• Mediasite by Sonic Foundry
• WebEx (TBD)
• Cisco Capture
• Microsoft Lync
• iPads, iPhones, and Other Camera-Equipped Devices (TBD)
• Panopto Pilot

Mediasite by Sonic Foundry

Mediasite is a hardware-based capture solution by Sonic Foundry http://www.sonicfoundry.com and has been used on campus since 2008. Video, sound, and ease of use by faculty is generally good although high-definition is not supported. This is the most mature of all campus capture solutions. Resources and information is available at http://www.towson.edu/adminfinance/ots/dmc/index.asp

Student playback is available on all common devices (Windows, Mac, iPhones/iPads, etc.). Mediasite recordings can be viewed by providing a website link. The Office of Technology Services hosts a Mediasite-equipped Digital Media Classroom.

The system is costly since it involves a significant amount of hardware and cabling in the classroom along with programming. As a result, new installations take from 6-12 months, from planning to fulfillment due to budget, procurement, and installation factors. The system also requires central management for scheduling, whether by OTS or the college/department that hosts Mediasite rooms. Due to these factors, alternative or complementary solutions for the campus are being explored.

Mediasite is in use in the following buildings and rooms as of February 2013:

• Liberal Arts Building: 1201, 2105, 2110, 2114, 2130, 2204, 2301, 2303, 2310, 2315, 2317, 4114, 4201, 4314, and 5331
• Cook Library: 404A, 404B
• Terrace Dale: 106, 107
• 7400 York Road: 401B, 401C

Microsoft Lync

Microsoft designed Lync as a desktop instant messaging and computer-to-computer videoconferencing solution. However, since it can also record video and audio using the computer's webcam and microphone, plus content displayed on the computer screen, Lync has the potential to be used "off label" to provide a simple, inexpensive capture solution.

The best use-case for Lync would be for a faculty member to record short content segments (micro-lectures) in the office, and then post the resulting Windows Movie file to students by embedding it into a Blackboard course site.

Since it is covered under our campus Microsoft licensing agreement, it does not cost anything to install it on a TU-owned computer or laptop in an office, classroom, or computer lab.

Scaling Lync for use in the classroom, especially in larger rooms, is something that will need to be tested. Faculty can try it out using off-the-shelf hardware, and OTS Classroom and Computer Lab Technologies may be able to provide limited help to try it out. However, it is not slated for production use in the classroom at this time. The inherent limitations of webcams and computer audio are the key limitations.

Lync resources, including a document explaining how to use it for lecture capture, are available online at http://www.towson.edu/adminfinance/ots/trainingdoc/shr42-lync.asp

 

Panopto Pilot (Fall 2013)

Panopto is a software based instructional recording solution that can be used for traditional in-classroom recording, desktop recording, field recording, and webcasting.  A six month pilot is being conducted between the Office of Academic Innovation (OAI) and the Office of Technology Services (OTS) to identify faculty needs for instructional recording, particularly the features, functions, flexibility, and ease of use needed to support a range of teaching and learning methods. Based on faculty needs, the project will then validate whether a software-based solution (Panopto) would meet faculty needs across a variety of use-case scenarios and whether it would ultimately scale well and be a satisfactory fit for Towson University.