The Learning Studio has launched a faculty-focused, cutting-edge technology project that was developed at Northwestern University this semester.
The new project is called Lightboard and was created by Dr. Michael Peshkin, professor of mechanical engineering at Northwestern University.
Lightboard is a huge, ultra-clear piece of glass. A professor writes and gives his lesson on one side of the glass while video is shot from the opposite side. The user can watch himself presenting live on a monitor on the other side of the glass. Powerpoint slides and annotations can also be piped into the video.
The technology allows faculty to create and present online lessons similar to the classroom experience.
Dr. Curt Niccum, associate professor in the Department of Bible, Missions and Ministry, shot several videos with the Lightboard technology for an online graduate course.
“I will definitely use it again,” Niccum said. “There are applications for which it is particularly beneficial. For my applications, I found the Lightboard extremely effective. I had several unsolicited student responses, and all were positive.”
Dr. Kyle Dickson, director of the Learning Studio, said he and others in the Learning Studio began talking about a year ago with other universities that used the Lightboard. These universities included Northwestern, Penn State, Notre Dame and Duke.
“We were intrigued with being able to share visual concepts and core ideas directly to camera,” Dickson said. “Presenting the content, but also sharing the process of thinking through that idea in real time.”
Like the One-Button Studio, the Lightboard gives faculty the opportunity to create content in an easy manner without putting in extra hours or effort.
Dickson said the Learning Studio wanted to stay on the forefront of technological advances in education and be prepared for ACU’s online expansion.
“As ACU continues to expand its online offerings, then we know producing a growing number of video pieces to support the instruction of those individual online classes is something we need to be prepared for,” Dickson said. “The Lightboard gives us one more tool for bringing those online instructors in and begin to turn around a significant amount of content quickly.”
