Comments on: To showcase your academic experts, forget TV and embrace Ustream… like Duke University

By: Alice Myers

Alice Myers — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 18:52:31 +0000

I think this is fantastic and shows Duke continues to lead the way.

This Ustream is very interesting. Both founders are Army vets:

http://www.ustream.tv/about

I like their story.

By: Steve Krizman

Steve Krizman — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 21:28:07 +0000

I wonder how Duke marketed this? I can see using this technique to reach targeted audiences. In this case, the audience appeared to be broad, which is good in one sense. But what if Duke had targeted this to a discreet set of business people (potential donors)? I can imagine a live office hours Q&A with a transplant doctor that could command a large audience of doctors around the country, burnishing a med school’s reputation among an important audience.

This has great potential.

By: Karine Joly

Karine Joly — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 13:45:20 +0000

Lisa, Stanford doesn't use live streaming to answer questions as explained in the press release about their Open Office Hours on Facebook: The Stanford Open Office Hours begins with an introductory video from a faculty member on the Facebook page, inviting questions from participants, who post questions and comments. In subsequent weeks, the professor will answer questions on video.

By: Lisa Alvey

Lisa Alvey — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 23:26:53 +0000

Stanford is doing something very similar on Facebook. I believe they launched in early spring (March?) of this year. Fantastic idea!

Thanks for sharing.

By: Brenda Golden

Brenda Golden — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 19:51:11 +0000

I also watched it live and submitted a question in advance; it was addressed and answered. I truly felt a part of the event. I think this would also work for “distance learning” such as online classes, etc. Maybe not every class but a check in live every so often.

By: Bradjward

Bradjward — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 03:54:16 +0000

It depends on your audience. I think you’d be hard-pressed to find many prospective students who want to chat in this type of environment with a recognized scholar. (Perhaps even my age range!) The broader point is that the integration of uStream into an experience is an underutilized tactic, and regardless of the audience or quality, institutions should be looking at how they can provide an experience to the potential audience.

By: links for 2009-07-31 « innovations in higher education

links for 2009-07-31 « innovations in higher education — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 03:10:20 +0000

[...] To showcase your academic experts, forget TV and embrace Ustream… like Duke University (tags: ustream universities colleges education reachingstudents video officehours faculty content) [...]

By: Karine Joly

Karine Joly — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:20:10 +0000

Thanks, Mark and Brad for your comments

@Bradjward – I know (remember) you used it for the admissions chat and it has been done elsewhere since then – including with other tools.

However, I think this is something totally different. We’re not talking about admissions Q&A, but a conversation with a recognized scholar (I’m not implying that you’re not big game in your practice, Brad, but I think there’s definitely a broader appeal in this case).

Moreover, the quality of the production (while keeping it within most institution’s reach) does make a difference. When I was watching this Q&A, I felt like I were on a 1-1 conversation with Professor Ariely — and I think it was designed to look like this.

I showed the recording to somebody who attended a large university and his first comment was that it would be really cool to follow a lecture this way, instead of sitting in a 500-seat lecture hall.

There is some magic to live streaming whether it is for interviews, Q&A, webinars or news covering.

And, this slightly produced – yet very informal – format looks better than the usual streams from conferences, video chats or other events.

It is designed for immediacy, it is designed for interactivity. It is authentic, unscripted yet very professional.

By: Bradjward

Bradjward — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 19:49:02 +0000

Agreed!! uStream is going to see a lot more action in the edu space over the coming months. When I used it for an admissions chat last October (http://squaredpeg.com/index.php/2008/10/30/taking-chats-to-a-new-level/) is was a totally different experience. Very dynamic and appealing to the students, and the measurable results were very encouraging.

Thanks for sharing!
@Bradjward

By: Mark Rothbaum

Mark Rothbaum — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 18:19:21 +0000

Very cool! I could see this being a great tool for admission offices doing online chats. You can convey a lot more information with a video chat than with a text chat.

I think we will see more and more schools embracing technology like this.