Experimentation with Classroom Capture

Mitchell Bacot

Alvin Boyd

Marsha Young

Capture What?

• Lecture (audio)• Media• Lecturer (video)• Interpreter (video) • Captions• Students (video)

Commercialsystems are available

ECHO 360Tegrity

MediasiteCamtasia Relay

as well as

Open Source SystemsOpencast Matterhorn Project

& Home Grown Systemsour Adobe Connect adaptation

Potential for the instructor

Potential Creation of self-standing learning

modules to deliver content

• pre-class application• reference/resource• alternative learning style• illness• weather• travel

Potential Classroom capture as a

reference resource

• tutoring• evaluating student presentations• capturing guest lectures• analysis, synthesis, or reflection on classroom

events

Potential Classroom capture as a

development tool

• self-review of methods, content, style, and communication

• repackaging

Potentialfor students

PotentialImpact on achievement

An ‘on demand’ resource for improving understanding and learning by students working

•independently at their own pace•together in study groups•in partnership with a teacher or tutor

PotentialImpact on achievement

• Class, lab, homework, or test preparation • Provides a context and a vocabulary • Allows focus & participate on the first (live) pass

and ability to take notes on the second pass• Supports the making of connections within the

course content

PotentialImpact on access

• anywhere, anytime

• multi-modal

• searchable

PotentialImpact on retention

• Allows students to experience classes missed due to illness, sports travel, conflicting responsibilities, personal emergencies.

• Controllable pace• Controllable repetition

Fears

• Ease of Capture

• Classroom Attendance

• Use?

• Copyright & Permissions

Barriers

Cost

• system software

• equipment

• storage/server space

• technical support

Potential for Deaf Students

• a multi-modal capturefacilitates improvement of ASL comprehensionfacilitates improvement of English comprehension

via ASL-English (captions) transliteration

• ability to control pace• ability to focus and participate on the first (live)

pass and take notes on the second pass

Barriers for Deaf Students

• Potential delay of a captioned version

• Clarity of image - Is sign language readable?

• Audio delay

Rationale for Our Approach

Proposed a testing of a commercial lecture capture system.

• Too expensive

• Unconvinced of benefits

Challenged to use existing resources to experiment with classroom capture

What’s out there?

Mitchell Bacot

Making adjustments

• New Technology

• PowerPoints (not whiteboard)

• Space

• Movement

• Location of Camera and angle of my signing

Benefits

• Available on large screen– Low vision– I’m not blocking their view

• Student missed class (available online)• Homework/Quiz/Test

assistance/preparation• Reducing repetitions• Empowering students

Challenges

• Lighting• Pace of class

(new technology)

• Promoting positive attitudes (self frustration)

• Convincing/Explaining to students about the benefits and luxury

• Layout of room, desk angles, wiring...• Student involvement

• Alternating notes with a “blank” slide• Pin point locations on recordings (Test Review)• Collect Test Review for a grade• Bring personal laptops to class for troubleshooting• Walk slower (I think? )

Strategies

Success?• Alternating notes with a

“blank” slide• Pin point locations on

recordings (Test Review)

• Collect Test Review for a grade

• Bring personal laptops to class for trouble shooting

• Walk slower (I think? )

• YES!

• Difficult to say. It was a one time thing.

• Again, this was only performed once.

• Yes

• Yes, I think so.

Quality/Potential

• Blurry• Dim (too dark – sometimes)• Size (too small)• “summer school” online class• Can use rather than cancel class• Engage students minds further than the

classroom (with additional assignments)

Student Reponses

• “I’ll just go to the tutor”• “It’s too dark”• “I can’t view it on my computer”

(won’t open)

Overtime

• Master my skills with IdeaBoard before I begin.• Have a plan ready for the on-line recordings.• Record several mock lectures, upload them, and

see how accessible, clear, and understandable they are.

• Chat with more people who have experience. • A LOT of our adjustments were made on the fly

and to compare my current class (knowledge about the technology) with my first day is a huge improvement.

What else is out there?

Alvin Boyd

Changes in methodology

• Start to think more in digital video– Recordings of myself signing assignments– Potential student signed assignments

• Emphasis on Sim-Com• Access to Video (who? chair, colleagues?)• Other professionals in the room• Assessment

– Deeper learning and understanding

Advantages

• Students review class discussion (> 1 time)• Absent students can catch – up

– (H1N1, 1st day, schedule change)

• Review of pedagogy, SL usage, concepts clarity

• On site tech support & assessment staff• Two project screens with multiple inputs

Disadvantages

• Problems opening video– Cannot enlarge viewing window– Sometimes delayed or no sound – Sometimes delayed or no captioning

• Both sound & captioning issues– Tech problems, time restraints, agenda

• Time for training voice recognition software– (2 hrs/wk for about 5 weeks)

• Added a 2nd camera to record students reactions• 1st quarter required “additional” HW recordings• 2nd quarter not required• Voice interpreters for student presentations• Various Software

• EPOP, Adobe Connect, RIT (CART) system• Downloadable files vs. files on server

Strategies

Additional Homework

• Encourage student use of recordings• Get student feedback

– Make modifications weekly• Flash server vs. no flash server

• EPOP vs. Adobe Connect

Additional Homework (cont.)

• Students provided:– RL examples based on my written & signed examples– Evaluation of student group presentations– Feedback (clarity of video, sound & captions)

• comparison of week to week modifications

• comparison of various software

Student Reponses

• Recordings as a tool to review vocabulary terms• Voice recognition microphone is a distraction

– Smaller thinner microphone needed (VRS type)

Challenges

• Use of Sim – Com– Voice volume drops or no voice ASL signs– Problems caption service & voice recognition

software

Try It Again

• Teach students how to use the technology– (via video recording outside of class?)

• Video of student explaining the benefits• Quick reference to find vocabulary terms

Conclusions&

Recommendations

Marsha Young

Conclusions

• Our classroom captures were unsatisfactory in terms of quality and flexibility.

• Students need motivation and strategies for this type of learning.

• Captioning is an unresolved issue for ASL-leaning simultaneous communicators

• This approach to classroom capture is resource intensive and not scalable.

Recommendations

• Seek technologies/systems that are dependable, flexible, easy to use and that produce a quality product.

• Use the technologies that support lecture capture to produce self-standing learning modules.

• Use class time for interaction, application, clarification, elaboration.

Recommendations

• Replace text assignment with signed, captioned, lecture capture learning modules.

• Develop strategies, skills, and motivation in students for working with such resources.

• The potential for this technology is still strong.