SUCCESS STORY UNIVERSITY OF UDINE

ORIGINAL NEEDS AND CHALLENGES

The University of Udine faced a unique set of challenges when it initially ventured into blended learning. With students spread across many different campuses, there was a pressing need to connect these distant classrooms through a reliable video conferencing system.

The goal was not only to link these locations in real-time but also to record the lectures for students who were unable to attend in person.

To address this need, the university first adopted a video tool that allowed them to begin recording and storing lectures.

However, as the university’s educational demands evolved, particularly with the rise of digital learning, it became clear that a more sophisticated solution was necessary. 

Stefano Bonomi, a key figure at the university responsible for overseeing this transition, identified a significant challenge: enabling students to switch between the teacher's video feed and the presentation during recorded lectures, all without the need for extensive post-production work.

This functionality was an important requirement in order to enhance the interactivity of recorded lessons and make it easier for students to focus on the content most relevant to their studies.

The existing infrastructure, though functional, lacked the flexibility and user-friendly features that Stefano and his team envisioned…

The solution

In their search for a more advanced and flexible solution, the University of Udine discovered UbiCast and its interactive video platform, Nudgis, during a conference in Amsterdam. The meeting with the UbiCast team marked a turning point, as they introduced the university to Nudgis—a video platform designed to meet the complex needs of modern educational institutions.

With Nudgis, each university has its own private platform where teachers can record videos (on the platform or directly from their LMS thanks to a plugin) or upload and share lecture capture recordings done through Miris Capture by UbiCast or any other video capture tool.

Nudgis offered exactly what the university needed: a system that could seamlessly integrate with their existing classroom infrastructure while providing advanced features that enhanced the learning experience.

Today, a lot of classrooms at the University of Udine are equipped with an Extron SMP 351 video recorder, which captures both the teacher’s lecture and the presentation slides on two separate channels. This setup is crucial for the university, as it ensures that the recordings are comprehensive and capture all essential aspects of the lessons.

How does it work?

The teacher enters the classroom and switches on the system through a touch panel. Then, after entering a pin code, the system automatically starts the recording.

The pin code is added in the metadata of every recording and this data is used by Nudgis to archive the recording in the correct channel (every channel is a course).

The course is connected with their LMS, Moodle. Finally, students can watch the video lesson through Moodle directly.

Once a recorded lesson is finished, the system automatically uploads the video to Nudgis, where it is processed and split into two distinct streams: one showing the teacher and the other displaying the presentation.

This is possible thanks to the Dynamic Rich Media technology allowing the audience to click on the video texture of their choice to zoom in and focus on the part that interests them most (watch the video to experience it yourself).

This dual-stream functionality was a game-changer for Stefano and his team, as it allowed students to choose their preferred view with a simple click, eliminating the need for complex post-production editing. The integration of Nudgis with the university’s existing hardware was smooth and efficient, ensuring that the transition to the new system was hassle-free.

Innovative uses and adaptations

The adoption of Nudgis became particularly critical during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced a rapid shift to remote learning and significantly increased the demand for recorded lectures as well as Teams and Zoom recordings.

The volume of recordings grew as more and more courses, particularly in the engineering and literature departments, relied on this technology to deliver content to students who could no longer attend in person.

The ability to replay lectures became a vital resource for students, allowing them to review complex material at their own pace.

Although the university saw a reduction in the overall number of recordings as students returned to in-person classes, many courses continued to benefit from the flexibility that Nudgis provided.

For subjects with high numbers of students enrolled, the platform was frequently used and its value was undeniable.

Video made by Chantal Rosso

"Nudgis reduced our team’s work thanks to the Moodle plugins, perfectly integrating with the pre-existing e-learning platform. Students also benefit from Nudgis integration due to the ability to browse the video lessons catalog directly inside the single course page."

Stefano Bonomi
Audio Video Systems and Distance Learning Manager

Stefano also recommended that teachers use Nudgis in conjunction with Moodle, the university’s learning management system, to provide a comprehensive educational experience.

This is possible thanks to the UbiCast plugin developed for Moodle that allows teachers to record and upload UbiCast videos (educational videos or lecture replays) directly from the LMS.

Moodle allows teachers to supplement their recorded lectures with additional materials such as presentations, forms, and questionnaires, enhancing the overall learning process. The integration of these tools ensures that students have access to a wide range of resources, all within a single, user-friendly platform.

Beyond simply meeting the immediate needs of the pandemic, Stefano and his team have begun to explore innovative ways to further leverage UbiCast’ solutions.

One such idea involves using badges to automate and streamline the recording process.

Inspired by the convenience of hotel room key cards, Stefano envisions a system where teachers would use a badge to activate the classroom’s recording equipment.

This approach would ensure that recordings were started and stopped correctly, minimising the risk of human error and making the process even more efficient.

The proposed badge system would also simplify the user experience for teachers, making it easier for them to focus on delivering quality education without worrying about the technical aspects of recording.

ADDED VALUE AND FUTURE OUTLOOK

The implementation of the Nudgis platform has significantly enhanced the educational experience at the University of Udine.

One of the key indicators of this success is the level of engagement from students.

Many students now rely on the recordings as a critical part of their study routine, often reaching out to their teachers if a recording is missing or delayed. This immediate feedback highlights the value that students place on having access to recorded content, particularly in subjects where the teacher’s presentation style is engaging and dynamic.

Teachers who embrace the full capabilities of the system, including the use of cameras to capture their lectures, often receive positive feedback from their students, who appreciate the enhanced quality and interactivity of the recordings.

One popular feature frequently used is Optical Character Recognition (OCR), enabling students to easily locate keywords within a video thanks to automatic slide indexing. This allows learners to simply type a word into the video's search engine and navigate to the exact moment in the video where the word is mentioned.

Looking to the future, the University of Udine plans to continue its collaboration with UbiCast, exploring new ways to innovate and improve their educational offerings.

As they move forward, the focus will be on further enhancing the user experience, both for teachers and students, and exploring new possibilities for integrating Nudgis with other educational technologies.

The University of Udine’s journey with UbiCast is a testament to the power of innovative technology in transforming education.

By addressing the university’s original needs and challenges and providing a flexible, user-friendly solution, UbiCast has helped UNIUD deliver a modern learning experience tailored to its students and intends to continue doing so in the future.