By Steve Sturman, sturman@buffalo.edu

Small screen magic at the touch of a button! Course capture in now easy within the School of Social Work. Following orientation and practice sessions, full-length and mini-lectures are being self-recorded by faculty in 206 Parker Hall without technical assistance. "It's easy to use, and I like being able to re-record something immediately" said Charles Syms, Clinical Associate Professor. "I use the room all the time for my online course and the students like it too - they prefer seeing a person on video rather than listening to a disembodied voice over slides."

The School of Social Work has previously received national accolades for their use of educational technology in the "Living Proof" audio podcast series that provides information to people challenged by a range of life events - from caring for aging or chronically ill family members to dealing effectively with grief or trauma. This new learning space now takes video to a new level.

One use of a "mini lecture" video would be a short clip that introduces students to a particular client interview technique. These can be pre-recorded and played back as part of a classroom lecture, but they can also be posted on the Web. Students really appreciate the opportunity to go back to the video in order to review and become more familiar with the material. Professional development lectures are also captured and shared with students and colleagues around the country, as well as pre-recording the occasional lecture for on-campus students when a professor is required to be out of town for research or a conference.

The room itself is set up to be flexible: it's used as a technology classroom, a conference room that can manage both video and webcast connections, and has moveable furniture. One corner features some comfortable furniture that replicates a professional office environment, similar to what a social worker would use during a counseling session.

There is a capture station "rack" in the back of the room so an assistant can manage the capture and display technology on behalf of the instructor when requested. The School is planning some additional investment to update the room, and our faculty look forward to producing many more hours of course and continuing education content.