Introduction
Podcasting is a relatively new technology that continues to grow in popularity
in educational settings. Being able to review recorded lectures and other course
materials provides students with the ability to work at their own pace. It
extends classroom boundaries and offers students more flexibility to juggle
competing interests and tasks. Podcasting provides faculty with new resources
and ways to design and enhance course curriculum. Required assignments and
lectures could be posted online to optimize learning opportunities and better
utilize valuable class time.
To address these new technologies and respond to a number of requests from
academic units, a podcasting committee was formed in the fall of 2006 to
identify a centrally supported solution. Numerous products were reviewed and
presented. Tegrity Campus 2.0 was selected as the software solution for the
pilot project as this system offered numerous features and is relatively easy to
use when recording lectures.
Description of the Pilot Project
The pilot has begun in fall 2007 and continues through the spring semester.
Information Services will provide a server for storage of recorded lectures, a
limited number of Tegrity software licenses and the infrastructure capable of
supporting the pilot project in selected ILE classrooms.
The members of the podcasting committee members will help communicate
information and aid in problem resolution for the pilot project.
Objective
The objective of the pilot is to promote innovative teaching and support
curriculum enhancements through the use of digital technologies.
The pilot will provide an opportunity to thoroughly test this solution and the
interrelated technology components to determine if this system works best for
UMKC. We also will be working to identify a support model and infrastructure
improvements required to scale a coursecasting solution.
Scope
The scope of this pilot project is to work with specific academic departments
that will use Tegrity Campus 2.0 for automated lecture capture primarily in ILE
classrooms. Those who participate in the pilot will have the ability to record
course lectures in specific ILE classrooms with automatic lecture upload. These
lectures and other multi-media materials will then be made available in
Blackboard to those students enrolled in that course. Public relations projects
using podcasting are outside the scope of the pilot project.
Policy Statement
Use of podcasting resources at UMKC is restricted, and is for support of the
university's educational mission. Podcasting resources cannot be used in a
manner that violates applicable laws or regulations, for personal private gain
or activities that are not approved by the university. In addition, all
podcasting activities must adhere to all rules and regulations outlined in the
University's acceptable use policies for technology resources.
Pilot Project Guidelines
Academic units or faculty who would like to participate in the podcasting pilot
should complete an online form.
Because there are a limited number of resources and software licenses for the
pilot project, requests will be reviewed by the podcasting committee and those
selected will be notified as soon as possible.
Only credit course-related requests will be accepted for the pilot project. ILE
classrooms will be targeted for automated lecture captures. Tegrity may be
installed on the computers of faculty who are participating in the pilot, but
support may be limited.
Information Services and committee members will work closely with early adopters
to ensure they understand how to use the technology, selected equipment and
Tegrity Campus 2.0. Additional online training materials will be made available
to those involved in the pilot project.
Faculty involved in the pilot will be asked to coach and encourage others with
podcasting activities on campus. Participants also will be asked to complete a
survey so that the system can be evaluated and improved. Faculty participating
in the pilot may be asked to meet with the podcasting committee and other
faculty members to share their experiences. Faculty feedback and involvement in
the project are valued and are key factors in developing a successful program.
Recorded lectures will be made available on the Blackboard server and should be
easily accessible to students enrolled in the pilot course.
Scheduling of recordings and upload times will be managed by Information
Services so that uploads of course recordings are optimally timed for success
and that ILE classroom computers remain available. Management and configuration
tasks would need to remain centralized for consistency.
Tegrity is a limited license courseware tool to be used in the pilot project
during the upcoming fall 2007 and spring semester 2008. Use of this system after
the pilot phase may become fee-based.
All recorded Tegrity coursecasts will be stored on a server housed at UMKC. For
the pilot project, no space limitations are in place. However, if some course
recordings or materials occupy large amounts of storage space, then IS will work
in consultation with the academic unit to limit or remove content.
For additional information please contact your podcasting committee
representative or your IT Liaison.
Measurement and evaluation methods
Surveys will be sent to faculty participating in the pilot project to determine
needs, ease of use, benefits, and areas that need improvement. Interviews may be
conducted mid-way to gather feedback and access the system and support.
Students participating in the pilot project will be asked to complete a survey to
determine benefits, ease of use, availability, drawbacks encountered in how they
listened to the lectures, desired improvements, etc.
Podcasts usage statistics are included with the Tegrity solution and will be
generated on a per course basis.
Measurable Outcomes
- Gradual improvement of retention rates and performance in courses using
coursecasting.
- Trend towards improvement of grades over previous semesters with courses taught.
- Trend towards increased demand for courses involved with pilot.
- Greater proficiency is using educational technology tools (Tegrity, iTunes,
etc.).
- Improvement in student satisfaction rates for courses using lecture capture.
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