Tilburg University

Bob van den Brand, an adjunct associated professor at the Tilburg School of Economics and Management, simply wants students to pay more attention in class. But that's much easier said than done. How do you capture the attention of, as he calls it, the YouTube Generation? With Mediasite, that's how. 

Bob launched the i-STAR Learning Project, run with Mediasite, which he says improves the performances of both student and lecturers.

"We would like to connect with a new generation of students. Lectures should be time-and-place independent, have alternative learning routes and be available online," he said. 

i-STAR starts with studio-recorded lecture blocks, no more than 10 minutes long that are designed to quickly dive into the learning material. Then, more short lecture blocks cover case studies and self-guided student exercises. The students get bonus points for taking practice tests through Blackboard, and are immediately able to check their answers through yet another lecture block. 

"The live stream allows students to ask questions through Mediasite and the faculty can answer within 30 seconds," Bob said. 

The program has improved the pass rate from 58 percent to 79 percent in four years. In addition to never having to sit through a 50-minute lecture, students are developing efficient study habits and selecting when and where they want to learn.