative and unexpected uses of the software. As I gather information I will report my findings here. I hope you will all enjoy exploring the pilot project, both the good and bad, together with me!

If you have questions, comments, complaints, or anything else relating to the lecture capture project, then please contact  replay@it.ox.ac.uk.

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Lecture Capture Continues Onwards

Posted on July 31, 2015 by Matthew Gracey-McMinn

We Never Left

We’re back! It may have been a few months since this blog was last updated, but the lecture capture project has continued unabated. The technical trial, that took place in 2014, was completed, and provided the lecture capture team with valuable knowledge on how to improve the system and address any issues that may arise during further implementation. These lessons are detailed in an separate post.

The Pilot Project

A university-wide pilot project was implemented from the start of 2015. This involved more departments, more courses, and more students than did the technical trial (a list of participating departments is available in a separate blog post). Many departments indicated their interest in lecture capture and began trialling it, some more extensively than others. Some made use of the software for recording lectures, and so helped students prepare for essays and exams. Others employed it in innovative ways, creating new teaching approaches or making material available to ever broader audiences. Many of the departments involved with the technical trial, obviously impressed with the results, have chosen to roll out lecture capture to new courses this year, expanding their use of the system and trying to ensure more students benefit from it. Meanwhile, students have made use of it in ever greater numbers, and proven enthusiastic adopters of this new tool. It has been a busy and interesting year!

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The Results Are In!

Over the coming weeks, I’ll be speaking with those who participated in the pilot project and gathering feedback from student questionnaires. I’ll post the results here and detail the most interesting and innovative uses of lecture capture.

If you have questions, comments, complaints, or anything else relating to the lecture capture project, please contact  replay@it.ox.ac.uk.

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Exploring the learning benefits of lecture capture – recorded presentation

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Jill Fresen

On Monday 24 November 2014, the team presented a talk as part of the IT Learning Programme’s ‘Engage’ series, on the topic of ‘Exploring the learning benefits of lecture capture’. Debra Garretson (Head of Account Management at Panopto) gave an overview of Panopto and how it is being used by some universities. Jill Fresen (Lecture Capture Project Manager) described the current Panopto trial (2014 calendar year), including the departments using the system, and how some lecturers are already pre-recoding ‘podlets’ (coined by Prof William James) to record ‘nuggets’ at their desk, to augment the learning resources available to students.

True to form, the talk was recorded using Panopto (integrated audio and slides – no video on this occasion), and is available to listen to: https://oxforduniversity.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Sessions/List.aspx#sortColumn=1&sortAscending=false&folderSets=7

podcasts

More information is available from these sources:

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Panopto is a presenter’s best friend

Posted on September 2, 2014 by Rebecca Henderson

As part of the IT Service internship, all interns are required to present on their respective projects. Discovering I was going to be away at this point seemed like a fun opportunity to reverse the typical use of Panopto – instead of no viewers present at the live session seeing a recording later, I was absent and my pre-recorded speech was shown.

The setup was very simple: the presentation laptop already had Panopto installed. I selected to record in a small conference room in an attempt to imagine how it would feel if I was actually a lecturer delivering. A member of the Lecture Capture team set up a video feed and showed how to upload my PowerPoint into Panopto – and we were away! With a click of the mouse, I performed my entire presentation. 6 minutes later – done. And all thAT remained was to chop a few minutes of paper shuffling and unappealing facials from the end.

Despite having never used the software myself, I found it very straightforward. It was very easy, and I particularly liked the fact that with my Panopto login, I was able to do the editing elsewhere – I was not tied to a fixed location or PC.

The only issue was that the presentation computer was very slow, and unfortunately the PowerPoint was very jerky. This was reflected in the video, and this couldn’t be edited. For this reason, my own recommendation would be make sure all the feeds are exactly as you wish, and use a computer that runs quicker than a snail!

The reception to the presentation from those who saw it was very positive.

How my presentation appears to a viewer through Panopto

How my presentation appears to a viewer through Panopto

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How does Oxford University’s trial compare to the Russell Group?

Posted on September 2, 2014 by Rebecca Henderson

Screen shot 2014-09-03 at 09.27.23

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Lecture Capture begins to take flight…

Posted on July 30, 2014 by Rebecca Henderson

As the IT Services trial has progressed, more and more departments are expressing interest in capturing lectures. Hopefully Michaelmas Term 2014 will see the following departments joining the trial:

nuffield photoSeminar Videoing: Nuffield Department of Population Health

A post-graduate department within the Medical Sciences Division, there is strong interested in recording the Richard Doll Seminar series through the year. The seminar is presented weekly by invited speakers. The department is currently in the planning stage and acquiring recording equipment.

light-virus-1Pedagogical Innovation: William James, Professor of Virology

Professor James is experimenting with producing 10 minute snapshot lectures of key ideas, then integrating with WebLearn for small formative tests to ensure understanding. This would be a supplement to live sessions, and would be ideal for medical students who, in later years, often face an erratic schedule that makes it difficult to attend full sessions.

parisLecture Capture and Recording Discussions: Modern and Medieval Languages

The sub-department of Medieval French has began discussions into capturing a series of lectures given on commentary, as students attend these lectures and then do not revisit the text until final exams. Furthermore, several lecturers are interested in recording a panel discussion.

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Student stamp of approval on Lecture Capture

Posted on July 30, 2014 by Rebecca Henderson

Two weeks, 329 responses, one survey: in Trinity term 2014, OUSU began its own investigation into student views on Lecture Capture. This survey took place completely separately from the exploratory trial being run by IT Services. It shows that IT Services has ‘hit the nail on the head’ in anticipating student learning needs. The results of the OUSU survey come as no surprise: from comments about disability to reflections on modernity, students themselves are acutely aware of the potential benefits of Lecture Capture. The results of the survey show that the idea of Lecture Capture within Oxford University is gaining popularity and momentum with all factions…

OUSU feedback

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If Lecture Capture keeps ringing with success, play on….

Posted on July 23, 2014 by Rebecca Henderson

It is a truth universally acknowledged that being a student at Oxford University is a tough experience. For students who are physically impaired, the old buildings, beautiful as they are, can render studying here even more challenging. Thus when a lift became out of order, making access to a core English lecture impossible for one such student, Lecture Capture provided the solution.

Each week, at 2pm, a member of the team arrived to record the 50-minute lecture, then uploaded and edited the recording through the Panopto software which is being trialled. Only the student concerned was granted secure access to the recordings, via WebLearn.

The student was very pleased with the results, experiencing no technical difficulties in viewing the recordings and finding the software straightforward to use. Just like the Physics and History of Art students, this student did not express a desire for the flipped classroom, nor for content in the live sessions to differ should the recordings have been available in advance. That is not to say that the whole experience ran perfectly smoothly. Lack of coordination between some departments resulted in several very perplexed and alarmed lecturers, leading to the lecture starting late. Given that there were over 200 other students in the room, this was not ideal. This highlights the need to ensure effective communication between all teams involved.

So Panopto: to be or not be? In the case of disability, Lecture Capture has the potential to be invaluable.

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