The University of Northampton, based in the heart of England, offers a diverse selection of courses, including foundation degrees, HNDs, undergraduate degrees, and postgraduate and professional qualifications. The university counts a total enrollment of 10,000, and engages in research at national and international levels.

The university first became interested in using video to enhance the student experience in 2009, after reading reports on lecture capture by Gartner and JISC. They were keen to start using lecture capture software to give their students the chance to view lectures online, on mobile devices and via the Northampton Integrated Learning System (NILE) – a space for lecturers and students to share information and resources.

Having investigated a range of other products on the market, the institution decided to trial Panopto, favoring the video platform for its ease of use, the quality of resolution and clarity of its recordings, its ability to integrate with their own internal systems and the value for money it represented.

The implementation of Panopto’s lecture capture software at the University of Northampton was initiated by two members of staff – Rob Howe, Head of Learning Technology and Media, and Adel Gordon, Media Support and Learning Technologist.

“Panopto’s functionality matched or exceeded that of other products on the market,” noted Howe.

The Learning Technology Department at Northampton was impressed at how quickly they were able to download the software onto a laptop and start using it intuitively. The fact that Panopto offered a hosted solution was also of great benefit as it meant the team could set up the trial quickly and easily.

The first two departments to trial Panopto were the Business School and the School of Health. Lecturers and tutors got involved and were surprised at how easy Panopto was to use. They also loved the fact that it integrated seamlessly with Blackboard.

Di Stoncel, Principal Lecturer in the School of Education, made a recording of a guest speaker, which was then broadcast to students, with great success. Reported Stoncel, “I have found Panopto to be very useful and easier to use than I expected. It is unobtrusive and has opened up several opportunities which have enhanced the student experience.”

Panopto was also used for an assessed presentation, when a grader could not be present because of illness, but could use the recording to moderate. In the future Panopto will be used to capture even more student presentations.

Future Plans with Panopto

Since Panopto has been so well received by students and lecturers alike, Rob Howe and his team will now continue promote it to more tutors across the university.

Panopto is now installed in all lecture theatres at the institution and there are plans to use its live streaming function more and to develop some video case studies.

Ready to try video at your institution?
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