Instructional Technology
Conference 2007

Title: Reinforcing Classroom Materials Through Vido Lectures on Demand

Name: Joey E. Mehlhorn, Timothy N. Burcham, Barbara Darroch, Craig Darroch, Philip Smartt

Audience Level: all

Audience: Faculty and Technology Specialists

Length: 1 hour

Abstract:
Student’s entering college today are more technologically savvy than any previous
generation. As a result, colleges must be aware of how students view technology and the
role it plays in their life. Internet generation students have come to expect access to
materials at all times. It is possible to record classroom lectures and give student access
to all materials outside of class. This allows more student contact with materials and can
enhance student mastery of material.

Description:
In the fall semester 2006, the department of agriculture and natural resources initiated a
program to start recording classroom lectures to enhance student learning both on campus
and students at a distance. This initiative will complement the department’s goal of
developing more online learning opportunities for students throughout the state of
Tennessee. After reviewing several options the department chose Apreso ClassroomTM
(Anystream, Inc.). Apreso ClassroomTM represents a new method of capturing the entire
classroom experience with little if any technical input from the faculty member. This
software/hardware package records (digitally) the entire classroom experience
(presentation slides, document camera, audio/video image of the professor, etc.) and
posts it automatically to the institution’s Course Management System (CMS, e.g.,
Blackboard, WebCT, etc.). As a result, faculty are able to focus solely on teaching their
classes, not learning new technology or change their teaching habits. This allows us to
overcome a major hurdle of faculty technology acceptance.

In the fall 2006 semester, two sections of AGEC 110 Introduction to Agribusiness were
taught to approximately 168 students. Both sections presented identical material and
were comprised of approximately 85% first time freshman from a variety of
backgrounds. Section 1 (n=85) was taught using a standard lecture-based format, i.e.,
students attending lecture and downloading course notes from the Blackboard CMS.
Section 2 (n=83) was taught using a standard lecture-based format, but all in-class
lectures were made available to the students via the Blackboard CMS and Apreso
ClassroomTM (ad libum). These lectures contained the video of the instructor as well as a
recording of all digital materials used in the lecture, i.e., PowerPointTM or the document
camera. In other words, Section 2 had digital access to each class meeting throughout the
semester.

This is a study in progress, data is currently being collected for analysis and all data will
be completed by December 2006. Students will be surveyed regarding their use and
acceptance of the digital lectures to determine if they perceived any educational benefit.
Analysis will be performed on both sections to determine if differences in educational
outcomes occurred.

Session Type: Lecture/Presentation

Contact information/affiliation:
Joey E. Mehlhorn
Associate Professor of Agribusiness
Agriculture & Natural Resources
University of Tennessee at Martin
Brehm Hall 265
Martin, TN 38238
mehlhorn@utm.edu
731.881.7257

Timothy N. Burcham
Gil Parker Chair of Excellence
Agriculture & Natural Resources
University of Tennessee at Martin
Brehm Hall 254
Martin, TN 38238
tburcham@utm.edu
731.881.7275

Barbara Darroch
Instructor of Plant Science & Statistics
Agriculture & Natural Resources
University of Tennessee at Martin
Brehm Hall 144
Martin, TN 38238
bdarroch@utm.edu
731.881.7279

Craig Darroch
Associate Professor of Animal Science
Agriculture & Natural Resources
University of Tennessee at Martin
Brehm Hall 143
Martin, TN 38238
cdarroch@utm.edu
731.881.7259

Philip Smartt
Assistant Professor of Natural Resource Management
Agriculture & Natural Resources
University of Tennessee at Martin
Brehm Hall 266
Martin, TN 38238
psmartt@utm.edu
731.881.7266