Tips for recording your lectures with BoilerCast

Faculty and instructors who want to use the BoilerCast lecture capture service – available in classrooms on the West Lafayette campus – should submit their request soon to ensure recordings are available for the first day of class.

BoilerCast is designed to record a classroom’s computer, microphone and connected devices, like document cameras and laptops. These recordings can then be automatically uploaded to the instructor’s Kaltura (also known as Media Space) account and can be pushed out to a specific Brightspace course if desired.

Based on data from this fall, BoilerCast recordings are typically available in Kaltura within two times the length of class – meaning an hour-long lecture should be available for viewing two hours after the class ends.

Instructors can submit a BoilerCast recording request online, but should consider the following options and situations:

  • Do you need to schedule your BoilerCast recordings? BoilerCast also offers an “ad hoc” option, allowing the instructor to start and stop their own recordings. This option is useful for those who need to change the input sources before the capture starts, or may only want to record a portion of their class time. This option does NOT require you to request this service in advance and can be used at any time.

  • Do you want your video lecture live streamed? BoilerCast has a livestream option that allows live video to be pushed directly to your course’s Brightspace page. Broadcasts are delayed 30 seconds before appearing in Brightspace.

  • Are you planning to use WebEx or Zoom to facilitate discussion during your lecture? Both Zoom and WebEx offer a recording feature (WebEx recordings are automatically saved to Kaltura) and these tools may be an alternative to using BoilerCast. Please indicate this on the BoilerCast request form so that the options can be explored.

Tips for successful lecture recording

  • Before the start of the semester or during the first week of class, meet with an ITaP Learning Spaces technician in the classroom to ensure that recordings are setup for your course and to go over any questions you may have. To schedule a meeting contact itap@purdue.edu or call 494-4000.

  • Register to attend a virtual drop-in training session to ask questions and learn more about BoilerCast. 

  • After your first lecture capture, check the recording to see that it recorded correctly and that the capture fits your needs.

For more information about how to use BoilerCast, visit http://www.purdue.edu/boilercast and ITaP’s listing of what technology is available in your classroom.

 

Last updated: December 15, 2020