University Wide Echo360 Deployment Delivers Video-Based Learning on Multiple Campuses and Reaches a Global Student Community

 

A.T. Still University (ATSU) began as the world’s first osteopathic medical school and has grown into a leading graduate health sciences University with online and residential programs across campuses in Kirksville, Missouri, and Mesa, Arizona, as well as its newest learning site established in Santa Maria, California. The University offers multiple master’s and doctorate degree programs in medicine, dentistry, health sciences, and health management. Since 2011, ATSU has used Echo360 as its classroom capture and video management solution. Echo360 is deployed University-wide in 25 classrooms and supports the teaching and learning in every ATSU academic program.

“I was part of the team that initially selected Echo360,” says Dean Maag, ATSU’s manager of academic technologies. “It was the best fit for us. We can automatically schedule recordings, and our instructors only have to come to class and teach. We have also installed Echo360 appliances in our learning spaces, and this works exceptionally well for us. We can bring in any device we want into the classroom, such as an ultrasound machine or EEG. The instructor can display the images onto the classroom screen while everything is automatically recorded. Students can access all of the recordings in Canvas, our Learning Management System, and they depend upon them for their learning,” he adds.

Zoom Integration and Exceptional Reliability Ensures Academic Continuity Throughout Remote Learning

When the pandemic forced ATSU to deliver teaching remotely, most of the teaching was done synchronously online using Zoom. But, Echo360 continued to play an important role.

Practical labs were still held in-person, albeit in smaller groups to accommodate class-size limits and social distancing. Instructors would record administrative announcements and pre-lab instructions using Echo360. In most cases, they edited and re-used recordings previously made in Echo360. The recordings were then made available to students to view before their lab. This gave instructors more time to interact with students during lab hours.

Using Echo360’s Zoom integration, synchronous class sessions recorded in Zoom were automatically uploaded into student Echo360 libraries. This provided two important benefits to the University and students:

  • It allowed students to access all of their course content and lectures within their Echo360 libraries in Canvas; students could view their videos and course materials using a single login.
  • It also allowed the University to save on storage costs since Echo360 was used to manage all recorded video.

“We have a limited amount of space in our Zoom cloud recordings, and we were able to offload the storage into Echo360,” says Maag. “Our students didn’t have to search for their content. It’s all located in one place for them within Canvas. They could simply click on the Echo360 button as they did prior to the pandemic.”

Maag says that Echo360 helped the University provide academic continuity when campuses were forced to close.

“Our campuses became ghost towns overnight,” says Maag. “Everything had to be done online. But, being able to use Echo360 to host and distribute the video from the synchronous and asynchronous teaching we were doing was a great tool for us. It provided continuity for our students and kept the wheels on the bus rolling.”

Maag also says that Echo360 reliability has been exceptional.

“Echo360 is not something I worry about. It takes care of itself. The appliances are rock solid and do what they are designed to do. Overall, Echo360 keeps me from having to worry day-to-day about what is happening within an individual classroom.”

The Importance of Video in Healthcare Education

What role does academic video and classroom capture play in teaching and training future doctors, dentists, and other healthcare professionals?

In his role as director of ATSU’s Teaching and Learning Center, Dr. Quincy Conley works with faculty members to help them enhance their teaching and learning experiences. He says video and classroom capture are essential tools for teaching the skills required in healthcare.

“At ATSU, we use a course design model that starts with developing learning objectives and goes all the way through to assessment,” says Dr. Conley. “In order to be a good doctor, dentist, or physician’s assistant, you have to acquire certain skills. Those skills require knowledge, and that knowledge comes from the presentation of content that occurs during a classroom lecture or from a demonstration of a specific procedure. All of that content is captured using Echo360.”

Dr. Conley says that having on-demand access to learning content has been especially important for students who were learning remotely during the pandemic.

“Our students are everywhere, spread out across different time zones and within different countries. With Echo360, they can review content from anywhere and as often as necessary. The ability to review content is essential, and I can’t stress enough how important it is for our students.”

Dean Maag agrees. He says that students rely heavily on Echo360 videos.

“Students tend to watch recordings multiple times,” he says. “Video views and usage increases throughout the term as students review for exams. They also use it to review and prepare for their respective board exams at the end of each year.”

Post-Pandemic: Incorporating More Elements of Hybrid Teaching and Learning

Like at many universities, ATSU students have returned to campus in the Fall 2021 term. However, Maag says components of the online and hybrid teaching ATSU adopted during campus shutdown will continue. He says the University’s experience during the pandemic has shown that these delivery methods can be very effective.

“Going forward, I think we will see more hybrid teaching, especially for labs and group learning experiences. For example, our instructors saw considerable value from the pre-lab videos they created. It gave them and students more time for experiential work in the lab.”

Maag also says the ability for students to access content in Echo360 on-demand helps them balance their busy schedules and keep pace with instruction.

“In most of our programs, students spend their first two years on campus. In years three and four, they are working in a clinical setting, in a hospital rotation, or working within community health centers. We also have students working with underserved populations, and they rotate to clinical education learning sites across the country. With Echo360, we can deliver content to them online wherever they are, and they can access it whenever it fits their schedule.”

From campus video management, lecture capture, online and hybrid learning, and more, contact us to discover how Echo360 can help transform the teaching and learning experience at your institution.

 

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