Elevating Instruction with the Improved eLearning Studio
Quick Summary
- The eLearning Studio moved to a more accessible, central location in Surge II, offering faculty a professional environment equipped with high-quality lighting, sound, and green-screen technology.
- Designed for all technical skill levels, the studio uses familiar lecture-capture technology to allow faculty to easily create engaging digital course materials.
- By simplifying the production workflow, the studio ensures that high-caliber instructional media is accessible to the entire campus community.
UC Davis faculty now have an opportunity to enhance their instructional content in a new, updated space. The eLearning Studio is a space where faculty can record video content at a quality that would be difficult or impossible to achieve in an office, classroom, or home environment.
The studio officially relocated from its former home in the basement of Hutchison Hall to a more accessible and upgraded space in Surge II. Equipped with professional lighting, a green screen background, and audio and video recording equipment, it's designed to lower barriers to producing high-quality instructional media for UC Davis faculty.
Key Improvements
The move marks a significant upgrade in location and environment. The new studio in Surge II is centrally located—near the Silo and Pavilion Parking Structure—and offers a carpeted, well-lit, and inviting environment. Key improvements include:
- Enhanced Production Quality: Faculty benefit from better lighting and improved sound quality.
- Centralized Support: Being in Surge II allows the studio to leverage support from the Instructional Media & Creative Services (IMACS) team.
Simplified, Professional Recording Experience
The studio utilizes the same reliable lecture capture technology found in campus classrooms, ensuring a familiar experience for faculty. The recording system is user-friendly, requiring only a few clicks to begin.
The setup typically records the professor against a green screen while capturing their lecture slides. This allows faculty to easily incorporate themselves into their course materials during the editing process. Once recording is complete, instructors will receive their video and audio files, along with instructions and best practices detailing how to edit them for distribution—all provided at no additional cost to UC Davis faculty.
Faculty do have the option of purchasing extra services from the IMACS team, such as professional video editing or the use of the Learning Glass, a specialized LED-lit glass panel, to display handwritten lessons available in their larger studio down the hall in Surge II.
How Faculty Can Book an eLearning Studio Session
Whether it's building a new online course or refreshing current lecture materials, the eLearning Studio team is ready to help. Faculty do not need to be technically savvy to use the space; the goal is to provide a DIY service where consultants are on hand to support, but faculty are empowered to create their own professional video content.
To schedule an eLearning Studio session or ask questions, faculty can contact the team by email at [email protected] or visit the eLearning Studio Service Catalog page.
Funding assistance for IMACS editing services or use of the Learning Glass may be available to faculty through small, quarterly grants. Check out the Educational Technology Resource Awards (ETRA) webpage for additional details.