Imagine being able to go back and experience a particular lecture all over again, in the comfort of your own home, at your convenience, as many times as you want. Sound far-fetched? The software is called Tegrity Campus, and at institutions like Coppin State University, it is changing the manner in which faculty teach and students learn.
"Tegrity is the only software that I've seen that truly is at the core of teaching and learning," says Ahmed El-Haggan, Vice President of Coppin's IT Division. "It is transforming what takes place in our classrooms, and it really complements what our faculty are trying to accomplish. It's an approach to learning that will catch on quickly."
Tegrity has been around for about a decade, offering multimedia technology. A year ago, the company introduced TegrityCampus software that integrates audio and video with both the instructor's and student's notes. Using special pens and notebooks, the web-based tool enables a student to click on a word and instantly retrieve the portion of the instructor's lecture that pertains to that subject. Among the company's 350 campus customers, about 30 are already using the new software, and more are joining their ranks as word spreads.
It shows well to audiences
When he observed a software demo at the 2004 EDUCAUSE conference, El-Haggan thought Tegrity might be the key to getting Coppin's faculty more engaged in the use of technology. Demonstrations were scheduled on campus for faculty and administrators, and the response was positive.
"When I saw how it could be used, I thought it was too good to be true," says Provost Sadie Gregory. "Where was this technology when I was in school?"
Established 105 years ago and located in the city of Baltimore, Coppin is a historically black liberal arts university serving 4,000 students. El-Haggan believes Coppin's faculty took so quickly to the Tegrity software because it is intuitive and easy to use. "The software is integrated into our Blackboard system. To record a lecture, a professor simply hits the record button." As a student reviews his or her notes later, a video appears on the left side of the computer screen and the notes on the left.
Tegrity sales and marketing executive Brian Allan says that no radical changes are necessary in the ways faculty teach or students take notes. "It is not uncommon to require only five minutes to get up and started. It's definitely meeting the instructors where they're at, adapting to tools they already are using."
A pilot, a poll, and a conference
Coppin conducted a pilot project during the 2005 spring semester. Ten instructors taught with the software, and 100 students were given the special pens and notebooks. At the end of the semester, 80 percent of the students said they felt the system affected their success in the course. And 90 percent of them said they wanted Tegrity available in some or all of their other courses.
"Soon afterward we had a faculty conference to discuss technology in the delivery of instruction," says Gregory. "I was amazed at the attendance. We had close to a hundred percent participation of faculty. We had vendors there like Gateway, Nortel and Tegrity. We had English and math teachers giving the presentations, not computer scientists. Our faculty members who had used Tegrity in the pilot presented their results to their colleagues."
One faculty pilot participant was Emmanuel Anoruo, associate professor of management science and economics. He especially likes the ability to pre-record some of his lectures at home so his students can view them whenever they have convenient access to the internet.
"Recording myself gives me an opportunity to view areas where I may need to improve my teaching skills. Also, when a student says a professor didn't say something in class, we now have proof," Anoruo says with a laugh.
More faculty come aboard
Gregory says 30 more professors signed up to use the software in their courses. "I also gave 10 mini-grants to professors interested in developing online courses during the summer using Tegrity. Those instructors came almost every day to the workshops. Some faculty who did not get the grants came to the workshops anyway -- during the summer and on their own time. They said they really wanted to learn more about Tegrity. And so, I looked at Dr. El-Haggan and said: 'I thought you told me this was a faculty that didn't want to use technology?'"
According to El-Haggan, many of the online courses developed during the summer are available this semester. The number of students enrolled in them has exceeded expectations. He says about 35 faculty members are using the software in their courses. When the 800 students in those courses were asked to buy the special pens and notebooks --at about $90 -- they all purchased.
Meanwhile, if they make use of the pens in their courses; provide some of their notes as training examples; and complete a survey at the end of the semester, El-Haggan says the university will refund them the cost of the materials.
Sadie Gregory relates a telling tale. "Just before the fall semester, Dr. El-Haggan came to me and told me that two of our nursing classes are demanding to use Tegrity in their classrooms and we need to order more of those pens. It's an incredible learning tool. And I've not had to mandate it to the faculty or students. It's being driven by demand. As a matter of fact, looking at my budget to see if I can keep up with this demand. It is transforming the classroom experience here at Coppin at a rate that has exceeded my expectations."
Adult learners and staff users
A metropolitan university, Coppin also has a sizeable population of students with jobs and families. "With this software, they can come to class after work. At home, if they want to log on at one in the morning, they can review and use this wonderful study tool at any time and from anyplace. It's a learning tool that offers flexibility which really benefits non-traditional students."
Since the lectures can be recorded, one might assume the system would encourage students to skip class altogether and review the lectures at their leisure. Early indications are that the opposite occurs, however. El-Haggan says Tegrity has been helpful in training staff who use of the university's PeopleSoft ERP system. With recorded instructional segments explain various administrative functions, Tegrity has become a useful help desk tool that users can refer to on demand.
El-Haggan says Tegrity requires modest storage space on the university's servers. He estimates that if all faculty members used it in every course to its fullest capacity (audio, video and note-taking), it would require less than half a terabyte. He acknowledges that other companies offer similar recording software. However, his peers at other schools reported more complicated implementations. "For example, one of my peers who is using another system said six weeks of implementation were required to record just one course. It took us just one night to load the entire Tegrity system. And Tegrity has been good about providing patches and upgrades and support when we need it."
Achievement database
Tegrity's Allan says they are working on enhancing the product's governance and program assessment capabilities. An "achievement database" will integrate Tegrity's operational data with data from other campus systems. "We'd like to help answer certain questions," Allan remarks. "How well is your program doing? Is it meeting your goals and objectives?" Meanwhile, any professor can monitor what the students are reviewing.
"Nationwide there is a concern about retention, particularly among freshmen," says Gregory. "I think that this software will help us improve retention; reduce the time to degree; and improve our graduation rate."