There are many options when it comes to choosing a video platform for instruction, and different platforms have different uses and capabilities. This support document will guide you to choosing the platform that is right for you and the type of instruction you wish to provide.
Note: The following suggestions are recommendations based on what students will most likely be able to watch on the widest possible types of devices. Certain methods of recording lectures, such as embedding audio in PowerPoint, are not widely consumable by students depending on what devices they have available.
Table of Contents
Live (synchronous) video
If you are looking to deliver your lectures live with all students gathered at the same time, your selection will be Zoom. Please consult with AT Services if you have questions about Zoom. You can find more information about Zoom here:
Alternatives
The campus also has a license for Microsoft Teams. Faculty, staff and students who have active SF State accounts can also use Teams for synchronous video meetings. There are a few limitations to using Teams for class:
- Teams does not have an iLearn integration. Students will need to be invited to a Teams meeting separately
- Teams meetings cannot be open to the public. Participants in Teams meetings must be logged in with their SF State accounts
To set up a Teams meeting:
- Navigate to https://teams.microsoft.com
- Sign in using your SF State email
- Select the Calendar button on the left
- Select New meeting at the top
- Give your meeting a title and add any participants that are required to attend
- Set the date and time of your meeting
- Select Save
Recorded lectures
There are a few different options to explore when prerecording lectures, some with more features than others. Choosing the right solution for you will depend on your comfort level with video editing, what equipment you have available, and how you want to deliver the content to students. This section will be broken down into two sub-sections: campus provided software and DIY solutions.
Note: While Zoom does have recording capability, it is not recommended to use Zoom if you are not holding a live, synchronous class session. Zoom recordings are a side-benefit of hosting a live session and are useful for providing recordings to students who were unable to attend live. If you are looking to prerecord lectures, try one of the solutions below instead of Zoom for the best experience.
Campus provided software
The campus provides two main solutions for recording lectures, Coursestream (also known as Mediasite) and Camtasia.
Camtasia
Camtasia is a full featured screen recording application with advanced editing and highlighting capability. Once videos are recorded and edited, you can publish to your course using iLearn video or upload to non-campus platforms, such as YouTube.
Why you would use Camtasia
- Lectures are primarily screen recording based
- A full featured video editor is desired for more advanced editing
- Screen annotations, highlights, and focus are desired
- You want to share your videos outside of campus
Why you would not use Camtasia
- Video editing is not required or too advanced
- You need to record a mobile device or tablet
More information
Coursestream
Mediasite Mosaic is available to all faculty teaching courses and provides a simple way to capture your voice, video and screen recording to publish directly to your iLearn course.
Note: Coursestream also is installed in select classrooms on campus and can be scheduled in a normal semester. For the purposes of this guide we will only be discussing the desktop recorder.
Why you would use Coursestream
- Lectures are primarily slideshow based (PowerPoint or otherwise)
- Editing (or light editing) is not required
- You already use Coursestream in your classroom
Why you would not use Coursestream
- Lectures are primarily video (showing yourself or a non-screen based demonstration) or audio based
- You want to record on a tablet or mobile device
More information
DIY solutions
The following are offered as suggestions for more DIY solutions that are not officially supported, but may prove to be easier depending on what you have available.
Note: The campus provides a few solutions for capturing and editing video to faculty and staff. It is more recommended to use one of the campus provided solutions rather than free tools found on the Internet as many of the widely available tools provide varying levels of quality and compatibility with campus tools, such as iLearn Video.
For Mac users
Mac users can use the built-in Quicktime Player to record video, audio and screens. This is a quick and dirty way of creating a recording that can be published to iLearn via iLearn video.
For Windows users
Windows users, unfortunately, have fewer built-in tools able to record video. It is more recommended for Windows users to use one of the suggestions above.
For iOS users (iPhone and iPad)
iOS has a built-in screen recording capability. If you need to record a presentation and draw on it or if you want to use your phone or tablet as a whiteboard to draw diagrams and figures, you can use the built-in screen recording capability to record and save a video.
For mobile device users in general
If you are looking to capture a quick video, most mobile devices (Android and iOS) have a built-in camera app that can be used to record a video either with the device's front facing camera for a "talking head" style of video, or the rear camera for demonstrations.
- Record video using Google Camera (this guide specifies a Pixel phone but generally applies to many Android phones)
- Record video using the Camera app on iOS
For additional assistance, contact Academic Technology: (415) 405-5555, at@sfsu.edu, LIB 80
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