University Business - July/August 2011 - (Page 70)

Funding Capture Lecture capture installations range from simple to sophisticated, allowing for just the professor to be captured or the students in the classroom as well. Depending on the system, backend control rooms can allow IT staff to edit lecture content or enable professors to publish lectures themselves from a desktop. Creative Funding Some institutions might not have the funds to invest in a new technology, or might not want to risk valuable budget dollars on a technology that would be an experiment on their campus, even though it has been proven elsewhere. In these cases, funding can come from a variety of places: • Grants: Lecture capture helps enhance any grant focused on learning outcomes and 21st century learning because it is a technology-based system with proven results, say experts. “Lecture capture rises to the top as an academically focused technology to improve programs,” says Brown. “The nature of lecture capture allows it to be woven into these grant programs. It helps increase the value and effectiveness of the results being promised in the grant request.” ‘This is critical architecture. It’s like a light; it’s either on or off and it’s usually always on.’ —Vince Kellen, University of Kentucky Before embarking on a large project at Saint Michael’s College (Vt.), officials try to get grant money for a pilot program, says CIO William Anderson. “If that is successful, we try it out with the target users, then we have a case for making it the next big project.” When installing distance learning classrooms in the College of Social Work at the University of Utah, Director of Operations Matt Harding combined grant and budget money from the department, with Instructional Media Services funding making up the shortfall. But using a grant takes careful planning on the part of the institution and the vendor. “Using grant money creates a challenge because it’s one shot,” says Mary Young, director of marketing with Echo360. “Schools are coming to us with grant money and [we are] creating contracts where they pay ahead.” • Major donors: Lecture capture is a good fit for donors inter70 | July/August 2011 ested in academics and learning. “Stephen Ross, the benefactor and person our school is named after, wanted a ‘21st century structure designed to help catalyze business education by supporting our unsurpassed commitment to action-based learning,’ ” shares Edward Adams, chief technology officer and director of computing services for the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. Ross believed action-based learning is a creative and interactive experience that integrates individual preparation, teambased projects, and classroom discussion, while utilizing advanced information technology. “It was his emphasis on ‘advanced information technology’ that was the driving force that led us to Mediasite. I feel it took something as significant and transformative as our new building to get the school thinking about enterprise-wide technology solutions,” Adams says. • Lecture capture system donors: If a donor can’t afford a named building but wants something more innovative than a named classroom, consider having the person fund the lecture capture system, suggests Young. A logo or message can be displayed before the program starts. Brown has heard anecdotal stories of banners inserted into basketball games. “I haven’t seen it for the academic lectures, but I’m seeing talk in the athletic department about the potential,” he says. • Budget shifts: Careful planning can allow funds to be reclaimed from other areas of the budget, says Rotoli from CDW-G. Budgets related to faculty traveling to other campuses is a logical change. He also knows of schools using lecture capture to increase enrollments without adding physical space. Young has heard of schools using the system to offer distance ed courses over the summer so their students stay enrolled rather than attending a local college when they go home. Hidden Costs While some technologies can bring budget surprises down the universitybusiness.com http://www.universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - July/August 2011

University Business - July/August 2011
Contents
Editor's Note
Ad Index
College Index
Behind the News
Sense of Place
Viewpoint
Financial Success
Money Matters
Community Colleges
Funding Capture
Models of Efficiency
Thwarting ID Thieves
Embezzlement Epidemic
What's New
End Note

University Business - July/August 2011