When the course must go on…

This post has been updated as of 12/1/19 with new information…

As more winter weather descends upon the region this week, we thought it might be a good idea to post a friendly reminder about two services that the ATC has available that can help facilitate the delivery of academic content, even from off-campus.

Want to record lecture video from your home (or office)?  Consider using Canvas Studio (formerly Arc Video) or Universal Capture (formerly P-Cap)!

Possible uses of recorded video include:

  • Travel which requires that you miss a scheduled lecture (No need!  Just record it prior to your departure!)
  • The clarification and/or follow-up on a particularly challenging concept that students seemed to struggle with during lecture
  • Homework or Quiz/Test problem review
  • Student pre-requisite course material review and/or catch-up
  • ****Wintry weather conditions making travel to campus/classrooms difficult!****

Edit for 2019: Canvas Studio includes screen capturing software and is already embedded in Canvas. A relatively new tool for WPI, you can find it in Media Storage in the Global Navigation menu (the red menu on the left when logged in), within your courses, and within the rich-text editor in Canvas. Learn more about where to find Studio in Canvas.

Ready to get started in Canvas Studio? Check out this guide that Canvas has available on recording with Studio.

Or view all the documentation that Canvas has available on Studio.

Alternatively… we also have Echo360. Echo360 Universal Capture is desktop capturing software that can be installed on a home or office computer to record content for your students. (Mac and PC compatible and no VPN required!) These recordings can then be published to a Canvas site and made available to your class with very little post-production work required.

Download Universal Capture and then, when you are ready to get started, follow these instructions: Recording with Universal Capture.

Want to learn more?  Contact atc-ttl@wpi.edu. As long as you have a microphone on your computer (most laptops have internal mics!), we can get you set up with a simple email request!

 

Want to deliver a live lecture via web conferencing software?   Try Zoom!

Zoom is a Web conferencing tool that allows groups of individuals to communicate real-time via voice and screen share over the Internet. Zoom features include an electronic whiteboard, screen sharing, quizzing and polling, text chat, and webcam video conferencing. Zoom sessions can also be recorded for later playback.

In order to get you started with Zoom, log in to our server at http://wpi.zoom.us. After you have logged in, you can download the desktop or mobile client from http://zoom.us/downloads.  When signing in from the client, be sure to click on the button that reads “Login with SSO,” and use “wpi” as your “company domain.”

More information on Zoom can be found here.

 

Questions about these tools? Feel free to reach out to atc-ttl@wpi.edu at any time! And remember, if you are using Canvas, WPI subscribes to 24/7 support via email, live chat, and phone. Click the “Help” button on the left when you are logged into Canvas to access their support team. So, if you need assistance posting notes or supplemental materials in lieu of hosting class online or posting a video, Canvas Support would be glad to assist!

Safe travels!