Two free products that we use for screencasting in the E-Learning Unit are Jing (from Techsmith) and Screenr (from Articulate), and though they are very basic, they may be suitable for your needs.

Both Jing and Screenr have the capability to record a specified area of your screen for up to 5 minutes, and both allow you to add  audio using a microphone. You can upgrade both products to a Pro version – which opens up several additional features for each.

Jing:

I’ve been using Jing for a long time to do my screencasts, and what I like about it is that the tool sits discreetly at the top of my screen and allows me to start recording at any moment by just clicking a button. It also offers a very convenient way to capture still images (screenshots) – and provides drawing tools to annotate your images. Here is an example of an image captured with Jing:

To use Jing you need to download and install the software to your machine from the Jing website at http://www.techsmith.com/jing/

It only takes a few minutes, and you will be prompted to register. Registering gives you an account on screencast.com – which gives free online media storage (up to 2mb) and is also where your screencasts will be hosted.

To make a recording, you simply click on the Jing sun icon from the top of your screen and then select the area that you would like to capture. Click on either the ‘Capture image’ or ‘Capture video’ button. When capturing a video, you will receive a countdown before you begin. You can pause your recording or when finished just click the stop button.

Jing recordings are private by default – and only those who know the URL to your screencast will be able to view it. You can choose to password protect your screencasts, or make them publicly available. You can also embed the video onto your website.

Here is a sample embedded Jing recording:
 

 
Screenr:

I recently started using screenr and found it very useful to produce screencasts as well. One advantage of Screenr over Jing is that it is web-based and there is no need to download and install anything to your machine. You can log into the Screenr website with your Twitter, Facebook, Google or Yahoo account in order to publish your recordings.

Similar to Jing, you select the area of the screen you wish to record, and when finished, click the done button. You will then be able to publish the video and share it via various options. You can post the video directly to twitter or facebook, or you can embed it in your blog or website.

Here is a sample Screenr recording:
 

 
I’ve put together a summary comparison chart of Jing and Screenr to help you decide which tool is better for you.

Jing Advantages:

1. No need for internet connection to record or capture images
2. Record up to 5 minutes of audio and screen (video recording available with Pro version)
3. Produces Flash SWF files (Mp4 files available with Pro version)
4. 2GB free storage space on Screencast.com
5. Private by default, but can make recording password protected, or publicly available
6. Also capture screenshots and use tools provided for annotation
7. Embed screencast or screenshots onto webpage
8. Share on Twitter or Facebook (YouTube upload button available with Pro account)
9. Price: FREE; Pro US $14.95 per year

Screenr Advantages:

1. Web-Based; no need to install anything
2. Record up to 5 minutes of audio and screen
3. Produces MP4 files
4. No storage limits
5. Share instantly on Twitter or Facebook
6. Upload directly to YouTube
7. Download an Mp4 copy of file to computer
8. Easily get embed code to embed onto website
9. Price: FREE; Pro from US $19 per month

The term ‘podcasting’ was used loosely to describe a means of recording content – primarily, in this case, recording of lectures (audio, video and/or computer screen) and distributing these recordings to an intended audience.

There were 83 staff responses and 614 student reponses to the survey. 36% of staff had made recordings over the past year and 67% of these had used the Q-Review service. 100% of those who had used the Q-Review service would recommend the service to others, with one user stating “Outstanding facility, outstandingly well supported”.

Survey participants could enter into a prize draw for an Amazon Kindle. Dr. Katherine Fleming, from the school of English and Drama, was the lucky winner of a Kindle. Dr. Fleming shared with us that although she hasn’t done any recordings, she would be interested in using the Q-Review service in the future but feels that more guidance and advice on the implications of podcasting in the university would be helpful before embarking too enthusiastically on the service.

Other staff respondents expressed worry of lectures being replaced by podcasts – one respondent commented that

“There is so much interaction that occurs in lectures. The relationship between the lecturer and the student cohort is part of the learning — and teaching — experience. Face time with students is pedagogically advantageous to them. And allows me to read their faces, respond in the moment, and be receptive to their learning.”

While these concerns are understandable, it should be stressed that the Q-Review service is not meant to be a replacement for lectures but has been used as a supplement to the face-to-face classroom experience. This is also addressed in the Code of Practice for the service.

Other staff worried that recordings would affect attendance. However, staff should be assured that there was strong evidence that students still value face-to-face interactions. Research indicates that lecture capture has little, if any, impact on attendance – one student pointed out that

“Recordings are helpful when you’re absent – recordings aren’t the cause for absence.”

82.2% of students indicated that their attendance would remain the same.  Students commented that recordings are used in addition to lecture time and allow them to recap areas that they may have had difficulty in understanding the first time around, allowing them to go over material covered in class at a slower pace, especially if they missed something in class and had gaps in their notes. Students still valued the interaction and engagement experienced in face-to-face time.

Students were very forthcoming with their feedback and their comments give a real insight to how they feel the technology is beneficial to their learning. One student stated

“I find it difficult to absorb the entire lecture whilst sat taking notes..recorded lectures have been invaluable to my current high grades.”

Another student commented

“Rather than rushing to note ‘everything’ the lecturer says, I could be more pro-active in my engagement with the presentation.”

Some students were also concerned about loss of face-time with their teachers, and stressed that the service should be used as an aid in their studies, not a replacement for lectures. (Refer to QM Podcasting Survey – the Student Perspective).

Other staff expressed concern about intellectual property, performance management and surveillance issues (to see how these issues are currently addressed, see the Code of Practice).

There were also some very positive feelings about the technology from staff. 46.6% of staff respondents acknowledged that the ability to pause and rewind is the most valuable aspect of recordings, while 25.9% felt that recordings were most valuable because it allows for ‘Flexible teaching and learning – as lecture time can be used more creatively’.

One staff member who had tried the technology commented

“I was quite nervous about doing this at first. Some of my lectures are quite complicated, and I was worried about mistakes that I may make, and also about student attendance. But so far, so good! Students thank me for participating so it is obviously very popular with them.”

Another staff member pointed out that

“Any form of multi-media that facilitates the passing of information from teacher to student is a valuable tool both in learning and teaching. The use of modern technology should be embraced and encouraged to achieve this goal.”

Overall the survey produced mixed feelings about the technology from staff, though the majority were in favour of it.  70% feel that there is value in lectures being recorded and made available to students. It is still an opt-in service and uptake continues to rise steadily.

If you are interested in making recordings for your students, or if you would like to learn more about the different options available – whether recording a live event or pre-recorded content – then please get in touch with us at qreview-admin@qmul.ac.uk

You may also be interested in:

1. QM Podcasting Survey – the Student Perspective
2. Q-Review Lecture Capture Service
3. Case Study – Law lecturer shares her Q-Review experience

“Students were using their own devices to record the lecture anyway…” Angie pointed out, and so this tool made it easier for both herself and for her students. Many of her students are studying Law in English even though English is not their first language, so they are able to review the lecture recording at their own pace. This allowed Angie to be more comfortable in delivering her lecture, as she did not have to spend extra time going over information in the classroom, as she knew that they could go back and listen to the recording.

Angie also admitted that she was able to use the recordings for her own self-reflection in order to make improvements to her lectures… “I listen to the recording, and think about how I was delivering the material – did I go too fast, did I explain it properly?”

She has recorded about 20 live sessions so far, for over 100 students. Angie emphasised that she takes attendance and it has remained very high throughout the year. She stressed that “most students know that attending a lecture live allows you to ask questions and be engaged…the capture service is used for review”.

Some of Angie’s Hints and Tips:

“I was nervous at first. I was fearful that I would show up on YouTube or that students would make fun of the video – but none of these have happened.”

“It’s worked wonderfully to capture my lecture, but I’m not sure I would use it for my tutorials…”

“Staff should think about if they want to do a video capture – I chose not to because I am an energetic lecturer and I scribble on the board, so the video was a bit strange to watch, as you fly in front of the camera. The audio and screen was very useful.”

“If I had to do it over, I would practice a bit more. The first few lectures you can tell that I am a bit conscious of the recording. It came across a bit unnatural. But now I don’t feel so focussed on the technology, I don’t even remember it’s there.”

“In the future I might record intros to the class, give some basic/background information that I would like to use, but don’t want to go through it in class. I can do this at home on my laptop now.”

Please click on the video below to listen to the full interview.

If you are interested in using Q-Review Personal Capture to record your lectures please submit a request by logging into our online helpdesk at https://helpdesk.its.qmul.ac.uk – click on the ‘Request’ button and then select ‘Q-Review – Lecture Capture’.

If you are unable to log into our helpdesk, please send an email to vle-support@qmul.ac.uk

1. Case Study: Physics lecturer shares his experience of recording his lecture
2. Case Study: Stephen Bishop turns his lecture material into podcasts

Here is what was covered in the 30 minute slot:

1. A Sample Assessment from the student’s perspective – showing different question types – such as multiple-choice, true/false, fill in the blank and matching pairs questions.
2. How to create a Multiple-Choice Question and add it to a question database
3. Adding settings to the MCQ (such as feedback, scoring, etc.)
4. How to create the Assessment and add questions from the question database
5. Changing the Assessment properties (such as availability dates, duration, security settings, question delivery, score release etc.)
6. Releasing/Showing the Assessment to students
7. Viewing students’ submissions and amending their grades or adding individual feedback

The session was recorded using Q-Review’s Personal Capture and some minor edits were made with the Personal Capture editing software as well as Camtasia.

For more information on our webinars, please refer to this blogpost: http://www.learninginstitute.qmul.ac.uk/elearning/introducing/30-minute-bb/

Mr. Bishop felt conscious over the years that too much of his class time was being spent giving basic content, leaving little time to explain the material to his students. So he decided to turn this basic content into podcasts which his students could listen to before class, take necessary notes, and then he could use class time for explanatory information, allowing more time to answer questions. Thus class time would be more interactive and hopefully more enjoyable for both him and the students. Mr. Bishop brought his already prepared class notes and made ten 45 minute podcasts for his students to be able to listen to before class.

Mr. Bishop plans to make these podcasts available to his students via Blackboard. Although Q-Review can automatically publish to Blackboard, Mr. Bishop prefers to have more control of his recordings, such as being able to make minor top and tail edits, and so he will be adding links to the recordings in his Blackboard course areas manually.

I had the opportunity to interview Mr. Bishop when he had finished making these podcasts, to find out what he thought of the whole podcasting experience. I will meet with Mr. Bishop again at the end of the term to find out what his students thought of his new way of delivering the lecture content.

If you are unable to see the player below, please visit this webpage to listen to the interview.

If you would like to find out more information about Q-Review, podcasting or ways to capture your lectures, please contact us at qreview-admin@qmul.ac.uk

Link to Interview with Stephen Bishop

YouTube

Advantages:
By now most people have at least heard of YouTube. Being a very popular video website makes YouTube a highly visible platform to showcase your video content. Viewers can search for videos directly on YouTube’s website and since Google’s acquisition, YouTube uploaded videos are also likely to pop up in a Google search. YouTube will also stream almost any video content, for free! There is no limit to the number of videos that you can upload; nor to the number of views that your videos receive.

Disadvantages:
There is currently a 15 minute limit on the length of each video that can be uploaded into YouTube. While this isn’t a major issue, as recordings can be split into chunks, it can be annoying especially for pre-generated videos. It is possible to create a playlist of several videos which can be watched continuously (giving the impression of one long video) – this playlist can be made available to your users. Your viewers won’t be able to download your video; however YouTube does convert your videos into a smaller flash version, making it easier for your viewers to stream your video content over their network. This conversion reduces the quality of your videos and can be frustrating especially for screen capture tutorials, as video becomes blurry and may be indecipherable. It should be noted that being a YouTube partner (which is also free, but has requirements) lifts some of these limitations (E.g. being a part of YouTube Edu).

Screencast

Advantages:
Screencast does not have a video length restriction, which means that you can upload those 1 hour lecture videos to your heart’s content (well, depending on the amount of storage space you have left). Screencast does not mess with the quality of your videos, which makes screen capture tutorials easily viewable. Also your viewers will be able to download your videos. You can batch upload videos (and other media such as images and audio) as well as organise them into folders. There is also an option to publish directly to iTunes as well as generate RSS feeds for your users to subscribe to.

Disadvantages:
Screencast is not near as popular as YouTube and does not offer the ability for viewers to search for videos. With the free version there is a storage space limit of 2GB and a monthly bandwidth limit of 2GB (which means that you are limited in the number of views that your videos can receive per month). It costs £7.50/month or £73.50/year for their Pro version which allows 25GB storage and 200GB monthly bandwidth. In order to customise your page you will also have to have their Pro version.

I have put together a comparison chart to highlight the different features of YouTube and Screencast. Overall, if you want your videos to be publicly searchable and to reach a wider audience, then YouTube would be the better option. However, if video quality or organisation is more important, then go for Screencast. Please note that both YouTube and Screencast offer privacy level settings if you are concerned about your video’s publicity.

I went on a hunt to find an inexpensive video editing software that could be used on my PC to edit my flip camera recordings and stumbled upon a rather impressive free online editor, Jaycut.

Jaycut requires no installation, as you do your edits directly on their website. It offers basic editing functions and the ability to post directly to a YouTube account. With no registration, and no video editing experience, I was able to upload my recording and remove unwanted parts, as well as add text, images and even some basic transitions.

It was very easy to use, and it took little time to get used to the interface. There are some pre-loaded images, videos and audio which can be used, but I uploaded some of my own. I simply dragged my uploaded media into a timeline (similar to other video editing software), made some minor changes, and then clicked the “Publish Mix” button. Without completing the free registration, my work was not saved in Jaycut, but I was able to send my editing work to my email address.

If you are looking for a free basic online editor, then give Jaycut a go, though I wouldn’t recommend it for more advanced features.

Photo Credit

Jonas Hombert at Wikimedia Commons

There are a few online options available, most of which offer a free version (either for a limited time, or with fewer bells and whistles).

Doodle.com

Doodle is quite popular within our team and is a free web tool that allows you to share available slots with users (such as students). Users then choose from these slots and sign up for their choice. You can set these slots up so that there is only one slot per user (E.g. for an individual one-to-one appointment) or you can get users to choose their preferred slot(s) so that you can easily see which is the most popular date (E.g. If you wanted to pick the best date/time for a meeting).

The site offers integration with Microsoft Outlook, Google Calendar, Apple iCal and Lotus Notes. In addition, the site offers Mobile Doodle and Doodle for Facebook, iGoogle and XING. The best part, it’s all free! Ok, so you have to put up with the advertising at the top and side of your screen, but for US$28 a year, you can get an ad free, customisable version.

Below is an example of appointment slots for students to choose from and sign up for….

Below is a sample schedule to determine the best date and time for a meeting. (In the example below, so far the best date/time is Thursday the 6th of May at 11am, as 4 out 5 people can attend that date/time)…

Doodle Features

• Online scheduling tool that allows participants to vote on the best time and date for them for a meeting or event
• Registration is not required to use the site
• Registered users can manage and edit their polls
• Free membership provides unlimited polls and participants – ads are displayed
• Premium membership removes ads, provides additional features, such as automatic reminders

To start using Doodle, go to: http://www.doodle.com

SuperSaas.com

Similar to Doodle.com, SuperSaas offers a free online appointment scheduling service for small users. For US$8.00 a month you can get more advanced services such as no advertising and automatic iCal (Outlook/Google calendar) synchronization.

SuperSaas received “Best User Interface of 2008” award and has many advanced features:

• Send e-mail or SMS reminders to reduce no shows
• Automated waiting lists
• Automatically synchronize with Outlook and Google Calendar
• Use your own URL and color scheme, the user does not have to know he is on another site
• Available in 6 languages

To view various demos of their online scheduling tools, go to: http://www.supersaas.com/info/demos

Checkappointments.com

Another online scheduling tool offering free features such as managing appointments online and notification emails. For US$19.95 per month there is a 2-Way Google Calendar Sync and other advanced features such as customisation and ability to embed calendar onto your website.

To view their demos, visit: http://checkappointments.com/online-demo.htm

Acuity Scheduling

Acuity is another tool to manage appointments online with a free version. This software also has a payment option for more advanced features starting at US$10 per month. The free version offers a basic scheduling site with limited customisation.

View their demo at: http://www.acuityscheduling.com/appointments.php

MemoTXT Scheduler

MEMOTXT Scheduler is another free simple calendar diary software tool for booking, managing, tracking and analysing day-to-day meetings and appointments. It also has SMS reminder capabilities (at a cost of .9p per text). There is a more advanced tool available starting at £39 per month, however the free tool should be sufficient if you don’t have that many appointments per day.

These are just 5 of the many free tools that are out there…with the option to upgrade for more functionality. The best solution really depends on your needs, but we have found that Doodle works best for us.

Students are embracing this progression of learning and especially like the fact that they can rewind and replay the lecture at their own pace. One student commented that a revision lecture capture was “the most useful and informative revision materials that [he] had ever recieved [sic]“. Many students remarked that they wish more teachers would use this facility.

While some lecturers record a live lecture or event, others use the technology to record their lesson(s) without an audience. This seems to be a good starting point for lecturers, and gets them used to the idea of being recorded and more familiar with the process.

Dr. Eram Rizvi, from the Physics department, did just that when he came to our E-Learning Studio and recorded a revision lesson for his students, using material that he had covered in a previous live class. He wanted to record the already taught lesson so that his students could review the content at their own pace.

We asked Dr. Rizvi to share his experience with us, and below is an excerpt of Dr. Rizvi’s interview, followed by some noteworthy feedback from his students.

———————————————————————-

ELU: Have you previously recorded a lecture?
Dr. Rizvi: No, this was the first time I had tried to record a lecture

ELU: How did you find out about Q-Review?
Dr. Rizvi: After speaking with Eoin some time ago he mentioned the existence of this ESD facility

ELU: How did you prepare to use the system? Did you need training?
Dr. Rizvi: Very little training was needed. I had prepared the lectures in any case, and just needed about 1hr of time to learn how to operate the [Q-Review] system

ELU: What did you record?
Dr. Rizvi: I recorded two revision lectures given using prepared powerpoint slides

ELU: How long did you spend recording?
Dr. Rizvi: The total lecture time was about 2 hrs, I needed an extra hour initially to learn the system from you, and I needed another 30mins in total to do the final edit for the first lecture, but the edit for the second lecture then took only 2 mins.

(Dr. Rizvi wanted more control over his recording and needed the time to learn about the system. For live recordings, staff just need to let the E-Learning Q-Review team know and they will schedule the system to automatically record.)

ELU: What did you think of the Q-Review system? Was it easy to use?
Dr. Rizvi: For recording the system is very easy to use. For editing the software can be improved. One difficulty I had was in using the time-slider to find a specific moment in the video to edit out. It would be better if I could use the slider in 1s intervals, or insert an exact time into a text-box.

ELU: How did you make your recordings available to your students?
Dr. Rizvi: I made available the audio only and video podcasts as downloads plus links to the Q-Review page for the enhanced video with slides. The powerpoint slides were also provided as a separate PDF file. You can see the info here:
http://www.ph.qmul.ac.uk/~phy302/ExamHelp.htm

ELU: What did your students think of it? Have they been able to access it?
Dr. Rizvi: Most students used it and all thought it was a very good idea and would recommend its wider usage. The real benefit was in being able to replay sections of the podcast and to go at their own pace. Two students mentioned that the podcasts are good for reviewing concepts, but not good for going through detailed mathematics where 1-2-1 teaching is more appropriate.

ELU: Would you use Q-Review again?
Dr. Rizvi: Definitely

ELU: Would you recommend Q-Review to others?
Dr. Rizvi: I already have done. I have asked this be raised at the next Teaching Committee meeting in the physics dept on 23rd June.

ELU: How might you use Q-Review in the future? (E.g. would you record a live lecture?)
Dr. Rizvi: Yes, I would use it to record a live lecture to provide additional revision material before the exam period. I would not make the videos immediately available for fear of students not attending.

=======================================

Student Feedback

Dr. Rizvi shared some feedback from his students regarding the usage of podcasts for revision lectures. He initially asked students if they wanted to have podcasts. He got 16 responses, of which 13 wanted the podcast as opposed to an actual revision lecture.

One student who had not wanted the podcasts in the first place later remarked:

” felt that the podcasts were better than I had expected them to be……mathematical stuff, I think is better explained face to face……Personally, I would still perfer to have normal revison sessions because when I dont understand something I like to ask then and there.”

Other students left the following comments:

“Overall I was very impressed and would enjoy the prospect of lecturer’s making this a standard in study material. A big thanks to you for the time spent creating these videos for us.”

“I have finished watching the video revision lectures and found them far more useful then the revision lectures. Although the revision lectures provide us a chance to ask the lecturer any problems we have, I believe that’s better off done on a one to one basis with the lecturer.”

“I thought they were some of the most useful and informative revision materials that I have ever recieved, I found the ability to listen to the lectures and take notes at my own pace enabled me to get alot more from the podcasts given than I would have done in a normal lecture with the same material . I would appreciate it if all lecturers followed suit!”

“I personally found the podcasts to be massively useful, mostly because they provided a very good means of refreshing my core knowledge of NPA [Nuclear, Physics and Astrophysics] without sifting through vast sets of notes”

” I sometimes forget things or am not able to catch everything you say if Im copying down notes at the same time. It is also much more convenient as sometimes planned revision lectures can cut into peoples personalized revision schedules, if they are revising different subjects. I do hope you continue these in future courses and maybe suggest the idea to other lecturers as I thought it would have been much more helpful in other subjects as well”

“The material was well presented with the slides along the bottom so you could quickly get a sense of the over all content that was being covered. I prefered having the video of the lecture since although this didn’t fulfill any particular function it was easier to concentrate on watching someone give a lecture than just listening to the audio.”

“I would definitely recomend other members of staff trying out something similar in future.”

=======================================

If you would like to schedule a Q-Review recording, or get more information on lecture capture, please contact us at qreview-admin@qmul.ac.uk or visit this webpage for more information.