Media Capture

Media Capture (also known as Lecture Capture) devices provide the ability to record and stream content right from the classroom. This means that students can review material from their class shortly after they have concluded and/or even attend classes remotely depending on the program. UBC IT Audio Visual has installed a number of these devices into classrooms and theatres on the Vancouver campus, and has enabled the use of portable recorders in others.

The benefits of media capture technology are many, a few of them are:

Excellent research and study tool: Giving students access to recordings online allows them to further study aspects of the course material and assists them in reviewing for exams. UBC’s media capture technology features optical character recognition on all slides captured, allowing the students to search for key words within classroom recordings.

English may not be a student’s first language: Someone for whom English is an additional language might find it difficult to understand all the material covered during a class, especially if the material is very complex or technical. Having the ability to re-watch or search the class material allows the student time to review anything they may have missed.

Assistance with note taking: A media capture recording provides an audio and visual record that students can review as many times as they need. With a laptop, tablet or mobile device students can easily search and review recorded class material. It also means an electronic version of the class is stored, so it is not a problem if handwritten notes were misinterpreted or lost. Media captured course material is also helpful for many students, who may find it difficult to listen to the lecture, process the information, and take notes at the same time.

More opportunity for student interaction: When instructors post their recorded classes online, it leaves more class time for interactive, in-depth exploration of course concepts allowing greater retention and a better understanding of the course material.

Every top university has class/material recording capabilities: Every top ranked university has record/review/stream as an option for all or many of their course offerings.

Use of Media Capture technology has also introduced new pedagogies like flipping the classroom and created new opportunities such as recording student presentations, enhancing student orientations and staff training sessions. Faculty marketing departments have benefited as well; when used for recruitment, live streaming can be a powerful tool.

I started using media capture for Creative Writing 200 in 2015/16. The course is very popular and the technology allowed us to take a 300 student maximum enrolment course and almost double the size. We added, I think, 220 additional students who took the course online, watching the lectures after the fact, and submitting assignments by Connect as the other students did.

 

Timothy Taylor

Assistant Professor
Creative Writing Program

One of the enrolment goals for our Entry-to-Practice PharmD program is to attract students in underserved and underrepresented areas of BC. Since we don’t have the budget to travel extensively, streaming our information sessions using the media capture technology allows us to reach students in these areas and also gives local prospective students the opportunity to participate in the information sessions if they are unable to come in person. We can also request webcast analytics that will give us more information about our audience, such as where they are streaming from, so that we can spot trends in our market to inform future recruitment planning.

 

Carol Kuang

Recruitment and Admissions Officer
Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences