Combining Screencasting and a Tablet PC for Lecture

Capture

Patrick J O’Malley

School of Chemistry

The Lecture

The Lecture

• Is it still necessary/relevant?

• Surveys suggest the lecture is still an effective and valued learning resource by students.

Lecture Capture?

• Capture content of lecture for future reference

• Audio + presentation

Why?

• Pilot studies have proven very popular with students – valued learning resource

• Student marketing – retention - competition

How?

• Video Camera – MIT, Yale, iTunes U

• For an electronic presentation screencasting is preferable

Screencasting

• Screencast - video capture of all on-screen activity with synchronous audio

• Equivalent to somebody looking over your shoulder while you give commentary on on-screen activity

Screencasting Software

• Wide variety of free and commercial software

• Most popular Camtasia

• Relatively easy to use

• Allows lecture to be uploaded to Blackboard within minutes of lecture end

Tablet PC

• Power point presentations often not very suitable for scientific teaching

• Blackboard or OHP used for dynamic presentation of mathematical equations and chemical structures

• Tablet PC allows for this and can be captured.

Tablet PC

• Projection – clarity

• Digital ink

• Colour

• Complex diagrams can be included and annotated

• Animation

• Can save/capture lecture as presented

Student feedback

Student feedback

“Very helpful. Do the same for all modules”

“Allows reinforcing of ideas and anything not understood”

“I can watch them when I want”

“Great because I cant concentrate well in large lecture theatre”

“My friends and I have used the screencasts to revise together and discuss topics”