Lecture capture solution Panopto helps lecturers increase the interactivity of their courses

Pittsburgh, Pa., April 7, 2010 Panopto, Inc., a leading provider of rich media presentation capture solutions for the corporate, education, government and healthcare markets, today announced that Aberystwyth University, located in Wales, U.K., has deployed Panopto across its campus to help lecturers increase productivity while providing students with a valuable new tool for studying.

One aspect of the system welcomed by both teaching staff and support staff is the flexibility offered. “As well as recording a standard lecture, staff can do new things with the time slot available to them,” said Nigel Thomas, desktop services technical support leader for Aberystwyth University. “With Panopto, some lecturers are recording pre-lectures, putting information up on the Blackboard Learn Platform and then changing the dynamic of what would have been the lecture slot. They are using the lecture slot as more of a seminar-based interactive session.”

Aberystwyth University selected Panopto as its lecture capture solution for its rich media recording functionality that allowed lecturers to capture audio, video and screen capture components using simple Web cams and microphones. They also chose it for its low total cost of ownership. As a software solution, Panopto did not require any costly investments in hardware or equipment, and it could integrate out-of-the-box with Aberystwyth’s existing solutions, such as the Blackboard platform.

Since deploying Panopto in fall 2009, more than 800 students have been exposed to over 100 rich media recordings created in 86 classrooms. Students have used these recordings to study for exams, and some lecturers have noticed a decrease in the number of e-mails and questions from students, since students now can refer to material that was unclear and clarify many points on their own. One department has also started using Panopto in the field to communicate with students remotely who could not attend course trips.

“Panopto understands that to increase student achievement, lecturers need tools that allow them to present critical information in innovative new ways,” said Eric Burns, chief operating officer of Panopto. “We are excited that Panopto has enabled Aberystwyth University lecturers to not only redefine how they are presenting material during lectures, but also how they are communicating with students.”

After a competitive evaluation, Aberystwyth University chose Panopto over leading lecture capture solutions for its low cost of ownership and ease of use, which allows lecturers to create and post recordings to the Blackboard platform without intervention from the technical support team. In addition, the university has found Panopto to be an important addition to its business continuity plan as it allows lecturers and students to participate in lectures even when they cannot physically visit campus.

Learn More – Aberystwyth University Case Study
To learn more about how Panopto CourseCast is revolutionizing the way Aberystwyth University teaches its students, please view the entire case study here.

Additionally, Aberystwyth University will be presenting additional information on its lecture capture solution on April 14, 2010 at the Blackboard World Teaching & Learning Conference in South Wales, U.K.

About Aberystwyth University
Aberystwyth University is an independent university located in Aberystwyth, Wales, U.K. Aberystwyth was a founding Member Institution of the former federal University of Wales. The University has over 12,000 students spread across seventeen academic departments.