TIF DI4 Grant Report
Center for Instructional Technologies

CIT participated in the TIF Di4 grant by providing training and support for content production and assessment; testing HorizonLive, a Web-based tool for delivering live presentations; researching and testing the use of QuickTime for streaming; developing examples of online lecture interfaces; and developing a production- and cost-analysis tool for delivering synchronous and asynchronous online lecture presentations. CIT received two video servers; two RAID drives; a presentation monitor; a video projector; and licenses for HorizonLive, and digital video and audio editing software (Final Cut Pro, Bias Peak, LiveStage Pro). CIT also provided equipment and the equivalent of a three-quarter FTE in staff resources for 12 months.

HorizonLive Product Testing

The CIT conducted a series of tests on this turnkey streaming lecture delivery product, developed examples and workflow protocols, and found that it functions under limited conditions. For a detailed product review, see HorizonLive product review

Production analysis, strategies, tools, and techniques for lecture streaming

CIT researched and tested QuickTime streaming using desktop systems, developed workflows for a variety of classroom recording conditions, and developed various production and lecture delivery strategies from simple interfaces requiring minimum labor to more labor-intensive full-featured interfaces with text captioning. CIT is continuing its research on cost-effective production techniques and tools, and developing workflows for making various online lecture interfaces accessible (Section 508-compliant).

Streaming architecture: Using QuickTime

Production processes, tools and workflow will vary for projects with different goals or requirements. Developing and optimizing production systems that are flexible enough to accommodate a range of requirements will result in workflow efficiency and improve the quality of the user experience.
A conservative goal for selecting a streaming architecture- RealNetwork's Real, Microsoft's Windows Media or Apple's QuickTime-would be to support 200% of the anticipated maximum number of simultaneous viewers and have the capability for future expansion. As the size of the audience increases, the cost of supporting users also increases-although the pricing schemes behind adding additional viewers differ greatly between Real, Windows Media and QuickTime. UT Austin recently upgraded its 200 seat license for Real to a 20 megabit metered stream. Windows Media and QuickTime offer cost-free delivery for unlimited viewers.

For a report comparing streaming architectures and documenting the development of an optimal configuration using QuickTime, see CIT's Streaming Ahead with QuickTime (PDF document).

Production workflow and cost analysis

The total cost of implementing any production strategy includes capital and personnel time expenditures. To estimate costs for webcasting and other video production, CIT developed a video production specification worksheet using Excel. This tool allows a developer to select from a list of goals, tasks, equipment, conditions, and workflows for a video production, from pre-event, to event, to post-event. The tool then calculates total hours required to complete tasks and meet goals.

Online lecture development

For delivery of online lectures, CIT developed various interfaces using SMIL, Java, HTML, PHP, integrated with QuickTime and Real video and audio. These examples require a high-speed connection – DSL, Cable modem or LAN for optimal results.

Video and audio specifications used:

• Cable modem/LAN connection
  Video codec: Sorenson Video 3 [320x240; data rate: 310 kbps; 15 fps; key frame every 80 frames]
  Audio codec: Fraunhofer MP3 [data rate: 40 kbps; 22.050 kHz]
  
  
• DSL connection
  Video codec: Sorenson Video 3 [320x240; data rate: 220 kbps; 10 fps; key frame every 100 frames]
  Audio codec: Fraunhofer MP3 [data rate: 32 kbps; 22.050 kHz]
  
  
• 56k modem connection
  Audio codec: Fraunhofer MP3 [data rate: 32 kbps; 22.050 kHz]

Hardware and software used for recording, editing, encoding and streaming

Examples of lecture interfaces

Evaluation and future directions

Surveys conducted for both the live and the online version of Introduction to Database Design Part I, presented by Ben Goodsell of ITS User Services, indicate a high level of audience satisfaction. The online version that was evaluated features an index of topics, user control of the video, and access to help and feedback forms.

Both the live and later online audience rated the speaker and the content material very highly. The live version of this course was taught only once a semester, while the online version is now available anytime. We will continue to monitor frequency of use and collect evaluation and feedback from this online short course.

Preliminary feedback collected for the ESI Outreach Lecture interface indicate a high level of user satisfaction, particulary with the quality of media and the opportunity to browse through slides.

We will continue to monitor frequency of use and collect evaluation and feedback from both live and archived webcasts.

The amount of staff time required to plan, record, post-produce video and audio, and integrate visuals (PowerPoint slides, etc.) into an archived presentation with our production strategy can be extensive, up to fifty times the original length of the presentation, depending on the quantity of visuals. However, it greatly increases the visual clarity and overall quality of the presentation over filming the classroom screen. It is clear that a turnkey system that captures and automates the integration of visuals and automatically produces both the live and archive presentations would be cost-effective. CIT plans to investigate dedicated encoding tools such as VBrick VBXcast, and other products such as Sonic Foundry Mediasite Live; Real Networks Helix Producer, Presentation Maker and Presenter Plus; and Macromedia Breeze. These newer systems, which cost about $20,000, provide automatic encoding for different bandwidths, a user interface that integrates video/audio and visuals, affordances for user interaction and feedback, and are more reliable for cross-platform delivery of video. CIT will also continue to refine workflows and conduct evaluations that compare turnkey and streaming media delivery strategies requiring little postproduction, to those requiring extensive postproduction.

Although researching production costs for accessibility was not one of the grant objectives, CIT will continue to test tools and develop techniques and workflows for accessibility compliance of streaming media. Most turnkey systems (with the exception of Macromedia Breeze) do not offer means to make presentations accessible, so work-arounds must be investigated. Interfaces developed by CIT do allow for integration of video text captions, alt tags, and long descriptions of visuals. Our research so far has shown that making streaming video presentations accessible increases staff time by an additional factor of up to fifty. The cost of outsourcing this service at 100% content accuracy is about $250 to $350 per hour of video.