Central Michigan University College of Health Professions

Central Michigan University uses Mediasite to increase visibility and enrollment for its College of Health Professions. The Central Michigan University (CMU) College of Health Professions wanted to implement web communications technology into a new high-tech learning facility. In addition to serving their 2,000 students, they hoped the technology could provide public visibility for the school. CMU turned to Mediasite for a solution that was easy to implement and use and required less post-production.

CMU faculty members record presentations more than a dozen times each month and over 4,000 viewers have accessed the presentations in just over a year. The college records a doctoral program for distance learners and shares faculty research with the public. Students also use Mediasite to record interactive lab assignments. Mediasite’s high-quality content has provided increased community visibility and continues to help the university reach new viewers around the world. In addition, CMU experienced an immediate return on investment due to the elimination of post-production.

At a glance

• Mediasite supports student learning with instant access to online lectures, both live and on-demand
• Significant time savings generated by eliminating the need for editing and post-production
• University attracts potential students and increases visibility as an elite research and learning institution
• Mediasite lecture capture and webcasting technology integrates seamlessly into the existing AV and IT infrastructure of the school’s learning facilities

Challenge

In 2001, the school began construction of a $50 million high tech learning facility. Director of Applied Research Tim Pletcher and other staff believed they could use traditional web communications technology in this new space to support student learning and attract potential students. In particular, Pletcher’s team wanted to share the school’s capabilities as a regional resource for research and higher learning for the health professions. They sought a simple way to capture and archive classroom lectures for both live and on-demand viewing. Prospective students would be able to investigate the research interests of the school’s faculty and the general public could watch guest lectures on topics they find interesting.

“Our aim truly was to educate not only students, but also showcase to the general public areas of high interest CMU faculty were engaged in,” explained Pletcher. “At the same time, we wanted to create a collegial forum that could be accessed online.”

Solution

Initially skeptical, Pletcher’s team convinced him to test Mediasite by renting a Recorder for a one-day event. The result was an immediate success, as campus faculty and staff were impressed with Mediasite’s ability to synchronize the recording of audio, video and graphic elements that could then be viewed in real-time or later on-demand.

“My gold standard for successful technology is a solution that faculty can quickly embrace. When we show Mediasite presentations to end users, like faculty, they love it,” said Pletcher.

“From a support perspective, Mediasite’s winning strength is that you’re streaming live as you record and when it’s done, it’s archived. You capture it right the first time and then no further editing or production is needed – and we don’t have to revisit a presentation or lecture for more post production.”

The school implemented Mediasite by Sonic Foundry to record, distribute and manage rich media content for courses and outreach. Alumni, students and faculty all access Mediasite events, presentations and lectures. Using Mediasite, faculty members create presentations to supplement classroom learning. Working together with students, instructors have produced several series focusing on diagnostic and therapeutic technique. These demonstrations reinforce lab experiences.   The college also uses Mediasite to capture forum-presented research presented research, allowing faculty, students and staff to share their research and creative endeavors to enrich the scholarly efforts of faculty and students within the College. Lectures are webcast live using Mediasite and made available for on-demand viewing on the College of Health Professions website.

Result

According to Pletcher, use of Mediasite on campus continues to increase steadily. Today, the school captures over a dozen Mediasite presentations per month, and more than 4,000 viewers have accessed those presentations in just over a year.

Pletcher attributes an immediate ROI to Mediasite’s automated capture and playback because it eliminates the need for post-production editing. “The return on investment comes not so much from the price point as in the time savings. The value is that we’re completely finished at the end of the lecture. With Mediasite, it’s instantaneous. As soon as the instructor stops speaking, that content is indexed, archived and available. The future of distance education is the ability to quickly produce and disseminate high quality content, and that is exactly what Mediasite is all about,” he added.

In addition, individuals around the globe are now accessing the College’s Mediasite presentations. Recently the school hosted a speech on steroid use in athletes by a leading expert in the field, and the appeal to non-students startled staff and faculty alike. “The right topic can have a very broad audience. With Mediasite, qualified content is very consumable and provides great visibility for the school,” said Pletcher.

About Central Michigan University

Founded in 1997, CMU’s Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions serves 2,000 undergraduate and graduate students studying the health professionals, such as physician’s assistants, physical therapists, athletic trainers, health administrators and others. For the past four years, Tim Pletcher has been the director of applied research for the College. He is responsible for the school’s IT environment and participates in grant activities, such as tele-health, educational and community outreach programs as well as health activities in both clinics and the classroom.