Abstract:

This paper describes a methodology about outsourcing and repurposing classroom surveillance for Continuing Professional Education (CPE), blended and distance learning via free public webcasting. It is especially relevant due to the world’s economic slowdown, the rise of terror worldwide, as well as concern of security on the campuses of universities. Likewise, the rise of the cost of higher education, gives universities an incentive to reduce the cost, while increasing the quality of education. For example, if professors know that the security systems in the classrooms can also broadcast their lectures world-wide, transcribe and publish their transcripts, and will make them instant authors, they would have an incentive to work harder to improve their lectures, especially if they could split the proceeds of these recordings with the university. We present examples of cell phone and browser views, with remote monitors that users could use to Pan, Tilt, and Zoom (PTZ) the cameras from anywhere in the world, using internet connectivity. The case for repurposing security PTZ-cams footage for instructional purposes is a classic example of an outsourcing opportunity. Offshoring of services is becoming increasingly widespread, and there seems to be tendency to move upward towards higher value creation activities. With the advancement of technology, professional security employees from anywhere in the world can monitor in real-time a classroom in a U.S. This can be done with the employee’s own cell phone turned into a remote control to navigate the classroom cameras.
In our case, dual duties can be efficiently accomplished when we teach computer information systems auditing and security. In addition to the monitoring of the class by an offshore security professional, a computer auditor can also join the monitoring of the course about "computer auditing" and edit the American professor’s transcript overnight. This way, if the editor finishes the editing work during the day time in another part of the world, he/she could upload the edited transcript to the internet, making it available to students for printing and studying. The cost to the American university of having 2 professionals monitoring and editing the lecture could be lower than hiring local professionals or even students. Our proposed innovation is to produce a clickable AV streamable recording in removable media such as CDs, DVDs, SD cards and memory sticks, playable in portable devices such as cell phones and PDAs. During lectures, automated lecture transcripts are produced (using software such as Dragon Naturally Speaking, and court reporting remote transcription and subtitles) and translations using automated translation software are also employed. All of these versions are automatically uploaded to the Internet for downloads, streaming, and on--Demand services.

Instructors that teach automated equities, currencies, commodities, & futures securities trading strategies can share live trades from the classroom or even their home with the students that are logged on to the Web. As they screen and web cast it, the instructors burn High Definition DVDs/CDs, as they upload Standard Definition AV clips to YouTube.com, with sponsor’s ads overlays. At the end of the hour, they upload the DVD/CD master disk to an on-demand DVD-Burner server in the cloud on the internet's WWW, with a shopping cart that shows the images on the front, back, spine, and inside of the DVD/CD case & a trailer.

Keywords:

Blended Learning, Webcasting, Surveillance Video, Distance Learning, Outsourcing, CPE, Economic Slowdown, Terror, Security, Campus, and Universities.