The University of Liverpool has built an in-house solution for all lecture capture needs. A software based solution, Stream Capture provides the ability to record all desktops, cameras and microphones and automatically uploads all recordings to a streaming server and the Blackboard Learning environment for online viewing. The presentation will focus on how I have created the automatic integration between our media streaming server and our Blackboard system. I will demonstrate how every captured lecture automatically appears inside the corresponding course in Blackboard without any further involvement from the instructor. This same integration also allows any media, which has been uploaded to our streaming server, to be automatically added to any Blackboard course by an instructor or course builder, without even having to log into Blackboard.”

1. Automatically embedding
lecture captures into Blackboard
Duncan Brown
The University of Liverpool
1

2. Automatically embedding lecture captures into Blackboard
or
Automatically embedding minimum
standards into Blackboard
or
Stuff I did over the last 12 months which basically
involved getting information into Blackboard
automatically
2

3. About me
• Duncan Brown
• Blackboard Administrator for 10 years
• Blackboard Learn 7.? – 9.10
• Hardware moves, software changes, University
structures, netscalers, loadbalancers, styles,
content, 3rd party systems, building blocks, plugins etc
• Never written a building block. No Java knowledge.
3

4. Application Development Manager
• Promotion?
• Teams:
– Web Development
– Mobile Development
– User Interface Design
– Data Integration (web services)
• Agile
• Examples at end of presentation
4

5. What have I been doing?
• Minimum Standards project
– “VITAL Baseline”
• Lecture Capture project
– “Stream Capture”
Housekeeping
• Blackboard = Virtual Interactive Teaching At Liverpool
• Course = Module
5

6. VITAL Baseline
• Report from Liverpool Guild of Students
• Inconsistencies between Blackboard courses
• University TEL Strategy
6

7. VITAL Baseline Survey
A welcome to area Further Reading
Contact details for the leader Lecture notes / handouts
Contact details for others Past Exam Papers
Module Specification Online Submission
Timetable / Schedule Formative feedback on draft
Learning Outcomes Online discussion forums
Assessment Strategy Other
7

8. Student Suggestions for inclusion in Minimum Standards
8
44%
84%
69%
80%
87%
75%
79%
88%
95% 93%
79%
71%
54%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%

9. Staff Suggestions for inclusion in Minimum Standards
9
47%
71%
59%
43%
59% 58% 58%
65%
72%
47%
38% 37%
27%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%

10. Student v Staff Suggestions for inclusion in Minimum Standards
10
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%

11. Student v Staff Suggestions for inclusion in Minimum Standards
11
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
46%
41%
41%
37%

12. Module Specification System
• Staff only
• Data input by
multiple users,
various systems
• Programme
Planner
12

13. Module Specification System
• Staff only
• Data input by
multiple users,
various systems
• Programme
Planner
13

14. Database
Web
Pages
CleanUp &
Transform
What to build?
14
Data
Blackboard
Building
Block
Content

15. Web
Pages
What to build?
15
Data
Building
Block
Content
.NET Application
RESTful Web Service
Overnight Process
jsp Building Block
SQL query to retrieve data
Minimal Java required

16. Time to code…
• All pre building block work written in VB using Visual Studio
• RESTful Web Services to retrieve data
– Retrieve data for all course codes for current academic year
– Insert all data into all_baseline database table
16

17. Time to code…
• Create web page template in code
• Group data and transform as required
• Merge data (update / insert) into
course_baseline database table
17

18. My first building block
• if(bbContext.hasCourseContext()) {
module_id =
bbContext.getCourse().getCourseId();
}
• Select data from single row of course_baseline table
on module_id into variables (e.g. info_table)
• <div class=“portlet clearfix reorderableModule”>
<%=info_table %>
</div>
18

19. VITAL Baseline
19

20. VITAL Baseline updates
• Examiner’s Reports
• Department
Responses
• Compliance with
QAA code
20

21. VITAL Baseline reception
21

22. Stream
22
• stream.liv.ac.uk
• Streaming Server
• 4000+ videos and audio
• 90 days of content
• 300+ active uploaders
• 2,225,000 views

23. Stream Capture
23

24. Stream Capture
24
• Lecture Capture Software
• Windows software
• Microphone & webcam
recording
• Custom screen & audio
options
• One button start / stop
recording

25. Stream Capture
25
• Fully integrated with
Scientia Enterprise
Foundation
• Tags any lecture
capture recordings
with metadata

26. Stream Capture
26
• Multiple monitors
• Mouse options
• Webcam video overlays
• Save locally for editing
• Automatically publishes
to stream.liv.ac.uk &
Blackboard

27. Stream Capture Email
27
• Processing queue
• 720p and 270p
• Change settings on stream:
– Descriptions, keyword tags
– Privacy
– Embed
– Rate, comments
– Thumbnails

28. Coding time again…
• RESTful Web Service to retrieve data
– Retrieve data for all lectures by course
– Merge data (update / insert) into all_lectures database table
28

29. Coding time again…
• Create web page template in code
• Group data and transform as required
• Merge data (update / insert) into lectures_table
database table
29

30. My second building block (it’s basically the same as the first one!)
• 2 files: view.jsp
• if(bbContext.hasCourseContext()) {
module_id = bbContext.getCourse().getCourseId();
}
• Select lecture_table data from stream_capture table
on module_id into variable
• <div class=“clearfix” id=“containerdiv”
style=“padding-bottom: 0px;”>
<%=lecture_table %>
</div>
30

31. LECTURE_TABLE
<ul class="your-videos-list">
<li class="clearfix">
<a href="https://vital.liv.ac.uk/webapps/UoL-uol-stream-lectures-
BBLEARN/module/stream.jsp?
ugid=nhdzyww8&course_id=_132719_1&mode=cpview">
<div class="lithumb">
<img src="https://stream.liv.ac.uk/thumbnails/nhdzyww8_001.jpg" />
</div>
</a>
<H2>Welcome And Induction 24 September 2014 11:00</H2>
<p class="helper-text">25 September 2014<br />14:00 - 15:30</p>
<a href="https://vital.liv.ac.uk/webapps/UoL-uol-stream-lectures-
BBLEARN/module/stream.jsp?
ugid=nhdzyww8&course_id=_132719_1&mode=cpview">Play</a>
</li>
</ul>
31

32. My second building block (it’s basically the same as the first one!)
• 2 files: stream.jsp
• <section id=“stream-main-content”
class=“clearfix” role=“main”>
<div id=“body_frameplayer”>
<iframe width=“480” height=“<%=iframeHeight
%>”
src=“https://stream.liv.ac.uk/s/<%=ugid %>”
scrolling=“no” frameborder=“0”
style=“max-width:100%;”
id=“object”></iframe>
</div>
</section>32

33. Stream Lectures in Blackboard
33

34. Non-Stream Lectures in Blackboard
• Add any video or audio
stream to Blackboard
• Add one item to
multiple courses
34

35. Non-Stream Lectures in Blackboard
• Filter for users with
multiple courses
• Problem with Scientia
Enterprise Foundation –
only one course
per lecture
35

36. Non-Stream Lectures in Blackboard
36

37. Custom Stream Lectures in Blackboard
• Add custom titles,
descriptions and dates
• All stream lecture
items are shown in
chronological order
on Blackboard
• Add any item to top
of page easily
37

38. Stream Lectures: Outcomes
• In BETA release since September 2014
• 45 lecture theatres currently
• 350+ live lectures recorded using Stream Capture
• 200+ non-live lectures recorded using Stream Capture
• 95,000+ lecture views on 11,500+ devices
• 270 views per lecture, max 3600 views
38

39. Stream Lectures: Outcomes
• 75% of all lecture views take place via
Blackboard and Mobile Learn
• Over 60% 1st and 2nd years regularly watch lectures
• Less than 20% 3rd years regularly watch lectures
• 80% of all lectures watched immediately
prior (within 2 hours) to subsequent lecture
39

40. Any questions?
dbrown@liverpool.ac.uk
0151 794 4457 | 07545 972045
@Hobbes_Malone
40

41. 41

42. 42

43. 43