While massive open online courses (MOOCs) can make use
of video to provide lectures for students, the cost of producing video can be prohibitive.
In fact, the University of Pennsylvania recently reported the cost to develop
16 MOOCs $800,000, with video eating up a lion’s share of the funds.
A major reason for the high cost is the investment in
specialized recording equipment, professional audio-visual and post-production
services, and time and training for the MOOC instructor. However, lecture-capture
software may provide a low-cost alternative.
The technology allows an instructor to record all audio
and video sources used in a classroom and make them accessible to students
anywhere and at any time on any device.
The technology also allows for digital notes and bookmarks, quizzes and
polls, live broadcasting, and flexible recording.
“Over the past five years, modern lecture-capture
systems have become an established part of university education, and analysts
predict that by 2016, lecture capture will become as ubiquitous as e-mail on
college campuses,” Ari Bixhorn, vice president of marketing for the software
firm Panopto, wrote in an article for eCampus News. “So as MOOCs continue to evolve in the years ahead, and as
institutions look for ways to participate in this new medium, the price of
video no longer needs to be an inhibiting factor.”
