Lecture Capture | News
University of Toronto Implements Campus-Wide Lecture Capture System
The University of Toronto has implemented a system for capturing video recordings of lectures and creating other video content both inside and outside the classroom.
In its search for a lecture capture system, the university went through a rigorous selection process and ended up selecting the Echo360 Active Learning solution because of its ease of use for instructors and administrators and its centralized management controls for the IT department. The university has implemented the system campus-wide, so instructors in all departments can take advantage of it.
"We tested numerous products but our selection committee chose Echo360 because it met the most needs for the University of Toronto," said Avi Hyman, director of academic and collaborative technology at the university, in a prepared statement. "Echo360 delivers the diversity of capture options required by our academics, while providing a manageable, unified system for our technical staff."
With Echo360, instructors can flip their classrooms or provide additional materials for students to use outside of class. One instructor has used it to move a high-demand engineering course online. When it was classroom-based, the alternative energy systems course could accommodate a maximum of 50 students, preventing many from enrolling. Since moving it online, the course enrollment has expanded to 140 students. When students have questions, the instructor posts video responses to share with the whole class.
"Students highly value the independence offered by scheduling their own time to attend class online," said Jim Wallace, professor of mechanical engineering, in a prepared statement. "When students ask questions, I can create audio and video tutorials using Echo360 with illustrations that demonstrate the answer. It is an efficient way to serve a large, online student body and provide a more effective answer than an email."
The University of Toronto is located in Toronto, Canada. It serves more than 65,000 undergraduate students and 15,000 graduate students, and employs more than 17,500 faculty and staff.
Further information about Echo360 can be found at echo360.com.
About the Author
Leila Meyer is a technology writer based in British Columbia. She can be reached at [email protected].
