MEMORANDUM
To:
Budget Advisory Committee
Through:
James H. Wyche, Ph.D.
Provost and Chief Academic Officer
From:
Teresa M. Redd, Ph.D.
Chair of the Teaching, Learning and Technology Committee
Date:
March 11, 2011
Subject:
TLT Budget Request for Lecture Capture Technology
On behalf of the Teaching, Learning & Technology (TLT) Committee, I am submitting this budget request
for lecture capture technology, i.e., technology for digitally recording classroom lectures. As the
“Justification” below explains, lecture capture technology is an essential tool for fulfilling the
Presidential Academic Renewal (PCAR) goals, especially international and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Therefore, attached you will find 1) a description of the requested technology with a diagram of the
lecture capture workflow, 2) a proposed budget, 3) a budget justification, and 4) a roster of TLT
Committee members.
Please consider funding this request as you deliberate about the budget for the upcoming fiscal year. If
you have questions, don’t hesitate to contact me at tredd@howard.edu or 202-806-0870. The TLT looks
forward to receiving your feedback.
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Description
To capture lectures, we are proposing a software solution, with portable or minimal hardware (see the
“Minimum User Requirements for Lecture Capture” diagram). As long as the University lacks the
infrastructure to stream video on an enterprise level, we are also recommending a hosted solution.
Thus, we will entitle this plan “Phase I” (Fall 2011 – Spring 2012).
Software: A license for lecture capture software (Tegrity, Camtasia, or Echo 360) would enable faculty
to record whatever they displayed on their laptop/tablet screen (e.g., slides, webpages, videos,
equations, and handwriting) and to index (“tag”) and synchronize that content with a recording of their
voice--automatically. If desired, the faculty could also use a webcam to videotape themselves or their
writing on a board. If faculty download the software before class, the in-class setup should not require
more than the time it takes to “boot up.” The software also provides basic tools for video-editing, if
necessary. In addition, Tegrity’s software allows students—instantly—to find, replay, and bookmark
any moment of a lecture that they wish to review. (To see how other universities are using lecture
capture software, go to http://www.tegrity.com/showcase , http://www.techsmith.com/camtasia/uses,
or http://echo360.com/echosystem/showcase . )
Hardware: The proposed solution eliminates the need to install expensive hardware in classrooms
along with the cost of maintenance and security. Moreover, faculty would be able to record in virtually
any room since this lecture capture solution relies on portable hardware: the department’s or faculty
member’s laptop/tablet and a portable projector. However, the TLT has identified at least one room in
each school or college as a “Priority Lecture Capture Room,” a room that the University should equip
with a screen and PA system to facilitate high-quality lecture capture.
Network Access: Each “Priority Lecture Capture Room” should also have an Internet port for the faculty
member’s use and a strong, reliable wireless signal so that the faculty member can display and capture
content from the Web.
Hosting: With a Tegrity, Camtasia, or Echo360 license, faculty could upload a recorded file to a host
website, where the file would automatically be compressed, indexed, and “streamed” over the Internet.
Students could then access the video via iTunesU, a hyperlink embedded in Blackboard, a website, a
blog, or other social media. Although ISAS purchased servers for iTunesU last summer, they will not
provide an enterprise solution. Moreover, the University’s network cannot support large-scale videostreaming. In addition, the iTunesU servers will not allow students to watch videos on mobile devices
that were not manufactured by Apple. In contrast, our proposed solution would permit students to
watch lectures on any streaming media device, whether it was a PC, Mac, iPad, Android tablet, iPhone,
or Blackberry. Therefore, for Phase I, the TLT is proposing that the University negotiate a contract for
1,250 hours of recording via Tegrity, Camtasia, or Echo360. All interested faculty could apply for a trial;
however, preference should be given to faculty who want to capture lectures for distance-learning,
hybrid, internationalized, or interdisciplinary courses.
Budget Justification
Providing the requested lecture capture technology would reap significant benefits for the University.
Lecture capture would 1) facilitate international collaboration, 2) increase opportunities to teach,
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conduct research, and collaborate across disciplines, and 3) enhance teaching and learning, especially
within distance-learning courses and programs.
International Collaboration and Partnerships
Lecture capture can facilitate international collaboration and partnerships. Many top-ranked
universities, including Howard, have embarked upon initiatives that promote internationalization.
According to the American Council of Education (ACE), internationalization efforts can enhance U.S.
campuses’ visibility and situate them in a global context (ACE, n.d.). Recently, Howard was selected as
one of the seven institutions nationwide to participate in “Creating Global Citizens: Exploring
Internationalization at HBCUs,” funded by the Department of Education (ACE, 2011). As part of the
project, Howard will develop a strategic plan to advance its internationalization work. Lecture capture is
an essential tool to aid these efforts. Whether lectures are streamed, downloaded, or distributed via
DVD, they offer a flexible and affordable means of facilitating communication, dialogue, and the sharing
of information. In contrast, international travel is expensive and may not always be possible when
international partners want to meet, collaborate, or team-teach (ACE, n.d.).
Stanford University has demonstrated how lecture capture can promote internationalization efforts and
academic excellence. The goal of the Anesthesia Department at the Stanford University School of
Medicine is to be a global leader in anesthesia education and research. A key requirement to achieve
these goals is the efficient dissemination of knowledge and best practices (via lectures, seminars,
colloquia, and resident-sharing sessions) to a diverse audience and global partners who are
geographically separated by hundreds if not thousands of miles. The Anesthesia Department decided to
utilize cost-effective strategies to meet their goals by employing lecture capture technologies to help
bridge the distance. Using lecture capture equipment, the Anesthesia Department recorded 8.5 hours
of lectures per week from a variety of content and subject matter experts, including nationally and
internationally known leaders in the field. They found that the intellectual value of these recorded
lectures served as excellent didactic tools for the education of their residents, both local and global. The
videos afforded residents the ability to watch, listen to, and revisit educational materials and experts
that they may not have otherwise had the opportunity to access (Chu et al., 2010).
Interdisciplinary Teaching and Learning
Lecture capture can enhance opportunities for interdisciplinary research, teaching, learning, and
collaboration. Interdisciplinary education focuses on two or more disciplines, while interdisciplinary
research integrates elements of two or more disciplines in the search for new knowledge or modes of
creative expression (Childress, 2009). Since many problems require a holistic or cross-disciplinary
perspective, an interdisciplinary approach is critical. That is why Howard’s Presidential Commission for
Academic Renewal (PCAR) recommended that Howard increase not only its international footprint but
its interdisciplinary activity as well (Thornton, 2010).
Lecture capture is an ideal tool for facilitating a cross-disciplinary approach. Lecture capture provides
new educational opportunities—for distributed learning or learning without the barriers of time or
distance (i.e., lectures and other learning materials are accessible “anywhere, anytime”). Faculty and
students can benefit from recorded lectures of guest experts from other disciplines, which can
enhance the multidisciplinary transfer of knowledge. With minimal travel, faculty can work with
colleagues on their own campus or other campuses on interdisciplinary research or develop
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interdisciplinary courses by videotaping their own lectures or incorporating videotaped lectures from
leading researchers and experts in the field.
For example, Georgetown University Professor Susan Martin of the Institute for the Study of
International Migration utilizes lecture capture and webcasting to teach Georgetown students on the
main campus at Georgetown with the assistance of experts in Doha, Qatar. In a video featured
prominently on Georgetown’s website, Professor Martin discusses how this approach fosters an
interdisciplinary perspective that is critical to understanding global humanitarian crises from diverse
perspectives (“Technology helps students,” 2010).
Enhancing Teaching and Learning
Even without an international or interdisciplinary focus, for teaching and learning, the potential benefits
of lecture capture are many (Educause, 2009; Kolowich, 2009; Zhu & Borgom, 2010). Lecture capture
enhances and extends existing instructional activities, including those in face-to-face, hybrid, or
distance-learning environments. Lecture capture seems to work especially well in disciplines that
require students to comprehend complex information that is amenable to repeated viewing of content,
such as simulations, formulas written on a board, and even science experiments (Ullman, 2010). Videoon-demand that allows students to closely examine the steps of a demonstrated procedure or process is
particularly helpful when students can comment, point, bookmark, and pause ((Ullman, 2010).
Do college students like having access to recorded lectures? Research studies indicate that the majority
of college students prefer courses that offer lecture captures (commonly referred to as “podcasts”) as
opposed to traditional classes with no recorded content. All students generally cite convenience,
flexibility, and the positive impact on learning as the main reasons they prefer courses with recorded
lectures (Dey et al., 2009). Undergraduate students have indicated that they highly value online
recorded content (McClure, 2008). Most significant for Howard, a study at the University of Michigan
found that minority students were more likely to view recorded lectures (Veeramani & Bradley, 2008).
More extensive studies demonstrate that students benefit by improving their academic performance.
Introductory psychology students at the State University of New York (SUNY) Fredonia who watched a
lecture podcast from iTunesU scored an average of 71 percent on their exam, one study found.
Students who only sat through the 30-minute classroom lecture scored an average of 62 percent
(McKinney et al., 2009). Moreover, students who watched the video lecture and took notes scored an
average of 15 points higher than their peers who did not (Mckinney et al., 2009). The SUNY Fredonia
study also includes good news for professors who worry that lecture-capture technology might make
them expendable. More than 90 percent of Fredonia students said they preferred “traditional lectures
with computer-based learning as a supplement for revising” their notes (McKinney et al., 2009). As for
attendance, there was no noticeable impact in the SUNY Fredonia study. In another study, students
explained that they continued to attend the lecture because it afforded them opportunities for
additional learning and enhancement (Ullman, 2010). That was especially true if the instructor made
the course lecture available outside class and used class time to expand on what was in the recorded
lecture.
Last, but certainly not least, there may also be a potential for revenue generation through lecture
capture. While some universities like MIT offer some of their curriculum resources as open-source
materials (i.e., free online), other universities charge for access to certain materials, such as videos of
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guest speakers and special events. In practice, some of Howard’s videos might become open-source
or free, while other curriculum resources might require a fee.
In sum, lecture capture facilitates internationalization efforts, interdisciplinary research, and
collaboration, while enhancing traditional as well as online teaching and learning in an efficient and
effective manner.
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References
American Council of Education (ACE). (n.d.) Educating for global connections and local
commitments. Retrieved from
http://www.acenet.edu/Content/NavigationMenu/ProgramsServices/cii/current/gap/index.htm
American Council of Education (ACE). (2011). ACE selects seven institutions for HBCU
internationalization project.
http://www.acenet.edu/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Press_Releases2&CONTENTID=39641&TE
MPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm
Childress, L.K. (2009). The twenty-first century university: Developing faculty engagement in
internationalization. New York: Peter Lang Publishing.
Chu L.F., Young C.A, Ngai L.K, Cun T., Pearl RG., & Macario A .( 2010). Learning management
systems and lecture capture in the medical academic. International Anesthesiology Clinics,
48(3), 27-51.
Dey, E., Burn, H., & Gerdes, D. (2009). Bringing the classroom to the Web: Effects of using
new technologies to capture and deliver lectures. Research in Higher Education, 50(4), 377393. doi:10.1007/s11162-009-9124-0.
Educause. (2009). 7 things you should know about lecture capture. Retrieved from:
http://www.educause.edu/eli
El-Haggan, A. et al., (2009). Lecture capture: Is it worth it? (ID: MARC09_48025). Retrieved
from: http://www.educause.edu/Resources/LectureCaptureSystemsAreTheyWo/163626
Kolowich, S. (9 November, 2009). Fans and fears of lecture capture. Retrieved from:
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/11/09/capture
McClure, A. (2008). Lecture Capture: A fresh look. University Business, 11(4), 57-60.
Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.
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McKinney, D. et al. (2009). iTunes University and the classroom: Can podcasts replace
professors? Computers & Education 52, 617–623.
Technology helps students understand other worlds. (2010). Retrieved from:
http://www.georgetown.edu/video/1242664602575.html
Thornton, A. (2010). Enriching the ground on which we stand: Executive report of the Presidential
Commission on Academic Renewal (PCAR). Washington, DC: Howard University.
Ullman, E. (2010). Lecture capture policy and strategy. University Business,
13(7), 70-74. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.
Veeramani, R., & Bradley, S. (2008). U-M Madison online learning study: Insights regarding
undergraduate preference for lecture capture. Retrieved July 9, 2009, from
http://www.uwebi.org/news/uw-online-learning.pdf
Zhu, E. & Borgom, I. (2010). Lecture capture: A guide for effective use. Center for
Research on Teaching and Learning (CRLT) Occasional Papers No. 27. University of Michigan.
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