Presentation at 2015 Association for Communication Excellence conference in Charleston, SC concerning the renovation of a distance education classroom and building a green screen and lab demo studio

1. Going Digital
Renovation of a Distance Learning Center
and Construction of a Lab Demo/Green Screen Studio
Ron Thomas
Coordinator of Distance Education
University of Florida/IFAS

2. Distance Education Center
 Original DEC built in 1997
 Instructor station with computer,
document camera, slide to video, 2
podium mics & wireless mic
 48 seats, one mic to each 2 seats
 Instructor camera and student camera
 LCD projector and screen
 Teaching and technology
philosophy

3. Distance Education Center
 Four fixed monitors and one mobile
 Adjacent control room with video and
audio switchers, monitors, CG, Gentner
phone system. Satellite, AT&T networking.
 PictureTel videoconferencing unit
 Approximate cost (technology only) –
~$50K

5. Distance Education Center
 1997-2012 modifications
 Sony HD cameras and Vaddio controller
 Half analog half digital video switcher
 New LCD projectors
 Switch from dedicated network to IP
 Polycom videoconferencing unit
 Accordent lecture capture system ~2008

6. The Switchover
 Summer 2013 – Switch to digital
 Two bids – Comprehensive Technical
Group and UF Office of Academic
Technology
 Included DEC, control room and
renovation and repurposing of old video
studio
 Scope of work

7. The Switchover
 Bids very close – CTG ~$191K,
UF-AT ~$189K
 Retained only classroom cameras, camera
control unit
 Gutted control room
 DEC – new mics
 Five monitors
 New LED projector
 New screen
 New speakers

8. New Distance Education Center

9. New Distance Education Center

10. New Distance Education Center

11. New Distance Education Center

12. New Control Room
 Crestron touch screen controls
 Digital video switcher and audio mixer
 Two large flat screen monitors, eight
smaller monitors
 Mediasite recorder
 Cisco C40 videoconference unit
 New microphone, speaker

13. New Control Room

14. Studio
 Green screen painted wall
 Blue screen frame
 Newtek Tricaster 455 (in control room)
 Lumens PS760 document camera
 Sony EV1-H100S overhead camera
 Panasonic P2HD camera, tripod
 Diversified Mobile Lab Table 48”x 24”

15. Studio
 40”confidence monitor
 Teleprompter
 Audio equipment and mics
 Cabling

16. Control Room Area for Studio

17. Studio

18. Studio Examples
 Green Screen with Lab Demo Unit

19. Studio Examples
 Overhead camera

20. Studio Examples
 Document camera for close-ups

21. Studio Examples
 PowerPoint chromakey

22. Studio Examples
 Overhead camera for lab procedures

23. Studio Examples
 Microscope instructions

24. Studio Examples
 Microscope video

25. Studio Examples
 WIS 4934 Natural Resource Ecology
 http://mediasite.video.ufl.edu/Mediasite/P
lay/15c813c8a22e4d02b5aa3758a58ed73
c1d

26. Studio Examples
 AGR 4231 Forage Science and Range
Management
 http://mediasite.video.ufl.edu/Mediasite/P
lay/14e920df17cf4e548406022faff8567b1
d

27. Current Use
 Spring Semester – Two M-W-F courses,
one T-Th course, one course each on T, W
and Th
 Average of three other events per week
(seminars, interviews, recordings for
courses in production)
 Average of three studio recordings per
week (recordings for courses in
production, Extension video)

28. Questions?
rkthomas@ufl.edu