Lecture capture has always been an integral part of higher education. From taking notes during a lecture to using a device to record a lesson, students have always sought to preserve what their professors said during class. However, technology has transformed lecture capture, making it more efficient and accessible.
Fast-forward to the present, and many institutions of higher learning are using a comprehensive lecture capture and video management platform to ensure that their students have access to classroom lectures twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, no matter where they happen to be in the world. This “Netflixisation” of academia has empowered student-driven learning with lecture capture, enabling students to take charge of their education.
This generation of students is accustomed to accessing videos on demand, learning from videos on YouTube, and being educated remotely. Colleges and universities worldwide have taken notice. Today, over 1,000 institutions of higher education worldwide use lecture capture software, with colleges and universities recording 100 hours of video monthly.
Choosing the right video management platform empowers students and educators alike, so it's imperative that schools understand what features to look for in a complete package. This article explains what you need to know before investing in a comprehensive lecture capture and video management platform for your school.
Lecture Capture Explained
While lecture capture has always been around in some form, technological advances have changed how classroom activities and other school events are recorded. When people speak about lecture capture today, they're talking about using software to make lectures available to students online. Students can use their school's learning management system (LMS) to download or playback lectures as they become available.
It's important to remember that lecture capture doesn't do away with the traditional class; learning still takes place face-to-face. However, capturing a lecture gives students the flexibility to review what they learned in class as often as they'd like, on their own schedule.
A video management platform enables users to capture and upload lectures using mobile devices, including cell phones and tablets. For example, Warpwire gives users several options to record lectures, including multi-source capture, live broadcast, capture from a mobile device, and capture using a content management system.
When selecting a video management platform, colleges and universities should choose a service with robust lecture capture capabilities that maximize student learning while giving students and professors as much flexibility as possible inside and outside of class. The ability to organize and categorize videos, media libraries, and sharing functions are a few of the tools that a lecture capture system should include.
Lecture Capture and Video Management Platform Features
Choosing the right video management platform for your school is no easy task. You have to walk a tightrope between must-have features and nice-to-have features, all while ensuring that you get the most value for the money spent.
Let’s look at the most important features of any comprehensive lecture capture and video management platform.
Multiple Ways to Capture Lectures
The more ways that teachers and students can record and share lectures, the easier it will be for them to take advantage of the platform's capturing technology. When shopping for a comprehensive lecture capture and video management platform package, be sure to look for the following capabilities:
- Ability to use mobile devices to capture video
- Multi-source capture
- Webcam and external camera capture
- Screen capture
- Zoom recording integration
Compatible with Existing LMS
When selecting a comprehensive lecture capture and video management system, you must ensure that it's compatible with your school's existing technology. Look for a system that offers the widest compatibility with your current LMS. Check to see if it will be necessary to purchase additional hardware or software in order to use the lecture capture system that you're considering. Ideally, the package that you choose will integrate seamlessly with your school's existing learning technology.
Warpwire offers broad device and LMS compatibility, integrating with Canvas, Moodle, Sakai, Blackboard, and a range of mobile devices.
Live Broadcast with Live Chat
One essential tool in any complete lecture capture package is the ability to broadcast live. Warpwire's live broadcast enables users to stream their content live to students and interact with them via chat during the broadcast. When the live broadcast is over, it's automatically saved to the designated media library.
Curated Media
The ability to organize media so students and other users can easily find it is a crucial feature to look for when selecting a video management platform with lecture capture. Warpwire's media library enables users to create playlists under various themes to share or embed on external websites.
Professors also have the option of adding tags to organize media under related topics, sort videos by lesson, and create playlists to help students quickly find what they're looking for and keep track of learning goals. Students or trainees can use Warpwire's contributions mode to curate and share their playlists and add content to the media library.
Other Useful Features
Interactive transcripts, contribution mode, and asset-level security are other helpful features that you should look for when choosing a comprehensive lecture capture and video management platform for your school.
Interactive transcripts enable users to broadcast a video along with an associated caption file. Viewers can search the transcript for key points as they watch the video and review the file after the broadcast.
Lecture Capture Will Be around for the Long Term
Recording lectures and posting them online has proven so valuable to students and teachers, most would agree that the process is here to stay. A comprehensive lecture capture and video management platform is indispensable to colleges and universities. The right platform enables teachers to easily record and upload lectures while also providing the tools that they need to curate video content, organize it, and make it available to students on demand. By choosing the right platform for lecture capture and video management, you're setting up your teachers and students for success.
Warpwire’s video platform provides analytics to help you track media assets, media libraries, and system-wide usage. Designed to explore engagement, Warpwire’s reports provide deep insight into how your institution interacts with media.
To see how we can help you better leverage your video content, get in touch with us today!
