Statement of Work
(Draft 11/28/04)
Duke University – OIT, CIT, A&SIST
Project:
iLecture Proof of Concept Trial
Introduction:
The purpose of this statement of work is to describe what resources are necessary and
what work must be done in order to accomplish a proof of concept trial of the University
of Western Australia’s iLecture software in real life conditions here at Duke. The central
goal of the trial is to prove the software’s functionality and the feasibility of its
implementation in large scale at Duke University. Primary functional requirements
include automated passive lecture capture; processing and distribution in multiple media
formats and successful access of content by Duke students via Duke’s iTunes and
streaming servers.
Background:
The iLecture system is one of several lecture capture products that are available on an
enterprise scale. iLecture is likely the most effective and proven tool Duke could deploy,
and the most cost effective with the added advantage of further development at Duke in a
possible partnership arrangement with UWA. A matrix of products in this space is
maintained and updated by OIT as new information comes forward and new products are
released. Unlike all of the other systems reviewed, iLecture has been an "enterprise" level
lecture recording system operating for the last five years with a proven track record.
iLecture could be easily adapted to Duke. iLecture is a distributed system with
permanently located digitizers in classrooms connected to a central server. The system is
completely automated. The faculty simply make an online request to have it recorded,
providing the lecture times and location. The capturing, encoding and uploading of the
completed recording is automatically done. In the classroom, faculty need only turn the
microphone on in the room at the time of the lecture. When the lecture recording is
complete here at Duke, it would automatically be uploaded to the Duke iPod site or to our
new QuickTime Streaming Server (when you might want the video or PowerPoint
captured). Students would then be able to access the lecture recording: the audio only,
almost immediately; streaming media files, usually an hour from the end of the class.
The element of simplicity for faculty is what has made iLecture a success in its previous
implementations. No technicians must be present or scheduled and there is no need to
reserve special equipment. The lecture is recorded and posted without any intermediary
editing or production work. The sound quality is easily good enough for classes that
intend it only as a back up to regular class attendance, but can be excellent as the quality
is reflective of the quality of the microphone used in the room and the distance of the
lecturer from the microphone. An important part of implementation is the administrative
processes around iLecture that would be explored and evaluated in the Proof of Concept
phase. This includes: booking process, permission to record, intellectual property
considerations, system monitoring, as well as integration with WebAuth (for faculty and
staff booking recordings or administering iLecture) and Blackboard. Lectures are a
central component to the education which is offered at Duke and iLecture is a way of
making lecture material available more flexibly, when and where a student might need it.
Scope:
The approach is to do a mini-implementation of the iLecture System with digitizers in at
least two primary lecture halls on campus and one seminar room, with possible testing in
one or two graduate school auditoriums. The system would be utilized over a several
week period, documenting problems, concerns and utilization of the recordings by
students, with a careful evaluation of student response both to the availability of lectures,
as well as the quality and accessibility of recordings. The mini-implementation would
consist of an installation of the system components in late January 2005, with recording
of selected lectures continuing through midterm. Lecture availability could continue
following the evaluation right on through exams depending on student and faculty
interest.
Evaluation would be accomplished by three groups working as a team: faculty users, their
students, and a technical team made up of CIT, OIT and A&SIST staff, all to be
determined. Evaluation will focus on the level of student and faculty satisfaction, uptake
by faculty, level of use by students, the quality of capture and the ease of access to
capture lectures.
Goal and Objectives:
The central goal of the test is to prove the iLecture software’s functionality and the
feasibility of its implementation in large scale at Duke University. Primary functional
requirements, and therefore, the essential objectives to demonstrate with the software
include: automated passive lecture capture; processing and distribution in multiple media
formats and successful access of content by Duke students via Duke’s iTunes and
streaming servers.
Leadership:
Fred Westbrook, will serve as Trial Manager for OIT, reporting to Lynne O’Brien,
Director, CIT, who will provide overall direction of this trial. Kirk Griffin will be CIT’s
technical lead; Hannah Arps will serve as A&S’s technical lead; Kevin Witte, Dan
McCarriar and others from OIT will provide advice and consultation.
Risks:
Any equipment purchased can be redeployed within OIT. Travel expenditures for the
UWA implementation team would not be recouped in any case. We’ve attempted to
minimize this risk with careful upfront evaluation and comparison of iLecture to similar
products.
Human and technical resources must be drawn from several groups (CIT, A&SIST and
multiple departments from within OIT). These groups have plenty already to do, yet the
promise or potential for such a system is within the operational goals of all of these
groups. The risk will be minimized by careful planning, consultation with stakeholders
in advance, and the goodwill these groups have toward working together.
Faculty using it may find they do not like the look of the captured lectures, or the ways
students use them; they may feel inhibited by the recording technology, and students may
choose not to make use of the recordings. On the other hand, faculty may like the
technology and may expect its further implementation in other venues before the end of
the trial; other faculty who have an interest is using this technology may not have access
to it during the trial period. Students may expect a wider implementation before the trial
is completed. In any case, managing well the expectations of faculty and students alike
will be an important part of this trial.
Timeline:
Milestones for this trial of iLecture are outlined below, with preliminary start and
complete dates.
1. Approve Proof Concept iLecture Trial proposal including final evaluation criteria,
and finalize the agreement with UWA, December 15, 2004
2. Finalize cross campus iLecture team, determine assignments for OIT, CIT and
A&SIST primary and supporting staff, December 15, 2004
3. Site visits to all lecture venues in consideration and final determination of what
venues will be part of the trial, December 15, 2004
4. Network and Systems staff review technical specifications and provide
consultation, assist with final selection of equipment in tandem with UWA,
January 12, 2005
5. Purchase equipment, January 12, 2005 with delivery in late January 2005
6. Visit by iLecture staff to assist and direct implementation, early February, 2005
7. Configuration and deployment of equipment, February 4 – 8, 2005
8. Review and final determination of administrative processes around trial
deployment, February 8, 2005
9. Training related staff, February 8 –11, 2005
10. Testing, February 8-11, 2005
11. Begin recording of lectures, February 14, 2005
12. Monitor availability, quality of recordings, beginning February 14, 2005
13. Evaluation, April 2005
14. Partnership determination with University of Western Australia at completion of
evaluation
15. Business plan development, if implementation is continued.
16. System development (WebAuth, Blackboard, other), May – June, 2005
17. Full Phase determination for a large scale implementation, Summer 2005
Additional Background:
An iLecture overview and sample encoding might be gathered from these sites:
http://ilectures.uwa.edu.au/ilectures/ilectures.lasso?ut=1&id=29924
http://ilecture.uwa.edu.au
Technical Description:
An iLecture System Technical Overview has been received from UWA following
signoff of a Non-disclosure agreement between Duke and UWA. This is available on
request.