Abstract:

Like many universities, the University of Portsmouth’s Content Capture Policy emerged out of necessity during COVID, becoming a key part of our Blended and Connected Approach. It was created to support the rapid shift to online learning when we had little choice but to pivot and pivot fast. In that regard, it served us well. We recorded lectures, narrated slides, uploaded PowerPoints, and found new ways to stay connected with students. We navigated a global crisis and ensured learning never stopped. The rapid transition to online learning during COVID-19 placed content capture at the heart of digital education strategies.

However, content capture policies now feel out of step with evolving pedagogical philosophies. At Portsmouth, our Teach Well, Consistently Well approach and commitment to active blended learning have exposed a fundamental contradiction: can we prioritise context over content while advocating a policy designed for passive content delivery? As such, within this evolved approach sits something that now feels out of place and increasingly contradictory: our own Content Capture Policy. Because here’s the thing - we don’t deliver. We are not Amazon. We emphasise context over content, a core ABL principle, and this is where our current policy feels increasingly misaligned with our teaching philosophy.

Our response has been the development of the SMART Capture Framework which ensures that digital assets are structured, meaningful, active, reflective, and targeted. Within this framework, an asset is purposeful. It is created or curated with a clear pedagogical intention. It is designed to support active engagement, not just passive consumption. Whether it's a short video recorded in Panopto, a clip curated from YouTube, a learning asset earns its place by what it helps students do with what they have learned. SMART Capture embraces the principles of our institutional approach to learning and teaching, grounded in the simple premise of Teach Well, Consistently Well - every student, every session, every time.

Using the SMART Capture framework as a guide, presentation explores the regeneration of content capture policies, moving beyond the limitations of recorded lectures toward digitally-enabled, pedagogically-informed frameworks that prioritise flexibility and student engagement. It will explore the underpinning principles of the framework to afford reflection on current approaches, and how to create purposeful digital learning experiences that help students stay engaged, keep up, and catch up. The presentation will highlight indicative activities that move beyond mere rote learning to designing creative and engaging digital assets that are intentionally crafted to support real understanding, critical thinking, and practical application.

The presentation will challenge participants to consider how can digital tools support learning beyond passive recording and what principles should guide the creation of dynamic, interactive, and inclusive learning experiences. The presentation acts as an introduction to the SMART Capture workshop also being offered at the conference.

Keywords:

Digital, transformation, engagement, assets, design.