CASE STUDY - Ensemble Video
Transcript of CASE STUDY - Ensemble Video
1 Ensemble Video -‐ Syracuse University College of Law Case Study
Syracuse University Uses Ensemble Video to Transform College of Law Curriculum
CASE STUDY
Summary
The Syracuse University College of Law curriculum combines a balanced commitment to scholarship, teaching, and research. Joel Whitney is the Computer Consultant for the College of Law, creating curriculum videos and rich media guides as part of Syracuse University’s Office of Information Technology and Support Services. He records and produces video for faculty curriculum, student study guides, and promotional videos for the college administration.
Since 2008, the College of Law has chosen to utilize the Ensemble Video platform to provide a video content management system on dedicated servers, to meet the growing demand for video media in its curriculum. Initially, the Ensemble Video platform managed recorded lectures, special interviews, and presentations. Today, the platform serves the sophisticated on-‐demand media needs of 800 students and more than 85 faculty and administrators at the College of Law.
Institution Name: Syracuse University College of Law Department: Information Technology and Support Services Institution Type: Higher Education Challenges
Need to manage and deliver video and to students on any device, at any time Need to integrate media into curriculum
Benefits Students can access course videos anytime, anywhere, from any device Improved student learning through video enabled curriculum
At a Glance
2 Ensemble Video -‐ Syracuse University College of Law Case Study
Search
At the time, a video management platform for higher education organizations was not widely available. Syracuse University began a pilot project within IT services, using the first version of Ensemble Video software loaded onto central campus servers.
A dedicated AV Computer Consultant shot, edited, and produced each video in the College of Law AV studio, where collaborators worked together.
Video was then uploaded to the Ensemble Video platform. The project also produced promotional videos for the college administration, including special events and lectures. Thanks to the Ensemble Video system, the management of video by request was quickly streamlined, and a catalog of videos became easy to manage.
Solution
In 2008, Joel Whitney took charge as the dedicated Computer Consultant in the college, and has worked with the technical support team at Ensemble Video to advance the system and integrate automated capabilities for easy access, anytime, anywhere. The service rapidly grew to become an Ensemble Video self-‐hosted platform.
Initially, videos were produced by
request and delivered. Today,
the Ensemble Video Platform provides
central media repository, and
videos are delivered on demand,
anytime, anywhere.
The annual volume, currently over 400 video uploads, is constantly growing and users have anytime, anywhere access to the catalog of material.
“Students have tremendous interest in video curriculum and expect easy access, including phones and other mobile devices,” says Whitney. “We constantly expand our use of Ensemble Video, and their technology helps us simplify video management, integrating as much automation as possible.”
Ensemble Video Self-‐Hosted Platform Delivers Integrated Solution To Support Expanding Curriculum
Challenge
In 2007, the Syracuse University College of Law needed a solution to manage video and other rich media content, and to integrate it with course curriculum. The college was also looking for an easy way for students to submit video contributions for study guides and other video course materials. In early years, video was created at faculty request as they prepared lectures and presentations, and delivered either via disk or direct file download.
The University’s Office of Information Technology and Support Services searched for a software solution for a dedicated AV computer consultant.
3 Ensemble Video -‐ Syracuse University College of Law Case Study
Ensemble Video is a great collaborative
tool, and allows remote review of
rough-cuts and updates, to quickly
finalize a video. I upload and provide the
link to access. It’s never been easier.”
Easy Access to Video Curriculum
Results
Today, video collaborators can work remotely to produce material, and the volume of uploads continues to grow, averaging some 400 annually. Students can access course videos anytime, anywhere, from any device, including mobile phones and tablets. Since implementation, the Syracuse University College of Law has leveraged the Ensemble Video platform to support multiple users through an enterprise license.
“The nature of video use changes over time,” says Whitney. “Initially, videos were produced by request and delivered to different faculty and administrators [either via physical media or direct file downloads]. Now, the Ensemble Video platform integrates the video with a catalog interface to support video on demand (VOD) services. Videos are centrally stored, and widely distributed to students, faculty, and users in other departments. New videos are produced centrally, using the system for easy collaboration and review of rough-‐cuts and updates. Ensemble Video helps us rapidly agree on the edits and final video, and collaborators don’t have to come to the AV office during production. When complete, I upload and provide the link to access the video. It’s never been easier.”
College of Law Legal Richard Risman agrees. He began offering video materials to students via the Ensemble Video Blackboard Building Block in September, 2012. Risman creates narrated PowerPoint presentations designed to help students understand complex legal citation conventions, as outlined in the industry standard “Bluebook” manual.
Results
SU School of Law Case Study
At over 500 pages, the technical manual would be next to impossible to digest without guidance, Risman says. “Students who access the videos have very good citation form. Those who have not watched them do not,” says Risman. “I have third and fourth year students who say they wish this resource was available when they took the class.”
Ensemble Video affords Risman and other faculty an easy way to deliver supplemental course materials to students, which would not be possible in allotted class time.
4 Ensemble Video -‐ Syracuse University College of Law Case Study
Future
Demand for online course material and video usage continue to expand. Since implementing Ensemble Video, adoption and requests for the service are growing. Faculty continue to use traditional methods of lecture and presentation. But as they see the benefits of using video, both during lecture and for study and review, interest increases. And since Ensemble Video is built for high-‐volume collaborative video management, the Syracuse University College of Law is poised and ready for the future.
In preparation for a move to a newly constructed building, Whitney’s technical group is working on the next stage of integration configuration between Ensemble Video and the school’s lecture-‐capture system, which will enable the College of Law to leverage even more from the online video platform.
The team is also streamlining its technical approach for video captioning to meet accessibility requirements. Syracuse University has a future goal of captioning all materials and content.
Currently, existing content is transcribed and then captioned. Ensemble Video is integrated with CaptionSync™, from Automatic Sync Technologies, a captioning solution for automated captioning during video production.
Whitney says Ensemble Video will continue to be an invaluable partner in advancing the use of video in the curriculum at the Syracuse University College of Law. “Ensemble Video is incredibly responsive, and their level of support keeps me on top. From an occasional tech issue, to the best way to integrate and manage a new feature, I cannot say enough good things about
Students expect technical integration with study utilities and guides, and professors are moving toward video to supplement courses, like short hints and tips from the legal realm.
Company
Ensemble Video PO Box 6505 Syracuse, NY 13217
Phone
(315) 753-‐0094
Web
www.ensemblevideo.com
Joel Whitney Computer Consultant Syracuse University School of Law