1   Ensemble  Video    -­‐  Syracuse  University  College  of  Law  Case  Study  

Syracuse  University  Uses  Ensemble  Video  to  Transform  College  of  Law  Curriculum    

CASE  STUDY    

Summary  

The  Syracuse  University  College  of  Law  curriculum  combines  a  balanced  commitment  to  scholarship,  teaching,  and  research.  Joel  Whitney  is  the  Computer  Consultant  for  the  College  of  Law,  creating  curriculum  videos  and  rich  media  guides  as  part  of  Syracuse  University’s  Office  of  Information  Technology  and  Support  Services.  He  records  and  produces  video  for  faculty  curriculum,  student  study  guides,  and  promotional  videos  for  the  college  administration.    

Since  2008,  the  College  of  Law  has  chosen  to  utilize  the  Ensemble  Video  platform  to  provide  a  video  content  management  system  on  dedicated  servers,  to  meet  the  growing  demand  for  video  media  in  its  curriculum.  Initially,  the  Ensemble  Video  platform  managed  recorded  lectures,  special  interviews,  and  presentations.  Today,  the  platform  serves  the  sophisticated  on-­‐demand  media  needs  of  800  students  and  more  than  85  faculty  and  administrators  at  the  College  of  Law.    

Institution  Name:  Syracuse  University  College  of  Law    Department:  Information  Technology  and  Support  Services    Institution  Type:  Higher  Education    Challenges  

Need  to  manage  and  deliver  video  and  to  students  on  any  device,  at  any  time  Need  to  integrate  media  into  curriculum      

Benefits  Students  can  access  course  videos  anytime,  anywhere,  from  any  device  Improved  student  learning  through  video  enabled  curriculum  

At  a  Glance  

2   Ensemble  Video    -­‐  Syracuse  University  College  of  Law  Case  Study  

Search  

At  the  time,  a  video  management  platform  for  higher  education  organizations  was  not  widely  available.  Syracuse  University  began  a  pilot  project  within  IT  services,  using  the  first  version  of  Ensemble  Video  software  loaded  onto  central  campus  servers.  

A  dedicated  AV  Computer  Consultant  shot,  edited,  and  produced  each  video  in  the  College  of  Law  AV  studio,  where  collaborators  worked  together.      

Video  was  then  uploaded  to  the  Ensemble  Video  platform.  The  project  also  produced  promotional  videos  for  the  college  administration,  including  special  events  and  lectures.  Thanks  to  the  Ensemble  Video  system,  the  management  of  video  by  request  was  quickly  streamlined,  and  a  catalog  of  videos  became  easy  to  manage.  

Solution  

In  2008,  Joel  Whitney  took  charge  as  the  dedicated  Computer  Consultant  in  the  college,  and  has  worked  with  the  technical  support  team  at  Ensemble  Video  to  advance  the  system  and  integrate  automated  capabilities  for  easy  access,  anytime,  anywhere.  The  service  rapidly  grew  to  become  an  Ensemble  Video  self-­‐hosted  platform.

Initially, videos were produced by

request and delivered. Today,

the Ensemble Video Platform provides

central media repository, and

videos are delivered on demand,

anytime, anywhere.

The  annual  volume,  currently  over  400  video  uploads,  is  constantly  growing  and  users  have  anytime,  anywhere  access  to  the  catalog  of  material.    

“Students  have  tremendous  interest  in  video  curriculum  and  expect  easy  access,  including  phones  and  other  mobile  devices,”  says  Whitney.  “We  constantly  expand  our  use  of  Ensemble  Video,  and  their  technology  helps  us  simplify  video  management,  integrating  as  much  automation  as  possible.”  

Ensemble  Video  Self-­‐Hosted  Platform  Delivers  Integrated  Solution  To  Support  Expanding  Curriculum  

Challenge  

In  2007,  the  Syracuse  University  College  of  Law  needed  a  solution  to  manage  video  and  other  rich  media  content,  and  to  integrate  it  with  course  curriculum.  The  college  was  also  looking  for  an  easy  way  for  students  to  submit  video  contributions  for  study  guides  and  other  video  course  materials.  In  early  years,  video  was  created  at  faculty  request  as  they  prepared  lectures  and  presentations,  and  delivered  either  via  disk  or  direct  file  download.    

The  University’s  Office  of  Information  Technology  and  Support  Services  searched  for  a  software  solution  for  a  dedicated  AV  computer  consultant.    

3   Ensemble  Video    -­‐  Syracuse  University  College  of  Law  Case  Study  

Ensemble Video is a great collaborative

tool, and allows remote review of

rough-cuts and updates, to quickly

finalize a video. I upload and provide the

link to access. It’s never been easier.”

Easy  Access  to  Video  Curriculum  

Results  

Today,  video  collaborators  can  work  remotely  to  produce  material,  and  the  volume  of  uploads  continues  to  grow,  averaging  some  400  annually.  Students  can  access  course  videos  anytime,  anywhere,  from  any  device,  including  mobile  phones  and  tablets.  Since  implementation,  the  Syracuse  University  College  of  Law  has  leveraged  the  Ensemble  Video  platform  to  support  multiple  users  through  an  enterprise  license.    

“The  nature  of  video  use  changes  over  time,”  says  Whitney.  “Initially,  videos  were  produced  by  request  and  delivered  to  different  faculty  and  administrators  [either  via  physical  media  or  direct  file  downloads].  Now,  the  Ensemble  Video  platform  integrates  the  video  with  a  catalog  interface  to  support  video  on  demand  (VOD)  services.  Videos  are  centrally  stored,  and  widely  distributed  to  students,  faculty,  and  users  in  other  departments.  New  videos  are  produced  centrally,  using  the  system  for  easy  collaboration  and  review  of  rough-­‐cuts  and  updates.  Ensemble  Video  helps  us  rapidly  agree  on  the  edits  and  final  video,  and  collaborators  don’t  have  to  come  to  the  AV  office  during  production.  When  complete,  I  upload  and  provide  the  link  to  access  the  video.  It’s  never  been  easier.”  

College  of  Law  Legal  Richard  Risman  agrees.  He  began  offering  video  materials  to  students  via  the  Ensemble  Video  Blackboard  Building  Block  in  September,  2012.  Risman  creates  narrated  PowerPoint  presentations  designed  to  help  students  understand  complex  legal  citation  conventions,  as  outlined  in  the  industry  standard  “Bluebook”  manual.  

Results  

SU  School  of  Law  Case  Study  

At  over  500  pages,  the  technical  manual  would  be  next  to  impossible  to  digest  without  guidance,  Risman  says.  “Students  who  access  the  videos  have  very  good  citation  form.  Those  who  have  not  watched  them  do  not,”  says  Risman.  “I  have  third  and  fourth  year  students  who  say  they  wish  this  resource  was  available  when  they  took  the  class.”    

Ensemble  Video  affords  Risman  and  other  faculty  an  easy  way  to  deliver  supplemental  course  materials  to  students,  which  would  not  be  possible  in  allotted  class  time.  

4   Ensemble  Video    -­‐  Syracuse  University  College  of  Law  Case  Study  

Future  

Demand  for  online  course  material  and  video  usage  continue  to  expand.  Since  implementing  Ensemble  Video,  adoption  and  requests  for  the  service  are  growing.  Faculty  continue  to  use  traditional  methods  of  lecture  and  presentation.  But  as  they  see  the  benefits  of  using  video,  both  during  lecture  and  for  study  and  review,  interest  increases.  And  since  Ensemble  Video  is  built  for  high-­‐volume  collaborative  video  management,  the  Syracuse  University  College  of  Law  is  poised  and  ready  for  the  future.  

In  preparation  for  a  move  to  a  newly  constructed  building,  Whitney’s  technical  group  is  working  on  the  next  stage  of  integration  configuration  between  Ensemble  Video  and  the  school’s  lecture-­‐capture  system,  which  will  enable  the  College  of  Law  to  leverage  even  more  from  the  online  video  platform.  

The  team  is  also  streamlining  its  technical  approach  for  video  captioning  to  meet  accessibility  requirements.  Syracuse  University  has  a  future  goal  of  captioning  all  materials  and  content.  

Currently,  existing  content  is  transcribed  and  then  captioned.  Ensemble  Video  is  integrated  with  CaptionSync™,  from  Automatic  Sync  Technologies,  a  captioning  solution  for  automated  captioning  during  video  production.    

Whitney  says  Ensemble  Video  will  continue  to  be  an  invaluable  partner  in  advancing  the  use  of  video  in  the  curriculum  at  the  Syracuse  University  College  of  Law.  “Ensemble  Video  is  incredibly  responsive,  and  their  level  of  support  keeps  me  on  top.  From  an  occasional  tech  issue,  to  the  best  way  to  integrate  and  manage  a  new  feature,  I  cannot  say  enough  good  things  about  

Students expect technical integration with study utilities and guides, and professors are moving toward video to supplement courses, like short hints and tips from the legal realm.

Company  

Ensemble  Video  PO  Box  6505  Syracuse,  NY  13217  

Phone  

(315)  753-­‐0094  

Web  

www.ensemblevideo.com  

Joel  Whitney  Computer  Consultant  Syracuse  University  School  of  Law