Abstract:

The expectations of the ‘YouTube generation’ now entering higher education, and the clear benefit to learners of making recordings of lectures available for access anywhere, anytime, are factors that have driven an increase in the adoption, by educational institutions, of systems that automate the process of lecture recording. This has led to a growth in the number of available commercial and emerging open source lecture recording systems. Availability of such systems, along with increased network bandwidth, and student expectations, have acted as catalysts for Universities to progress from initial pilots to wider rollout of such facilities.

The systems generally record the audio and video of the presenter, along with screen capture from their presentation, synchronise these elements and automatically create linked chapters to enable students to access the recording online, search for text within the presentation, and recap particular points or make additional notes at their convenience.

At The University of Nottingham, in October 2008, as part of a project to identify the potential for the use of these systems across the University, a pilot ‘Interactive teaching Room’ was installed, incorporating systems for lecture capture and video conferencing. Rather than automatically scheduling recordings in advance, it was clear from early consultations with lecturers that it was of paramount importance that they be able to start the recording themselves, and that they be able to pause the recording during the lecture. By imaginative use of the AMX control interface with which lecturers were already familiar, touch screen buttons were programmed to record, pause and end the recording. To optimise the room environment for video and audio capture, the ‘record’ button was programmed to automatically trigger additional lighting and start an electronic ‘RECORDING’ warning sign. Integration with the university existing authentication system meant that access to recordings could be restricted. An associated project to encourage the creation of Open Educational Resources facilitated the wider publication of appropriate recordings on the University’s YouTube Edu channel on an opt-in basis. Lecturers retained complete control over how the recordings were made available, and whether they were restricted or open. In the pilot period, lecture content from twenty modules was regularly recorded.

The paper examines how engagement with such systems is encouraged by simplifying the process of lecture capture and enabling lecturers to take control of their own content.
This is achieved by:
• empowering the lecturer to take control of recording, while minimizing the complexity of actions required to achieve this, by innovative use of AMX control programming.
• synchronising the room environment, so that it is optimised for capture, using AMX controls.
• tailoring the control interface in response to feedback from system users.
• including timetabling and teaching support staff in developments, to ensure that room/system booking and support procedures are clear and straightforward.
• Integrating university authentication systems so that restricted recordings are secure
• facilitating further publication of material so that open materials are promoted to a wide audience (eg via YouTube Edu)

Keywords:

Lecture recording, lecture capture, automation, AMX, YouTube Edu.