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Engineering Links to the YouTube Age Camtasia Relay at University of Colorado-Boulder
Daniel Foster, Newsletter Editor, TechSmith Corporation, d.foster@techsmith.com
Mark Dehus helps engineering professors at the University of Colorado at Boulder discover new technologies and use them effectively in teaching graduate-level distance education courses. 
When his department adopted a PC-only lecture capture solution, it created a problem. Many of their students, who are working professionals in the engineering field, use Macs. So Mark went looking for screen recording software capable of capturing Mac-based applications.
Enter Camtasia Relay, which runs on both Mac and PC. Mark introduced TechSmith’s automated lecture capture software to his department last year and now has half a dozen professors using it to record and distribute videos for distance learning. Some also use the videos with their in-class students, to enhance the traditional classroom format.
Faculty Save Time, Eliminate Redundancy
“Our professors like Camtasia Relay because reusable video saves time and helps them create a more interactive environment,” said Mark.
One prof created a series of short (6-7 minute) tutorials on how to create fur and cloth effects using Autodesk Maya that he can reuse each semester. Another put together a 10-minute video showing how to use Labview simulation software and shared it with colleagues—across a number of departments—to use with their students.
Normally, instructors would have to use valuable class time every semester to demonstrate these software applications for all their courses, but “now students can be assigned to watch the video as homework, plus they can keep it around as a reference,” said Mark. And if a student has already mastered the software for another class, they don’t have to sit through it again.
Students Expand their Learning
When University of Colorado students watch videos before coming to class, the time spent together (whether face-to-face or virtually) can be used to ask questions and get additional detail where needed. Having the lecture recorded means they can engage with the material more deeply instead of frantically scribbling every word. And on-demand video is a lifesaver when reviewing for exams or applying the information later.
“When the student sits down to do an assignment two weeks later, they’re not wondering ‘How do I do this again?’ or ‘Where’s my notes?’” said Mark. “Being able to just pull up the video and watch it again is a tremendous benefit.”
Building a YouTube Pipeline
What’s next? Mark is helping his colleagues create a presence on the mother of all video sites: YouTube. He plans to give Camtasia Relay accounts to all 50-60 engineering faculty at the College, to record short videos on topics of interest and post them to the department’s new YouTube channel.
“From what I’ve seen on our campus, this is where Relay excels—easily converting short talks into informational or instructional videos,” said Mark.
Mark wrote a script that grabs videos produced by Camtasia Relay and automatically posts them into playlists within the YouTube channel, so they can be easily found by students and faculty alike. For him, it’s another way to harness the latest technology to help students achieve their academic goals and stay competitive in today’s job market.
View more Camtasia Relay-produced videos from CU Engineering:
