Lights, camera, biology class! Imagine an online course that’s anything but death by PowerPoint.
Not only is the video crystal clear, recorded by television-studio-quality cameras, but your professors can demonstrate science experiments up close and in high definition. And they can solve math problems in real time, writing on a whiteboard while facing the camera as easy-to-follow notes appear on your screen.
It’s not science fiction. It’s South Texas College’s new high-tech recording studio — turning online lectures into an interactive experience that feels almost like sitting in a classroom.
“The student has the same, or, in some cases, even better visuals than they would in a face-to-face course,” explains Biology Instructor Dr. Maria Cervantes.
The professor’s dream for a recording studio started as far back as 2017 when she became chair of the Biology Department. Cervantes uses the board a lot when she teaches and is committed to hands-on learning and classroom connection — especially in her virtual sections.
Enter STC’s brand-new “Jag Studio,” a state-of-the-art recording facility located on the Pecan Campus. The studio opened in November 2020 after years of researching, planning and building, employing high-tech equipment to maximize online learning interaction across all disciplines.
“When you see it in action, it’s hard to believe,” says Dr. Rachel Sale, Dean of Distance Learning. The studio can fit about five people inside with social distancing, and its two large, high-definition screens allow instructors to see both their notes and the participants’ view simultaneously. With star-quality lighting in the modern, distraction-free studio, the end product is both powerful and professional.
The College has also used the studio to produce professional conference presentations and is currently developing open educational resource videos. From high-quality production to transcription and ADA services, the studio will allow the school to create top-of-the-line learning resources at no cost to students.
“There’s a lot of potential with the studio,” says the professor. “It’s just a matter of using our creativity and initiative to put some of these ideas into motion.”
In the coming semester, Cervantes will be a part of Distance Learning’s workshops to train faculty to use the equipment. And once the studio gets going, the professor knows that interest will take off.
“When they started the studio, they had about 50 faculty use it,” recalls Cervantes. “By the end of their first year, after word got out … they had over 1,200 people sign up!”
The professor is awed that the dream to help online learners has been championed by so many colleagues. She confides that the studio has turned out even better than her initial idea, thanks to the College’s unbeatable teamwork.
“It took the specialties and the funding capabilities of several different departments for this to happen,” says Sale. “It’s just another example of what STC is known for … [and] why we were able to adapt with COVID. Everybody works together.”