MEDIA PRODUCTION

Telecourse Production

Description

A self-contained video class can be broadcast on BCTV (Butte College Television), available for viewing in the MDLC, streamed on the campus web, or available through postal mail.  This makes the course available to a significantly wider number of students who by choice or necessity can not make it to regularly scheduled classes, and even those outside the district.

A telecourse can be combined with hardcopy material or a WebCT component (Contact Chris Palmarini or Dave Stephens for more information).  As the production of a telecourse is extensive and time-consuming, it can often take one or two semesters before it is complete and ready for use.  Any material/content used in the classroom can be incorporated into a telecourse and most already exising course material can be converted into a usable format.  As with other video productions, images and audio from a wide variety of sources can be used.

Contracts between the school and instructor can be created to allow instructor to own the rights to the telecourse and clearance for a telecourse must be obtained from the managing department and the Curriculum Committee.  A telecourse requires close coordination with the MDLC, contact Bonnie Hansen for more information.

Telecourses offer two great advantages to an instructor:

• The ability to reach a greater number of students through the distance learning paths (Increasing FTE).  While the cap for a telecourse is determined by the individual departments controlling the section and the Curriculum Committee, the numbers of students per class is typically greater than a traditional in-room class.
• Once a telecourse is completed, it has a lifespan of many years and the instructor now has a class they no longer have to physically conduct, but still carry a larger number of students and receive credit for teaching.

Production

Telecourses usually are produced in either of two styles, in-class videotaping or single-camera studio production.

In-class videotaping:
In this style, a camera is brought into a classroom and the course is recorded while the instructor conducts a regular class.  While this requires minimal effort by the instructor, it prevents maximizing the production capabilities of the Media Production Department and the production standards (Such as clarity of image, audio, and lighting) are by necessity lowered.

Since the instructor must address most of his/her attention to students in the classroom, the telecourse viewer often does not feel as connected to the instructor and typical in-room distractions, such as noise from students, time taken to respond to questions, the need to take roll and collect/hand out work, and students arriving late and leaving early, impact attention to the course material.  Also, normal classroom activities reduce the amount to time dedicated to delivery of material.

This is the manner in which video classes have been made since the advent of distance learning.  During recording, the instructor would need to wear a wired microphone, and may have to not move as much as they’re used to.  Some presentation methods, such as chalk/white boards and overhead projectors are not practical for this style of videotaping.  Questions from in-room students are often difficult to hear clearly, so they would have to be repeated or just left as is.

Advantages:

• Minimal time and effort required from instructor.
• Quicker turn around from recording to availability.

Disadvantages:

• Less attention paid to viewing student.
• Poorer production standards in image and audio.
• In-room distractions.
• Less material delivered per minute of classtime.
• Errors, missteps, and slipups are significantly more difficult to fix.
• Possible limitations on presentation and teaching methods.

Single-camera studio production:
In this style, an instructor goes into the television studio and delivers the course material without students in attendance, although on occasion a few, prompted students can be used.  In the studio environment, the image and audio quality is maximized and there are no distractions what so ever, giving the telecourse a more professional, smoother look.  All the attention of the instructor is focused on the viewing student, enhancing the effectiveness of this production style.

Post-production editing allows for material to be recorded in smaller segments so any slipups can be rerecorded until they are to the instructor’s satisfaction, and the full capabilities of the Department can be utilized.  Since there are no requirements to answer questions, take roll, collect/hand out assignments, or students arriving late/departing early, more course material can be delivered in a shorter period of time (or covered in greater detail).  Because of this, the number of telecourse episodes are often less than the number of class meetings in a comparable in-room class.

The studio environment allows for staging of more sophisticated demonstrations and presentations.  This style does require the instructor to come in on their own time for the recording, and possibly prepare their material in a different manner.  This is balanced out as once the telecourse is complete, it no longer has to held in a classroom.  As there is more post-production work, it takes longer to prepare the telecourse.

Advantages:

• All attention of instructor focused on viewing student.
• More professional look.
• No in-room distraction.
• More material presented in less time.
• Post-production eliminates slipups, errors.
• More freedom in presentations and demonstrations.

Disadvantages:

• More time required from instructor during production
• Longer turn around time from recording to availability.

Capabilities

The Butte College Media Production Department has a FAST VideoMachine non-linear editing computer and currently masters Telecourses on SVHS videotape and will soon be adding DVD capability for mastering and copying. 

Videotaping will be done in SVHS, or DVCPro format camcorders or directly into the editing system’s SVHS recorder from the BCTV studio in LB101.  Video can be utilized for editing from SVHS and VHS videotape (Recorded at SP/2-hour mode), DVD, or laserdisc with equipment installed in the editing system.  Inputs are available to accommodate video from client-supplied devices, such as camcorders or VCRs in differing formats.

Audio recorded live onto videotape or audio cassette or wav file, from audio cassette, CD, wav and wma audio files, and videotape can be utilized for editing into a telecourse with equipment installed in the editing system.  Inputs are available to accommodate audio from client-supplied devices in differing analog formats.

Graphics in nearly all recognized file formats can be utilized or created.  Adobe PhotoShop, Micro Soft PowerPoint, Inscriber CG, and Chrystal 3D IMPACT! Software is installed on the editing computer for creation of graphic elements, which are easily inserted into a video program.  These programs also allow the inclusion of digital pictures, either from a digital camera or scanned photographs/images.

Programs will be distributed to BCTV for broadcast, to the MDLCs on campus, the Chico Center and the Glenn County Center on department supplied VHS videotape, or streamed on the campus website.

Hints/tips

• The more pre-production that goes into a telecourse, the more efficiently and quickly it can be produced.  A telecourse should be entirely conceptualized and planned out before shooting begins. 
• Consult with Media Production Department staff about your telecourse, schedule an appointment to discuss what you need, and how to go about preparing your project and getting it produced.
• A telecourse is managed by the MDLC, contact Bonnie Hansen for more information.
• If a WebCT component is to be incorporated, contact WebCT SUPPORT for more information.
• A new telecourse must be approved by the instructor’s department and the Curriculum Committee and would be required before production can begin.  Approval is not required for consultations and planning.
• If course material already exists in a computer file format (MSWord, PowerPoint, lecture notes, etc.), it can be easily converted into a usable format or used as is.
• Collect all sources of audio and video (Still and moving images) prior to production beginning.
• If you wish to incorporate something you taped at home on your VCR, it must be recorded in SP/2-hour mode.  This is selectable with the remote when a timed recording is set, or directly on the machine.
• Commercial/copyrighted video and audio elements can be incorporated into a telecourse, as long as they abide by any applicable copyright laws (Fair use, commentary).  If it exceeds Fair Use, then the client should obtain clearance to use copyrighted material.

Here are some links to web sites with information regarding use of copyrighted material:

• The U.S. Copyright Office
  http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html
• The University Of Texas System
  http://www.utsystem.edu/ogc/intellectualproperty/cprtindx.htm
• BitLaw, an internet resource technology law
  http://www.bitlaw.com/copyright/fair_use.html
• Music Library Association
  http://www.musiclibraryassoc.org/Copyright/guidemed.htm