July 2023

August Update

Image: Screenshot from “SmitCast Ep3” featuring Alice Yang.

Media Production in July

• 14 hours of consultations with faculty and staff in College of Health Professions, Continuing Education, Office of Admissions, and Pace Online.
• 5 videos produced (52 minutes total) and 2 edited projects.
• Additionally, we published 2 podcast episodes featuring Pace international students and staff.

Updates and Highlights

– We continued preproduction with Nan Solomons on multimedia for the upcoming launch of the interdisciplinary program in Health Informatics. In particular, we were exploring the use of Adobe Character Animator to create weekly video updates.
– Ever wonder how a project goes from start to finish? We’ve been creating case studies highlighting OLC services.
– Smit produced and published two more episodes of SmitCast, featuring Pace students and staff talking about their experiences in NYC.
– Studio upgrade: we installed a “PTZFly” camera controller for smooth position and zoom adjustments.

Production Tip of the month: Use Panopto to add an additional “audio description” (AD) track to describe what is happening in the video for people with visual impairments. See an example here.
Please contact OLC staff to reserve studio time or collaborate with us.

Case Study: Capstone Presentations

Faculty: HEASA faculty (Shawn O’Riley, Program Chair)

Course: HEASA Capstone

Goal: Record in-person and online (Zoom) student presentations, including Q&A. Make videos of rehearsal presentations available to students. Archive final videos online (on Pace Library’s institutional repository) to be used as examples for future cohorts.

Outcome: We’ve hosted four Capstone sessions to date, and recorded 25+ final presentations.

Background:

Faculty for the Higher Education Administration and Student Affairs (HEASA) program wanted high-quality recordings of the program’s culminating experience: a 15-minute “Capstone” presentation on original research.

Continue reading “Case Study: Capstone Presentations”

AI – The Next Big Thing for OLC

Artificial Intelligence is the new buzzword these days when it comes to the completion of any and every task.

AI has the capability to automate and optimize tasks across numerous sectors, leading to increased efficiency, reduced costs, and improved productivity. As AI algorithms and systems become more sophisticated, automation will likely become more prevalent, freeing up human resources for higher-value activities.

At the Online Learning Center, we are currently exploring various AI technologies and software in order to create high-quality and engaging videos and lectures. This prompted us to employ one of the AI systems known as ‘opus.pro.’

I wanted people to be engaged in my recent trip of hosting an hour-long podcast, so I decided to cut it down into little one-minute pieces. However, it was difficult to choose which part would be the most fascinating and valuable to the viewers. To my amazement, I came across an AI tool that allows you to upload the YouTube URL for the podcast and it will automatically provide you with the top 10 one-minute snippets. Let me demonstrate:

1. Upload the link in the box:

2. Once you’ve entered your URL, the program will provide you with 10 top one-minute possibilities, each with a score. – The score reflects how significant the subject matter was throughout the narrative – The higher the score, the greater the effect – Here, I chose a score of 99 to capture the most audience attention.

3. Once you’ve chosen your clip, you may alter the subtitles and pick different colors to highlight certain strong verbs in the video.

4. You can also edit the layout of the captions, font, and color of the text.

Here is the final outcome

Case Study: Supplemental Video Lectures

Faculty: Professor Dan Strahs (Biology, Dyson College)

Course: Advanced Biochemistry

Goal: Create a set of short videos (~20 minutes each) to extend instruction of advanced biochemistry examples beyond the classroom. Publish videos to an existing course as supplementary content.

Outcome: To date, we’ve produced 8 lectures (3+ hours total).

Background:

In the fall of 2022, Professor Dan Strahs came to the OLC with the goal of capturing lecture content he doesn’t have time to deliver in person. Making additional short lectures available on Classes would allow him to walk students through highly relevant examples.

Continue reading “Case Study: Supplemental Video Lectures”

PACE OLC @ SXSW EDU

What part of our work in the OLC should we share with others? That’s the question that prompted me to submit a presentation proposal for the next SXSW EDU.

SXSW EDU is organized around similar themes as SXSW: innovation, multimedia, and networking. In short, it’s “a celebration of innovation and learning.” I’ve attended virtually for two years, and I find it to be an exciting mix of viewpoints and formats.

This year, I’ve submitted a proposal for the first time. I chose the format of a 30-minute solo presentation for my talk titled:

“The Collaborative and Transmedia Future of Higher Education.”

Session description:

The lecture is dead; long live the lecture! Today, instructors face a daunting task of teaching across face-to-face, online, and hyflex modalities where the traditional lecture is often deprecated as an outmoded method of instruction. But expert narratives can and should be reimagined in and across new media and new learning spaces. What I call a “collaborative transmedia lecture” is a framework for evolving lectures with new technologies. With an eye on video production and diverse learning platforms, this session highlights new opportunities for engagement and learning.

Here’s the teaser video:

This talk has evolved out of my reflection on the models I use to help faculty build exciting and engaging course experiences for our students here at Pace. This fall, for example, I’ll be teaching Introduction to Podcasting in the Communications and Media Studies program. As a production-focused course (re: “experiential education”), there is an emphasis on student-centered learning. This is a great excuse for me to demonstrate using instructor-created video in creative ways.

Some ideas that I plan to define and feature:

– Transmedia storytelling
– Post-pandemic hyflex teaching
– The instructor as DJ (and copyleft media)
– Student-led content curation
– TikTok edits and glam-casting

With some luck–and your support via PanelPicker voting from August 8 – 20–I’ll have a platform to share this work with the SXSW community in 2024.

I’ll be sharing this framework on this blog and in OLC workshops in the near future. Are you a Pace instructor looking to enhance your lectures? Let’s collaborate! Reach me at OLC@Pace.edu.

SmitCast – The Story

I’ve always been a people person and an extrovert by nature; I could even talk to the most quiet person in the room.

As a Student Assistant at the Online Learning Center, I made every effort to reach out to as many students and faculty members as possible via digital media and talk to them about their experiences, Pace University, and living in New York. I subscribed to a YouTube channel called Beer Biceps, which is managed by Ranveer Allahbadia, a young man who interviews VVIPs and stars from all across India and wonderfully constructs the entire conversation for his audience. I was enthralled!

“Hey, let’s start a podcast?” I approached Brian one day while sipping my beloved Dunkin’ Donuts cappuccino. Which he said, “Let’s do this!”

I began by customizing the podcast’s structure and launched the International Student Edition series, in which I invited outstanding students to discuss their journey, concerns, challenges, and accomplishments in the city.

The goal of these podcasts is to teach and convey real-time information on how things function for each student confronting unique challenges. Furthermore, I want to set a good example for incoming international students and prepare them for life in New York.

Here’s my most recent interview with Kelly on how she got a full-time job offer one and a half years before graduating.

Do not forget to subscribe to our youtube channel and hit the bell icon to never miss an update

July Update

Image: “SmitCast, Ep.1” thumbnail image.

Media Production in June

• 19 hours of consultations with faculty and staff in Pace Online, NACTEL, College of Health Professions, Haub Law, Pace Library, and ELI.
• 3 videos produced (53 minutes total) and 3 additional videos edited.

Updates and Highlights

– A big project last month was completing the production of “The World is Next” featuring Alford “Slim” Willock. With his graduation and a studio interview shot in May, this was our big editing project this month. Slim provided OLC staff with over two hours of additional video of his family and work life, making this rich 3-minute video possible. Congrats Slim!
– Another exciting project was the production and publication of Smit’s first video podcast episode featuring Minal Rita (thumbnail above). Smit hopes to create a series of interviews with Pace students discussing their experiences here in New York City, as well as their struggles and successes as international students. Awesome work, Smit!
– We have been developing our copyright-free audio track library, so we are better equipped to create original, engaging media.

Production Tip of the month: Did you know OLC staff are equipped for “field recording” on both campuses? This means we can shoot video on-site to capture the content you need to tell your story.

Please contact OLC staff to reserve studio time or collaborate with us.

The World is Next – Telling Slim’s Story in 3 minutes

The Pace Online team has recently produced and published a spotlight video about Alphur “Slim” Willock’s educational journey at Pace.

Background

In May 2023, Alphur “Slim” Willock graduated with a Master of Science degree in Information Technology from Pace University. He connected to his bachelor’s and master’s programs through the NACTEL (National Alliance for Communications Technology Education and Learning) and CAEL (Council for Adult and Experiential Learning). NACTEL is a CAEL-led partnership of industry employers and unions working with quality educators to create and sponsor online education programs that meet the needs of current and future telecommunications professionals.

Production

To highlight Slim’s experience at Pace, OLC staff conducted a 1-hour studio interview and captured his family celebrating at graduation in May 2023. With additional footage provided by Slim, we were able to illustrate his home life and work ethic. The video was edited in Adobe Premiere Pro, and also features music from our copyright-free library.

Credits:

– Camera: Brian Hughes
– Editing: Lara Gedeon (lead), Brian Hughes (supporting)
– Thumbnail artwork: Lara Gedeon (photo), Smit Goswami (design)

Do you have a student or graduate you’d like to highlight in your program? Reach out to OLC staff and we’ll collaborate!