Embracing the New Technologies

Lecture Capture is the latest classroom innovation that takes student learning to the next level.

For anyone who has visited Sacred Heart in recent months, you couldn't help but notice all the exterior capital improvements in progress. This year marks the ninetieth anniversary of the seminary first opening its doors, so the work is necessary.

But improvements are also ongoing inside our walls, improvements focused not on the building itself but on our most important asset: our students.

Keeping Up with the Students

Sacred Heart's mission is clear: to form priests according to the Heart of Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd, and to prepare priests, deacons, and lay ecclesial ministers for the work of the New Evangelization. A key component is intellectual formation, of course, offered through our academic programs, fostering in students an intellectual development that is derived from a sacred source (revelation) and directed to a sacred purpose (Presbyterorum Ordinis, no. 19).

While embracing tradition and magisterial teaching, we recognize the need to embrace the latest technology, too, in a manner which best serves our student—to meet them where they are in the digital world around us. We're also following the lead of Pope Francis himself. In a reference to St. Ignatius, the Holy Father says: In one of his rules, he says that anyone accompanying a pilgrim must walk at the same pace as the pilgrim, not ahead and not lagging behind. And this is what I mean: a Church that accompanies the journey; that knows how to walk as people walk today.

Thanks to the generous support of our donors, Sacred Heart has been able to equip classrooms with the latest learning technology. Part of this new technology includes lecture capture, specifically utilizing a platform known as Panopto. Lecture capture is changing the way educators and students perceive the educational experience. It provides the ability to use multimedia more easily than ever before, thereby enhancing the teaching and learning process.

What Are the Benefits?

So how does this new technology translate to a better learning experience for Sacred Heart students? According to Panopto, recent studies have shown that individual control over the pace of learning increases student motivation and engagement, connecting students and content via easy-to-master technology. Students who have access to lecture capture technology are able to review difficult concepts, catch up on any missed class material, and enhance their own learning experience through the review of recordings, which can include a video of the professors' presentation, embedded presentation related documents, in-class whiteboard notes, and searchable captions outlining the lesson.

Let's explore further a few ways Sacred Heart students benefit from lecture capture.

Lecture capture ensures that absent students don't miss class.

Naturally, being able to watch a missed lecture, rather than having to rely on someone else's notes, is significant. But it's not just the lecture they can view. PowerPoint slides and other multimedia are synced automatically with the video and audio of the lecture to more accurately capture what was presented. Students can even take notes on the material directly within the Panopto interface, allowing them to focus more closely on areas of interest.

Lecture capture technology improves in-class engagement and retention.

Prior to Panopto, many students had come to rely on using personal audio recorders to capture lectures, allowing them to study for tests, write papers, and revisit complicated material. However, not every student had an audio recorder and even those who did could still miss critical information presented visually on PowerPoint slides, on whiteboards, or in class demonstrations. With lecture capture technology, students can focus on the central ideas of the presentation, digesting the material more effectively.

Lecture recordings have also proven a valuable tool for aiding retention as students prepare ahead of exams, helping them to solidify their understanding of material covered.

Lecture capture enhances pedagogy, the art and science of teaching, for Sacred Heart's professors.

Professors can even use Panopto as a tool to refine their teaching skills, reviewing recorded lectures to see what topics engaged their students or where they may be missing opportunities to drive home essential ideas.

Fr. Pierre Ingram, CC, assistant professor of theology, states, It really is a tremendous aid for me and for the students and refers to lecture capture technology as, an enhancement all around. Father Ingram reviews his lectures, noting that at times questions that arise during class help him better understand what needs further clarification in subsequent classes. It also affords him the opportunity to improve future lectures for the same course in later semesters, based on student response and questions.

Building Upon Earlier Innovations

Chad Hughes, director of educational technology, explains that the recent initiative to improve classroom technology piggybacks onto enhancements that began back in 2010, which included smart boards, computers, projectors, and basic media components. This new technology takes us to the next level, in terms of both usability and functionality.

Panopto's integration to the content management system Moodle was another benefit for Sacred Heart. Moodle, an online repository for student and course materials, was already a big part of Sacred Heart's existing technological infrastructure. This integration provides students with one centralized, online location for all their courses.

Our students can access comprehensive lecture files through Panopto's viewer including multimedia presentations, or defer to a scaled back audio-only condensed version available through Moodle. With so many students utilizing smartphone technology in the mobile environment, this feature is particularly beneficial, allowing them to review lectures in any settingwhether it be in their room or on the treadmillon devices they already own and are already comfortable with.

This one component, Hughes notes, is potentially the most powerful, having the biggest positive impact on the pedagogy.

In Father Ingram's courses, continues Hughes, almost all of his lectures are accessed after class by almost all of his students. This recurrent access to the knowledge Father shares during his lectures translates to better retention by students.

You Can Be a Part of the Progress

To date, three classrooms have been equipped with Panopto technology, with plans to outfit the balance of the rooms as funding allows. Other recent technology improvements include the installation of video conferencing equipment in the commuter lab. A large percentage of our commuter student population travels a long distance to attend classes at Sacred Heart. Occasionally, family or work obligations prohibit the drive in, however. The video conferencing equipment affords these students the opportunity to collaborate with fellow students for group projects and study groups.

If you are interested in learning more about how you can support our students through contributions earmarked for technology improvements, please contact Sacred Heart's associate director of major gifts at 313-883-8559.