CSU Chico Adopts Speech-to-Text Tech for Faculty

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 08/04/20
Otter for Education

California State University, Chico is offering Otter for Education from Otter.ai to teaching faculty for the upcoming fall semester. The software allows instructors to share live comments and embed education material into online lectures.

This education-specific version of Otter Voice Meeting Notes provides for real-time transcription, which helps students take notes and highlight them during lectures, transcribe research interviews, capture notes from group study sessions and process public audio data for projects. The company suggested that the software was expected to gain pickup especially for accessibility purposes, assisting students who can no longer read lips due to face-covering requirements.

The program works over Zoom and other videoconferencing platforms, recording the proceedings as people speak. It automatically generates a collection of keywords at the top of each transcript, to help students find specific segments of the lecture. Instructors can also embed slides and images into the transcripts to enhance the results.

According to CSU Chico Accessible Technology Manager Jeremy Olguin, adoption of the software is intended "to empower our faculty to help all students to get a better learning experience."

He said the university wants its students "to access our changing learning environment in a way that's most efficient and effective for them. This is the challenge facing the vast majority of learning institutions right now, especially with lectures likely to be taking place in a hybrid mix of on-site and virtual classrooms for the foreseeable future."

The software is also in use at the University of California Los Angeles for students who require academic accommodations. There, the software was adopted as an alternative to the use of peer note-takers because it gave students with learning disabilities "more control over their academic accommodations," explained Nickey Woods, assistant dean for diversity, inclusion and admissions in the graduate division, in a press release. "Otter Voice Meeting Notes empowers our students with automated live transcription, removes their dependency on others, and enables them to access the learning environment in a way that's most efficient for them."

The software uses a subscription model for pricing. The free version provides 600 minutes of real-time transcription each month. Paid editions expand the amount of transcription time allowed and add additional features, such as import of audio and video.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • robot typing on a computer

    Microsoft Announces 'Computer Use' Automation in Copilot Studio

    Microsoft has introduced a new AI-powered feature called "computer use" for its Copilot Studio platform that allows agents to directly interact with Web sites and desktop applications using simulated mouse clicks, menu selections and text inputs.

  • laptop displaying a red padlock icon sits on a wooden desk with a digital network interface background

    Reports Highlight Domain Controllers as Prime Ransomware Targets

    A recent report from Microsoft reinforces warnings about the critical role Active Directory (AD) domain controllers play in large-scale ransomware attacks, aligning with U.S. government advisories on the persistent threat of AD compromise.

  • blue AI cloud connected to circuit lines, a server stack, and a shield with a padlock icon

    AI Security Controls Lag Behind Adoption of AI Cloud Services

    Nearly nine out of 10 organizations are already using AI services in the cloud — but fewer than one in seven have implemented AI-specific security controls, according to a recent report from cybersecurity firm Wiz.

  • AI-powered individual working calmly on one side and a burnt-out person slumped over a laptop on the other

    Researchers: AI's Productivity Gains Come at a Cost

    A recent academic study found that as organizations adopt AI tools, they're not just streamlining workflows — they're piling on new demands. Researchers suggested that "AI technostress" is driving burnout and disrupting personal lives, even as organizations hail productivity gains.