Active Learning Blog

Boost Enrollment & Save Instructors Time with Lecture Capture

Jun 21, 2015 7:30:00 AM by Fred Krazeise

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Dr. Jim Wallace, professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Toronto, developed the first ever online course offered by the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering. The online version of his course, “Alternative Energy Systems” came in response to rising demand from students.

Dr. Wallace recorded his lectures using Echo360 and made them available online. But, he took that innovation one step further. Although his students were able to view and review his lectures on their own time, many students still had questions. And more often than not, many of them asked the same questions.

The solution? To help answer student questions, Dr. Wallace created a series of “mini-tutorial” videos using Echo360 personal capture. He wrote out complex formulas or diagrams while using a document camera to capture the process. At the same time, he recorded a verbal explanation of the solution as a voice over. The result is a series of audio and video tutorials with illustrations that demonstrated the correct answer.

“It’s an efficient way to serve a large, online student body and provide a more effective answer,” says Dr. Wallace. Through the use of personal lecture capture, Dr. Wallace was able to create a more personalized learning experience as well as set up “virtual office hours” that serve his students based on their own schedule, not his.

Another payoff has been through his online course, which has seen an increase in enrollment from 50 students to more than 140 today. Because of the flexible online schedule, both undergraduate and graduate students are able to enroll.

The Echo360 lecture capture solution at the University of Toronto gives instructors the capability to create content whenever and wherever they desire. Read the June 18 blog to discover which lecture capture solution best fits your institution’s needs.

Read the University of Toronto case study to learn more!

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