CAC Central Proposal to Address Student Challenges

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1 I. CAC Central Pool Proposal ( ) A. Project Title: ENABLING ENHANCED EDUCATIONAL CONTENT CAPTURE, DISTRIBUTION AND COLLABORATION B. CAC Priorities Addressed: 1.) This project is a campus wide proposal addressing student needs. 2.) Proposal is innovative and cost effective and involves students campus wide 3.) The technology systems enhance existing open access facilities 4.) Proposal creates mobile and fixed digital capture and distribution facilities C. Proposing Units: Continuing Education and Communication Services in cooperation with the following departments and students: Information Technology Services Facilities, Planning and Development Nicole Vance College of Design College of Human Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine Erin Enger D. Responsible Administrative Unit: Continuing Education and Communication Services E. Signatures of Participants: See Attached Signature Copy _ William Tysseling, Director Continuing Education and Communication Services Donovan Olson Distance Education Coordinator College of Design Nicole Vance, Senior & GSB Senator Women s Studies and Political Science Dr. Larry Booth, Associate Professor Director of Veterinary Education and Technology Services College of Veterinary Medicine Matt Darbyshire Manager Media Services Instructional Technology Services David Anderson, Project Leader Continuing Education and Communication Services Dr. Steffen Schmidt, Professor Political Science and Director of International Programs Erin R. Enger, Senior English Education Dr. Pat Carlson, Associate Professor Director of Undergraduate Education Department of Curriculum & Instruction College of Human Sciences Kathleen Baumgarn Manager Room Scheduling Facilities Planning and Management

2 Project Overview and Expected Benefit Description and Purpose This proposal will fund installation of a system in ten classrooms on the ISU campus to capture all elements of a lecture or presentation, convert that content to a digital stream, and load that stream onto a server for access by both on-campus and distance education students. The system will be controlled remotely by a single scheduler. Proposal participants include Facilities and ITS who will cooperate in scheduling these facilities and insuring the rooms are properly equipped. The digital capture and delivery of lectures has proven to be an immensely popular feature with faculty and, especially, with students. It permits review of complicated material, make-up of missed lectures, and vastly-increased access to courses by non-traditional learners. Benefits include: Providing students access to classroom lectures through the internet anytime, anywhere Permitting faculty to produce lectures from any computer including remotely Improving student learning outcomes through the ability to review content and learning experiences Potentially reducing classroom overcrowding Improves existing methods of lecture capture and conversion, through centralized scheduling and administration and the automation of capture, conversion, and delivery Automatically links the captured content into WebCT Instructors can focus on teaching, not the technology since the recording process is automated This project has its footings in two previous CAC-funded proposals, which purchased and deployed portable Tablet PC micro-studio systems within the College of Engineering and colleges across campus via Continuing Education and Information Technology Services support. This project also capitalizes on a 2004 WOI Grant that allowed the purchase and upgrade of the Click-to-Meet collaboration system. Priority of capture and delivery services will be given to courses delivered simultaneously on campus and by distance education. The four major components of this proposal are part of a larger more complex course delivery and collaboration system which is described below: Capture Recording of live lecture graphics, narration, and instructor video. Process Basic editing of captured lecture, transcoding into multiple delivery formats, archiving, and delivery of content such as streaming, RSS subscription, Podcasting, and WebCT links. Deliver Lectures delivered in formats desired by the customer. Interaction & Collaboration Existing collaboration software will supplement classroom capture by acting as a secondary communication portal between students and instructors.

3 Classroom Capture Systems The portable Tablet PC micro-studio systems have been used to successfully capture and stream fifteen credit courses and recently allowed the capture of non-credit course modules and student group presentations. The process described above is known as screencasting. Screencasting is the digital capture of a computer screen output which is synced with an instructor s lecture or presenter s narration; this can also include embedded video of the professor. The micro-studios have proven to be an incredibly flexible tool in the capture of content from any location. They will continue to be used for capturing lectures, conducting virtual office hours, and creating just-in-time learning modules. Although the technology has been proven to be valuable, we have found that integrating Tablet PC s into existing classrooms and auditoriums is challenging. Integrating the tablets to existing A/V equipment varies from classroom to classroom and can be an issue when set-up time is only allowed between class periods. Audio capture quality also varies from location to location. Finally, we found that many students desire a Picture-in-Picture video window of the instructor, which is synched with the presentation graphics, digital pen mark-up, and instructor lecture. Unfortunately, we have found the processor within the Tablet PC s lacks the power to efficiently capture screen content and instructor video. This is not an issue with a desktopbased system. For the reasons listed above, it is our goal to expand on content capture systems by adding fixed content Desktop capture systems into ten existing audio/visual equipped large classrooms and auditoriums. These fixed installations will integrate nicely into these classrooms and will increase audio and video quality, reliability, and ease the set-up process. Upgrading and expanding the classrooms with fixed content capture systems will enable the capture of up to 40 classes in a given week with the possibility of expansion with future infrastructure upgrades. Reliably delivering content of this magnitude would be difficult without an automated system. Roving operations necessitates a strong central support system which Apreso provides in a cost-effective manner. Automated Content Publishing Anystream Apreso is content capturing and publishing software that allows the recording and delivery of live classes via a centralized scheduling system. This eliminates the need for student workers to be constantly available within the classroom and also reduces the possibility of human error. The Sympodium Digital Tablet will be available for the professor to scribble notes and mark up their presentation and the microphone will be used to capture the audio. Another important aspect

4 of this initiative is the addition of an instructor camera. A video of the professor while also displaying content such as PowerPoint presentations will add a new dimension to the captured content. Many current distance education students believe the instructor camera aids in the understanding of the content and adds to a more life-like experience. The student viewing the online presentation also has the option to increase or decrease the size of the video window or the presentation window to accommodate their individual needs. Opportunities for student interaction, such as dynamic, live polling and discussion are available through the use of this system. Apreso makes use of a capture card integrated with a desktop computer to store the content of the camera and whatever is on the computer s monitor enabling the capture of both professor video and screen presentation simultaneously. The final product will appear to the student as a normal screen presentation with a small window to the side showing the professor video. However, there are also several other layouts that are available to use if the professor so chooses. These presentations are automatically placed on a campus server for students to view at their leisure. The students only need to be able to access the internet via Internet Explorer, Firefox, or any other internet browser that supports Flash media. If the student would only like the audio portion of the presentation, it will be made available in.mp3 format. Perhaps the greatest benefit to using the software is the possibility of integrating Apreso with the existing WebCT software used by the university. Apreso can automatically update class sites on WebCT to reflect new lectures that have been recorded and made available. Apreso will also send an to the professor to alert them of the availability, or an to the entire class list if so desired. Collaboration Systems Additional interactivity will be provided to streaming media classes through the use of Microsoft Office Live Communications Server (LCS) and Radvision Click-to-Meet (CTM). Using the instant messaging, one-to-one video, file-sharing and whiteboard capabilities of Live Communications Server, instructors can hold virtual office hours to service both on-campus and distance students more effectively. Students can work together as needed or as assigned to enhance the learning experience without the need to physically converge, restoring the interactivity that is critical to higher education. With the addition of Click-to-Meet, students and instructors can move directly from LCS services to real-time multiparty videoconferences without the scheduling complexities traditionally associated with multiparty videoconferencing. III. Availability of Proposed Facilities to Students Captured content will be made available to students immediately after the presentation and will remain so until the end of the semester. The presentations will be available in Flash format by default but can also be made available in other formats as the students and professors desire. Secondary formats can include but are not limited to: Windows Media, QuickTime, and Real format. A. New Technologies Required No additional new technologies other than those in the proposal will be required.

5 B. University Facilities Required for Project CECS will provide necessary storage space for the computers and server. Work areas for students editing and converting content will be provided by CECS. C. Hours of Operation Content will be available 24/7 365 days a year. IV. Support and Maintenance Content editing and conversion costs at the same level of service proposed here will continue to be absorbed by CECS for each course delivered by distance education (subject to (1) minimum enrollment / delivery fee requirements, and (2) optimization of use (e.g., minimizing re-recording of existing courses). Server(s) to store and deliver an expanding inventory of content will be acquired and supported by CECS where distance education value is sufficient to fund the expenditure and where the colleges, department and Campus IT choose not to provide that capacity. It is expected that some colleges may choose to develop their own storage resources. V. Budget The budget proposal provides for the purchasing and installation of the hardware and software involved with the upgrade of ten e-classrooms and Apreso capture and delivery software for up to three classrooms during FY2007. Continuing support, maintenance, and management of the capture systems and Apreso software will be funded via distance education course revenues. Table 1. Full Itemized Budget (Cost for Entire Project) Description of Item Qty Unit Cost Amount Each Total Cost by Funding Source Central Pool Match Hardware Desktop PC with Monitor and Capture Cards 10 $2,000 $20,000 Sympodium Digital Tablet 10 $1,700 $17,000 Tabletop Echo Cancelling Microphone 10 $500 $5,000 Mounting & Security Hardware, Capture Cards, Misc. A/V connectors 10 $1,000 $10,000 Instructor Camera and Tripod 10 $1,000 $10,000 Server for Apreso Software 1 $3,000 $3,000 Digital Media Server for storage 1 10,000 $10,000 Software Anystream Apreso Automation Software (3 rooms) 1 $10,000 $10,000 Camtasia Screen Capture Software 10 $125 $1,250 Labor Scheduling and management: Dave Anderson.5 fte $25,000 Content & Delivery Support Center - 8 am to 9 pm Operations - 60 hours/wk/ x each $8.50 hr. x 15 weeks $20,000 CAC Funds Requested / Total Matching Funds $76,250 $58,000

6 Table 2. Minimum Feasible Itemized Budget (Cost for Minimum Feasible Part of the Project) Description of Item Qty Unit Cost Amount Each Central Pool Hardware Desktop PC with Monitor and Capture Cards 7 $2,000 $14,000 Sympodium Digital Tablet 7 $1,700 $11,900 Tabletop Echo Cancelling Microphone 7 $500 $3,500 Mounting & Security Hardware, Capture Cards, Misc. A/V 7 $1,000 $7,000 Total Cost by Funding Source Match connectors Instructor Camera and Tripod 7 $1,000 $7,000 Server for Apreso Software 7 $3,000 $3,000 Digital Media Server for storage 1 $10,000 Software Anystream Apreso Automation Software (3 rooms) 1 $10,000 $10,000 Camtasia Screen Capture Software 5 $125 $1,250 Labor Scheduling and management: Dave Anderson.5 fte $25,000 Content & Delivery Support Center - 8 am to 9 pm Operations - 60 hours/wk/ x each $8.50 hr. x 15 weeks $20,000 CAC Funds Requested and Matching Funds $54,650 $58,000