By Todd Stabley (guest), Duke Office of Information Technology, and Haiyan Zhou
When it was first started in 2005, the main focus for DukeCapture was classroom capture supported by audio and video systems in auditoriums and other high-tech rooms across campus. These venues have been and still are managed and scheduled by departmental or school technology professionals, called “Site Administrators.” With nearly 70 such rooms at present, this remains a big part of the DukeCapture service. However, more recently DukeCapture has begun to move beyond the classroom through a service known as “DukeCapture Mobile”, which is built around software made by Panopto.
DukeCapture Mobile and Use Cases
DukeCapture Mobile offers those at Duke the opportunity to capture recordings on their own computers (Macs and PCs) outside of dedicated classrooms. This flexibility in location together with features of the Panopto software is inspiring faculty to use DukeCapture in new and innovative ways, such as those described below.
- Create a video introduction, providing an overview of class policies and outlining the first reading assignment so students come prepared to jump right into discussing the material on the first day of class
- Present key course concepts for students to review before each class session so that class time can be better used for questions, discussion and interactive learning exercises
- Ask students to record themselves to practice their presentation and oral communication skills
- Assign students to record their presentations for instructor evaluation and peer review
- Record and share narrated PowerPoint or Prezi slideshows
- Capture screen movement to demonstrate software step-by-step
- Record online “lectures” in the comfort of your own office or home, adding flexibility to your teaching schedule and environment
- Reuse recorded online “lectures”
- Update and edit your recorded lectures with recent developments so they are always “just right”
- Faculty and students will be able to download the Panopto app for iOS devices (iPhone, iPod, iPad) to record and share videos on the go.
Examples of Teaching and Learning Using DukeCapture Mobile
Students made recordings as their assignment: Dr. Joan Clifford, Assistant Director of the Spanish Language Program in the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, used DukeCapture in two different classes in Fall 2011: Spanish 105 and 106ES. In 106ES the students used DukeCapture Mobile to record their final presentations. The students downloaded and installed the DukeCapture Mobile client and recorded themselves using video, audio, presentation slides, and animated screen captures. The class was required to view the presentations outside of class and then they held two days of discussions about the projects.
Dr. Clifford commented, “I liked having the students watch the actual presentations outside of class because then we didn’t have to take up as much class time for the presentation and discussion. We could dedicate class time to the discussion. Also students commented that they liked the possibility of repeating sections to improve their comprehension.”
Dr. Clifford also evaluated how effective this and other technologies were for the course. Students filled out a survey at the beginning and end of the course indicating their level of comfort using DukeCapture’s Panopto software and other technologies. From the data shown below, it’s easy to infer that the students began with some level of trepidation (some of which seems tied to general uneasiness about public speaking), but ended up feeling more confident after their experience with Panopto.
Click on two images below to view the survey results.
Faculty recorded preparatory material for class: Instructors who seek to decrease “talking” time and increase student engagement during class time are finding that DukeCapture Mobile provides an easy way to record preparatory material for students to review before coming to class so that class time can be used for discussion, problem sets, case studies, or software practice or small group work. Dr. John Williams at the School of Medicine, for example, records narrated PowerPoint slideshows from his own computer using the DukeCapture Mobile client. These recordings do not replace or replicate class sessions; they introduce fundamental and trigger materials in a similar but more engaging manner, and provide a bridge to class session activities.
Getting Started with DukeCapture Mobile
Just as the DukeCapture Mobile’s Panopto software is designed to be easy for instructors to use, the process of getting started is intended to be easy also. Faculty members just need to connect with a DukeCapture Site Administrator in their school or department who can set them up with an account and walk them through the process of downloading, installing, and using the recording software.
What’s In Store for the Future?
OIT ITS is working on several enhancements for the future including iPad/iPod playback/recording, automated conversion of audio to text for indexing, tighter integration into systems such as Sakai and the ability to mix in other types of video and audio files into your recordings. Look for these and other great improvements to the service in the coming months.
More Information about DukeCapture Mobile