Lecture capture changes
From: Classroom Audio Visual Services
Effective May 13, hardware-based lecture capture solutions will no longer be available in general assignment classrooms that are not Connected Classrooms.
Effective Dec. 18, hardware-based lecture capture solutions will no longer be available in Connected Classrooms (Zoom Rooms).
Reason:
The hardware-based lecture capture solutions currently in population have reached end-of-life and are beginning to fall into disrepair. In reviewing the recording metrics over the past several semesters, we have seen a steady decline in hardware-based recordings and an increase in self-service recordings. Due to this data, we are opting to drop the support of hardware-based recording solutions in the spaces we support.
Alternatives:
Since 2020, the higher education audiovisual industry has experienced a dramatic shift toward hybrid environments with both synchronous and asynchronous capabilities in support of reaching students in the classroom or at remote locations. As a result, Classroom AV Services created a solution within the general assignment classrooms, including the Connected Classrooms, where the room microphone(s) and camera(s) are made available to the end user via an USB cable located in the lectern’s cable cubby.
We call this the enhanced “BYOD” (Bring Your Own Device) solution and by plugging in the USB cable to their laptop, the end user gains access to those devices for use with any web conferencing or lecture capture software they prefer on their personal device. The most popular software solutions at Virginia Tech are Kaltura (for lecture capture) and Zoom (for web conferencing and lecture capture), but the faculty can use any software they prefer. It’s important to note that there are no drivers that need to be installed for the enhanced BYOD functionality to work, but there is some setup required specific to the software being used in regard to selecting the room microphone and camera. The enhanced BYOD solution is available in all general assignment rooms that have a capacity greater than 50 persons, any new facilities brought online since 2020, and select other classrooms in Blacksburg and at the Northern Virginia Center.
Resources:
To see which classrooms have this functionality available, visit our Classroom Catalog page and search for “USB Camera and Microphone Connections”:
To learn more about utilizing this solution in the general assignment classrooms, check out our tutorial videos on PageUp LMS:
Technology-enhanced Learning and Online Strategies (TLOS) have some helpful documentation concerning the usage of Kaltura and Zoom.