7-5-8=
_doc INTERNATIONAL
E-COLLABORATION, TECHNOLOGY DESIGN & IMPLEMENTATION OF AV CHAT CONFEREN=
CING
& DSS TOOLS
INTERNATIONAL E-COLLABORATION, TECHNOLOGY DESIGN & IMPLEMENTATION OF AV CHAT CONFERENCING & DSS TOOLS
Avi & Sara Rushinek, University of Miami, arush@miami.edu and arushine@aol.com (305)666-7890
Ned Kock , Texas A&M International University,
INTERNATIONAL E-COLLABORATION, TECHNOLOGY DESIGN & IMPLEMENTATION OF AV CHAT CONFERENCING & DSS TOOLS
Abstract
This is a study of International of e-Collaboration.
International of e-Collaboration
The professor collaborates with outsourced editing exp= erts in the field. For example, in= the case of MBA courses, an accounting professor uploads the audios and transcr= ipt captioned text to a Microsoft SharePoint server, at about 9 pm, at the even= ing, at the end of the class, US East Cost time. His Indian outsourced Accounting Professor counterpart starts correcting and editing the transcript captions= in the morning at about 9 am India or China time, finishing it by 9 am next morning US East coast time. J= ust in time for the professor and the students to review the transcripts and use t= hem for home and next class preparations. The resulting transcript is a joint work of the US Professor, the transcriber captioner, the Indian Editor, and the students who are taking quizzes produced automatically from the text. These students critic the text and= the test, whenever they disagree with it, leading to a cycle of additional corr= ection and editing.
ADA & HIPPA Compliance Teams
This study address the design and implementation of e-collaboration technologies between university administrators, who fund, i= nstall and maintain and monitor the equipment in the classroom and the servers in = the computer center, enabling the professors, students, auditors, security A/V (Audio/Video), audio to text transcribing captioners, ADA & HIPPA compliance teams, to work together. To accommodate disabled students the university has to comply with the US American with Disabilitie= s Act (ADA), thus they have to fund a humane captioner, who transcribes the lectu= re in real time, so that deaf students, who cannot sign will read the lecture.
The AV team merges the caption text output into the re= corded video stream, in real time, producing AV with subtitles. The deaf students in the class and= on the internet can read the subtitles and understand the lecture. If no deaf students exist, the instructor uses automated software transcription (Dragon Naturally Speaking= ) to do the same thing. In t= he case of medical school classes, the Health Insurance Portability & Priv= acy Act (HIPPA) compliance team checks the lecture and enforces the regulations= .
Universities typically do not have to comply with SOX,= but many of them choose to comply due to the intense trading with complying companies. That is especially= true for universities with medical schools and hospitals that provide and consume services and products traded with many trading partners. This system of surveillance record= ing may help in such compliance.
For example the auditor can demonstrate that the audit= department tested for fraudulent fake security guard bills, and fake professor travel paper funding by attaching video clips that show that the security guard is= in his position as charged, and the professor is not in the classroom cancelli= ng classes when he claims to be at a conference abroad presenting papers. The auditor can attest to auditing= for fraud, and having controls that quickly reveal and disclose possible fraud,= such as bill for ghost security guards and fake professor’s presentations abroad. Likewise, the surveil= lance cameras add assurance that major assets in the classrooms (e.g., computers, project= ing equipment, furniture, etc) are accounted for and properly maintained. These surveillance security cameras provide controls that show that no unauthorized use of University facilitie= s or assets exists, offer preventing controls to personal injury (shooting in the classroom), etc.
Students Use Videos against Professors & Search En= gine Optimization (SEO) Of The Videos Is Challenging
The study assesses the behavioral impacts of e-collabo= ration technologies on individual professors and groups of students, and social networking (Google Publishing & Facebook). We were surprised that a lot of professors are very reluctant to expose them to external real-time and arch= ived surveillance, for the fear that it will be used against them. The students confirmed the fear of= the professors in that the worst students tried to use the videos to support th= eir claims that their grades were too low.&nbs= p; Another surprise was that the availability of the recorded class AV = had no effect on the attendance. = We expected that the students will skip class due to the availability of the videos. It turned out the sla= ckers were too lazy to bother to watch the videos. In contrast, the best students wer= e the primary users, due to their desire to ensure that they will maximize their grade. Another affect of the recording on the professors was sticking more closely to the outline, and teaching in a much more structures way.&nb= sp; The biggest challenge was the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) of the Videos on Google, Facebook, and other public sites.
Reject the Null Hypothesis Concluding That Facebook Is= the Best Social Networking System for SEO
This study tests the hypothesis that the overall inter= net traffic is statistically dependant on any single social network, such as Facebook.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Furthermore, the study tests and r= ejects the null hypothesis that there is no statistical significant difference amo= ng the social networks in terms of their effect on the overall traffic. Thus, the study also help the inst= ructor choose the best social network to integrate into the system of classroom co= ntents recording, and distribution. = This study rejected the null hypothesis in favor of the alternative hypothesis concluding that Facebook is the best most influential social networking sys= tem for integration with the present AV surveillance system, helping raise the = SEO and promote the effectiveness of such system.
Auditors, Security A/V (Audio/Video), Audio to Text Transcribing Captioners, ADA & HIPPA Compliance Teams
Auditors can monitor the real-time and the archived vi= deos and attach them to their working paper, avoiding irregularities, and supervision lapses. For examp= le, a case of a professor who (according to the defending university) cancelled classes and submitted fake conference travel papers for funding, to the tun= e of more than $10,000 over more than 10 years, could have be prevented. The university fired the tenured professor due to fraud allegations. &= nbsp; The professor filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the university, which was settled 10 years, after the professor has been fired,= due to lack of evidence departure of witnesses. The incident led also to the destr= uction of the professors wife travel business, do partially to the universities cl= aims that it produced the fake travel papers that led to the fraud. If the surve= illance camera where used, the claims that the professor came to campus to conduct errands, while he was supposed to be abroad in a conference presenting a pa= per, could have be captured. Such = video clips would deter the professor in the first place. If it does not deter the professor= , and he comes to campus to do errands, while he cancels classes, and demands fun= ding for bogus trips, the university will have all the evidence that they need.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> They will not have to wait 10 year= s to settle the case out of court for lack of evidence. The auditor will simply attach the= video clips of the professor conducting errands (going to the university post off= ice, and the classroom to copy file form the classroom hard disk) to the travel papers claiming the professor was abroad at the same time, and file the com= plaint. Such a complaint will be undisputa= ble and resolved immediately.
Security A/V (Audio/Video) Staff Prevent Shooters from Moving Freely From Place To Place and Killing More People
Likewise, the security A/V (Audio/Video), staff will b= e able to monitor crime much more effectively.&nb= sp; As soon as a shooter appear in the classroom and starts shooting, the security camera system will broadcast it over the internet and alert the security staff, with the picture and video of the shooter. The shooter will not be able to sh= oot some students in a classroom, leave campus for 2 hours, and then come back = to another building, and kill 30 more students and professors, like the US Vir= ginia Tech Massacre of 2005. The se= curity personnel will intervene earlier on and stop the shooter from moving freely= from place to place and killing more people.
Teaching Effectiveness, Service Evaluation DSS Workflow Automation Recording, Transcribing, Captioning, Subtitling, Broadcasting, Archiving, Editing, Publishing, & Testing
This approach provides a Faculty Teaching Effectivenes= s, & Service Evaluation Decision Support Systems (DSS). The chair person and the tenure co= mmittees can view the class in real-time and review the lecture archives. Likewise, the repurposed AV, text,= and test materials, used for CPE (Continuing Professional Education) services to the community of CPAs (Certified Public Accountants), or other professionals (CLE, CME, CEE, Legal Medical & Engineering, respectively) provides inp= uts into the faculty service evaluation, which is part of a tenure and promotion DSS.
The tests posted on Blackboard and Microsoft Share-poi= nt servers drove the students to watch the lecture videos. When the lecture did not match per= fectly the contents of the tests, students used the videos primarily to complain a= bout the instructor, in order to support their claims that they deserve a higher grade. Only when the st= udents realized that the videos covered the material included in the test, they be= come interested in watching the videos and reading the class transcripts, subscribing to the RSS feeds, etc. Collaborative writing tools (converting audio to text captioned lect= ure into textbooks and class notes review materials), which groups of student converted to PowerPoint presentation, led to decision support systems, teleconferencing suites, workflow automation systems (recording, transcribi= ng, captioning, subtitling, broadcasting, archiving, editing, publishing, testi= ng), and document management technologies (storing and retrieving audios, videos= , documents, and tests). Some students not= iced that other students have plagiarized their work, and presented it as their = own. These students complained to the instructor, who told the plagiarizers about the complaints against them in time for the plagiarizer to revise their work and correct the problem.
Collaborative Business and Information Systems Design<= /p>
We intend the final system to be a Collaborative Busin= ess and an Information Systems. W= e design it so it will become a viable self funding, business model. We have created an e-commerce site= with a shopping cart for lecture DVDs. The HD (High Definition) videos are too large to be streamed across = the internet, even if the bandwidth is relatively high. Furthermore, this approach provide= s some profit opportunities to the parties involved, including the professor, the universities, and their party facilitators, such as publishers and broadcas= ters. Likewise, we added the option of e= mbedded toll free numbers and URL (Universal Resource Locator) banners on the video= s, providing advertising and sponsoring opportunities.
Real-time Collaboration (RTC) and Distributed Work
Third system is a Real-time Collaboration (RTC) and Distributed Work, that skypecasts the instructor audios to remote transcrib= ers in real-time. These remote transcribers return the captioned text in real-time to be merged with the recorded video and redistributed as subtitled videos through free near real= -time video webcast with real-time chat capabilities. This way remote deaf students can = read the subtitles write their responses in the chat box, letting the instructor= and other students respond in real-time, during the lecture, and discuss such interactions in the class.
FORENSIC AU= DIT INTERNET VIDEO CAPTION, SUBTITLES, & TRANSCRIPTION
Forensic Audit Internet Video Capt= ion, Subtitles, & Transcription describes how to repurpose ADA captions compliance services for other purposes, such as auditing, sharing the high = cost of a professional experienced human captioner. First we want to share the caption= s of a single university course, with additional sections of the same course. Thus, we divide the average cost b= y more and more units of credit hours, reducing the cost per hour. In addition, we can use it for aud= iting purposes, ignoring for now the legal and privacy issues of a “big brother” environment. T= his technology enables the auditors to know what exactly goes on in the classro= om in real-time and retrospectively.
As we connect a real-time DVD burner to the cameras, b=
urning
a DVD with the captions in one language, we can extend it to multiple
languages. Since the DVD can =
handle
up to 7 different languages, we can add to the English subtitles, translati=
ons
in different languages, such as Spanish, Chinese, Arab=
lic,
Hindu, Rusian, and German, etc. This way during the play-back the =
view
can select the language of choice, and with voice over, the view can read a=
nd
hear the alternative languages.
This will expand the marketing portential of
the DVDs to many markets that are beyond the English speaking countries.
BANNER URL-TEL AUTOMATION
Banner URL-Tel Automation refers to the video overlays= off a URL (Universal Resource Locator) internet address, which is also a telephone number. Automating the instant communication as soon as a viewer or listener clicks a button on a screen o= f a computer, or any other device, such as a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) or phone, the devices dial the phone number and surf to the web site for furth= er services. Such automation bri= ngs additional banner advertising revenues, increasing the ROI (Return on Investment) and offsetting some of the costs of such services.
We deploy automated transcription software, such as Dr=
agon
Naturally Speaking (DNS), to further reduce the cost of a human transcriber=
. Of
course, the quality of software transcription right now, is still inferior =
to a
professional human transcriber, but the cost is disproportionately lower, e=
ven
if we add an outsourced human transcriber and editor to the mix. What we are doing is using DNS for=
the
initial transcription recording, while also Skype-cast the lecture using VO=
IP
(Voice Over IP) for free telephone transmission to outsourced human
transcribers and editors in China, India and Pakistan, to supplement DNS.
ADA COMPLIANCE E-EVIDENCE
ADA (Americans with Disabilities A= ct) Compliance E-Evidence, Eaves Dropping Av, Surveillance Recording Archives d= eals with compliance with laws that level the playing field with able bodied, pe= ople with normal hearing. T= his is only one category of compliance services.&= nbsp; This approach facilitates other compliance requirements such as Sarb= anes Oxley (SOX), and HIPPA that deals with an HMO (that is publicly traded and subject to SOX) that provides health care and is also a teaching university, providing medical training and research services.
The auditors can attach the AV (Audio Video) clips to =
their
work-papers to demonstrate that the doctors comply with both SOX and HIPPA,
without being physically there, just using the real-time and archived AV.
EAVES DROPPING AV, SURVEILLANCE RECORDING ARCHIVES
The auditors can audit live classes and see if the instructor Doctors show up to work, and teach what they are supposed to tea= ch, and if they comply with the various requirements of SOX, HIPPA etc, by eaves dropping. Further= more, the can repurpose the AV Surveillance Recording Archives as e-evidence (Electronic evidence) for their work-paper. The forensic auditor expert witness, can later on re-use such archives as forensic evident, for expert witness testimony and computer litigation support, in a variety of dispute resolution mediations and litigations.
BUSINESS CONTINUITY, CONTINGENCY PLANNING BACKUP & DISASTER RECOVERY
Business Continuity, Contingency Planning Backup &= Disaster Recovery deals with a teaching hospital emergency situation. For example if a disaster like a hurricane of an earth-quake strikes, the professor doctors, the students interns, as well as the teaching hospital all switch to business continuity= mode, using the contingency plan. T= he teaching hospital moves to an alternative location out of the disaster zone, with the patients, doctor professors, and students interns. Instead of the traditional live lectures, the re-use the AV archives from the previous semester, to supplem= ent the WWW (World Wide Web) internet cyber teaching and learning facilities, s= uch as an LMS (Learning Management System), similar to Blackboard, or Moodles.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Classes and medical services conti= nue according to the Contingency Planning Backup & Disaster Recovery proced= ures that have been practiced, rehearsed, audited and approved prior to the disaster.
As the reader can see such topics are discussed in the literature as well as in professional meetings, such as the AAA 2008 Annual= Convention (http://aaahq.org/AM2008/= cpe/cpe11.htm and http://aaahq.org/AM20= 08/cpe/cpe02.htm ) as part of a CPE (Continuing Professional Education) program.
One of the unique facets of our approach in raising th= e ROI primarily on the revenue side, adding several new revenue streams to the In= come Statement. This approach chan= ges completely the balance sheet, and makes such services much more affordable = and even profitable to all the involved parties including but not limited to the following: the institutions (universities and training institutions), their administrators, professors, doctors, students, patients, interns, security guards, parents (that now can observe their children in the classroom in real-time, or relatives that can monitor their patients from afar) auditors, etc.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^= ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Repu=
rposing
ADA Compliance University Lecture Captions for Forensic Audit, Security
Surveillance, Google Video Transcript, Distance Education, CPE, Sponsorship=
and
Fund Raising *
This=
will
be the advantage, if our method ends up working, at the end of every class a
student like him will not only have your stuff but have a fully burned DVD =
with
the captions in it. Are you g=
etting
it? So what is the purpose of=
what
we're trying to do?
HD H=
IGH
DEFINITION VIDEO ENSURES THAT THE VIEW CAN SEE GREATE DETAILS
Curr=
ently
manufacturers optimize video recording equipment only for one of the object=
ives
at a time. Therefore, we have=
to
rig equipment that targets one of the objectives for other purposes. For example, HD (High Defini=
tion)
digital video cameras have been optimized for movie production, yet we are
using them for other purposes, such as surveillance, forensic audit, and
instructional video recording. The
reason that HD is so important for instructional video is that the student =
has
to be able to read exactly what the instructor writes on the board. Likewise, for security purposes, t=
he
security guard has to see an intruders face and be able to recognize the
intruder if he leaves the crime scene and walks across the university campu=
s. To combine the HD technology with =
legacy
technologies the HD digital video may have to be converted to analog video,=
and
vice versa. For this purpose =
we are
using several adapters such as the Plextor analog to digital, A/V (Audio/Vi=
deo)
component (RCA) interface to USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface.
To
conserve resources some of the equipment has sensors that check if there is=
any
activity. If there is no acti=
vity
such equipment shuts itself off automatically. Hence, the instructor explains to =
the
class that the equipment may shut itself off. Following is a conversation that
explains such issues:
&quo=
t;If
you don't activate it within 15 seconds or so, it shuts itself off.
>=
>
Did you use the Plextor now? =
And
you're getting it?
Plextor.
So. I never see the image. We are getting some image here.
I see
captioning, yes. Okay. So I'm starting to record,
actually. Okay. So we are recording now. So let me just give you a little
explanation. But in the meant=
ime
explain the equipment. Because we are doing something a little different here. Can we flatten this just a tad, li=
ke
so? We have it on; we want to
explain to you some of the changes that we made. Let's start the recording also
here. Can you help me with
burning?"
USING
MULTIPLE CAMERA FOR BACKUP AND RECOVERY IN CASE A CAMERA FAILS
Unli=
ke a
normal surveillance environment in a CCTV (Close Circuit Television) the
monitor may not display the image in every classroom. However, in our situation, t=
he
monitor displays the image for the benefit of the professor and the student=
s in
the classroom. This way the h=
earing
impaired student can read the caption in real time and understand the lectu=
re,
without having to rely on sign language.&n=
bsp;
Some of the hearing impaired do not understand sign language, and mo=
st
hearing students do not understand sign language as well. As soon as the main camera fails, =
the
instructor and the students notice it and switch to the backup camera. Thus the instructor explains it to=
the
class, as follows:
&quo=
t;What
we're trying to do is first of all, our first camera fried. So this is our backup and recovery=
. You can see how good looking you <=
span
class=3DGramE>are in the little viewer here. You see that?"
BUSI=
NESS
CONTINUITY PLANNING BACKUP AND RECOVERY HD VS SD HIGH VERSUS STANDARD
DEFINITION
Busi= ness continuity planning and backup and recovery procedures are particularly important for security reasons. In the event that a master camera malfunction, another camera that was previou= sly uses as a VCR (Video Cassette Recorder) recording highly compressed AV (Aud= io Video) to a Sony memory stick, takes its position, as a master camera. The reviewer of the AV recorder wi= ll be able to stick the memory stick in a telephone or a PDA that has a memory st= ick reader, and view the lecture without internet connectivity, or offline. The compression rate of the memory= stick is high enough that it stores about 5 hours of AV lecture in a 2 Gig space. This way it looks perf= ectly well in a 2x2 inch telephone screen. In contrast, the HD video takes 2 Gig for 20 minutes of lecture time= , it is optimized for HD 2X2 feet monitor, or even a movie theater size screen.<= o:p>
SPON=
SORS
CAN FRONT THE CAPTION COST IN RETURN FOR THE RIGHT TO DISPLAY THEIR ADS
Comp=
uter
manufacturers may be potential sponsors that are interested in advertising =
to
college computer students. Su=
ch
manufactures, could be IBM and or Dell corporations that have toll free van=
ity
telephone numbers and matching domain names such as 800-Buy-Dell, etc. The instructor explains the idea of
raising money through sponsorship to the students, as follows:
&quo=
t;Look
at the screen here. Unlike be=
fore,
now we have overlay, and this is for sponsors so we can put IBM 800,
IBM.com. And IBM will pay.
UNIV=
ERSITIES
MAY BE CREDITED WITH SALES COMMISSIONS DERIVED FROM THEIR RECORDINGS
In o=
ur
case, if you playback the attached Google video hyperlinks you will see that
ads overlaying the video. One=
ad at
the top of the screen advertizing the (888)DVDU/=
CPE1.Org
company. Another ad, at the b=
ottom
of the screen advertizing another company (305)OnTrial.=
org/net
company. Important to note th=
at
these are not only ads, but also live hyperlinks, similar to Skype-out phone
numbers, those are much more than just ads. These URL and vanity telephone num=
ber
hyperlinks are active. The vi=
ewer
of the video can click the device, such as a wireless phone or a PDA (Perso=
nal
Digital Assistance) and the device will ring the phone number and surf to t=
he
web site automatically. This =
way if
the viewer buys merchandize from the ads, the university and or professor w=
ill
be credited by the sales commissions of the purchases. Such additional sources of income =
will
help fund the captioning expenses.
WHER=
E IS
THE CASH COMING FROM - FROM BANNER VANITY TELEPHONE NUMBERS AND URL
"Office of Disability Services,"
http://www6.miami.edu/umbulletin/info/serv/arc.htm is typical offices in a
university that help comply with a variety of acts such as the ADA (America=
ns
with Disabilities Act). Such =
office
assists students with disabilities to compete with the remainder of the stu=
dent
population. Occasionally, suc=
h an
office has trouble getting a note taker to take notes for a student with
disabilities, and in such a case they may send the instructor a letter aski=
ng
the instructor to assist in finding a note taker.
When the instructors offer to fund a professional capt=
ioner,
the office refused to collaborate claiming that it is too expensive, and it=
may
set a precedence that is too demanding.&nb=
sp;
"So I told th=
em we
are working on this project to generate a lot more revenue so you can fund =
it
and have a lot of extra cash coming to you. And the problem is that many of th=
em
don't understand where the cash is going to come from.
So
one of the sources that it's going to come from is from the sponsors.
As you can see from this little screen there is overlays like (305
VIDEO
OVERLAID BANNER VANITY TELEPHONE NUMBERS AND URL AUTOMATING CALL & SURF=
&quo=
t;This
advertising is not just advertising; these are hyper texts that if you play=
it
in a telephone, for example, and the telephone is equipped with Internet ac=
cess
and can use Java, there will be JavaScript. When the restaurant plays or click=
s on
it -- when the student plays or clicks on it, it will play the telephone
number. 800, IBM and allow the
students to surf to the website." Using such technologies as S=
kype,
the Java programming language and XML (extensible Markup Language) the wire=
less
phone acting also as a remote control and a video player, can also automati=
cally
ring the number displayed in the banner, and surf the URL that is displayed=
in
the banner. This way the stud=
ent,
viewing the lecture video, can the operator of the sponsoring organization,=
as
well as surf their web site. =
In
this case the vanity telephone number will be (888)DVDU=
.Org
or (888)3838.674, and the web site http://www.DVDU.Org. This is 888 DVDU.or=
g or
CPE1.Org, whichever is available.
COMM=
ISSIONS
EARNED DUE TO THE SALES OF THE SPONSORS WILL GO BACK TO THE UNIVERSITY
So
if it's a telephone device that can surf the Internet like some of the PDA
phones, the student can click on it, it will port them to the website and
simultaneously dial the 800 IBM number so they can order stuff from the web=
.
All the commissions will go back to the university and the professor=
to
fund this payroll process -- whole process. So this is why it's important from=
an
additional revenue standpoint.
That's going to fund the whole process in addition to what I explain=
ed
to you before, about transcribing it, editing it professionally and making =
that
editorial stuff available. So=
the
way it will work is it will take the raw text coming out of the captioner.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> At the end of the class, let's say=
the
class end at 9:00. By 9 or 10
minutes will be uploaded to a web server
THE
PROFESSOR WILL UPLOAD THE CAPTIONED VIDEOS AND AUDIOS, AND TEXT TRANSCRIPT
FILES
">>
What will be uploaded to a web server?
>>
THE PROFESSOR: The text and the video and all this stuff that we are
recording." The idea is to outsource the final
editing to a professional counterpart around the world that will edit the
transcript and correct it overnight Miami time. For example, in a computer auditing
course that ends in Miami at 9 pm, Miami time, most of the text transcript =
will
be available around the world by 10 pm, which is 10 am China time. Thus, a Chinese or an Indian profe=
ssor
of computer auditing can start editing the transcript, and finish editing i=
t by
5 pm China or India time, and upload the edited version back to the server.=
This way the edited version will be
available to the students early morning next day at the latest, if not a few
hours later, by about midnight Miami time, and Midday China time. Likewise, we are recording several=
AV
files in different format and different compression rates. We are burning high quality DVD-R,=
for
immediate upload to an e-commerce site with a shopping cart that will be
available for purchase as fast as the bandwidth permits. Likewise, we are recording HD (High
Defenition) .mp4 files, optimized for progressive download and internet
transport, as well as highly compressed mpg files, optimized for playback on
small telephone and PDA screen, on a removable media (SD, MS, and other fla=
sh
cards). In addition we record=
also
audio files in multiple file formats like mp3 optimized for internet transp=
ort
and download, as well as voice files optimized for automated transcripts us=
ing
software such as Dragon Naturally Speaking, etc.
STUD=
ENTS
WILL SUPPLEMENT CLASSROOM NOTES WITH VIDEOS AUDIOS AND CAPTIONER'S TRANSCRI=
PTS
&quo=
t;The
Indian counterpart will be in India, for example, start the morning. While here it is night, they will =
be
working all day long in India editing it, correcting it, formatting it, and=
at
the end of the night our time and at the end of the day their time, they wi=
ll
be done and they will be uploading the edited version with a lot of correct=
ions
and much more -- much more readable than anything that can be done by a
captioner. Because
it will have pictures and notes from professionals with a lot of experience=
. And that's going to become availab=
le
immediately as soon as they are done, which may be in the morning or maybe
three or four hours later. So=
that
students -- the hearing impaired can take that and supplement it," wit=
h the
notes that they got from class, which they or other students have taken.
WE
OPTIMIZE EACH MEDIA FOR A DIFFERENT TARGET APPLICATION, USE THEM ALSO FOR
BACKUP
In t=
he
event that one or more sources of content gets d=
amaged,
the other sources can serve as backups.&nb=
sp;
For example, the .mp4 HD AV (High Defenition Audio Video) can recrea=
te
the .mp3 files and the standard definitions AV files. This method of recording and strea=
ming
the content of the class is also a part of a boarder business continuity pl=
an and
a backup and recovery method, for an event of a disaster such as a flood or=
a
hurricane.
&quo=
t;In
addition to that, in real-time we are also burning a DVD. So the students at the end of the =
class
can take the DVD drop it in a DVD player without a computer at home. Any home DVD player that is connec=
ted to
a television, and while they are going to sleep they can watch already the
lecture and let it play all night long.&nb=
sp;
Sometimes it will not only put them to sleep, but give them an
opportunity to review the class. So
this is the idea. What we're =
doing,
taking the video output directly out of the camera, by passing all the
equipment, running it into the encoder, adding the captions in real-time,
taking the output from the captioning and rerouting it back into our
system. That means not only c=
an we
broadcast it in real-time, but we can get multiple copies. One copy going to the DVD another =
copy
going to the computer, and yet another copy going to our hard drive.
The
important thing to understand, we record it here in multiple compression
rates. One of the compression=
rates
is a very high compression rate.
Just to give you an idea. 20
minutes that we record here in the class in HD-- mean high definition video=
--
will take 2 gigs. Another lev=
el of
compression is about 100 times more compressed. So instead of taking 2 gigs for 20
minutes, it will take 2 gigs for about eight hours. That high compression level is rec=
ording
it directly to a memory stick, and that is another thing that we can do.
WE A=
RE
ALSO BROADCASTING THE VIDEO LIVE FOR FREE USING FREE SERVICES SUCH AS USTRE=
AM
&quo=
t;>>
We're having now problems with uStream
>=
>
THE PROFESSOR: but now we have a copy on the hard drive with the captions f=
or
you. So you don't have to use
that. This is the point I was
trying to explain. This syste=
m will
be much more robust, so if the computer doesn't work, there will be no way =
that
everything will not work at the same time.
>=
>
And also here you need Internet connectivity
>=
>
Right. Here you don't.
>=
>
So sometimes when the Internet goes down --
>=
>
David: This will just be to
broadcast
>=
>
THE PROFESSOR: but many times you will want to broadcast. But at least you will have backups=
on
DVD backup also on a hard drive
WE A=
RE
USING A HARD DRIVE RECORDING DEVICE WITH WI-FI CAPABLITIES AS A BACKUP
PROCEDURE
If t=
he
computer connection to the internet WWW (World Wide Web) fails, we are usin=
g a standalone
hard drive recording system with Wi-Fi connectivity, so it can upload the m=
edia
without any connection to another computer.
&quo=
t;>>
And this device can broadcast. This
is a Wi-Fi device. Our hard d=
rive
has Wi-Fi connectivity. This =
means
we can upload or broadcast from here without a computer just in the event t=
hat
all the computers don’t work, we can go directly from this device to =
the
Internet without having a computer.
>=
>
So we're trying all different methods here. That's why we need backup and reco=
very
methods.
REPU=
RPOSING
LAST SEMESTER CLASSROOM CAPTIONED VIDEO AUDIO AND EDITED TRANSCRIPT FILES TO
CONTINUE CLASSES DURING AND AFTER DISASTERS AS PART OF A BUSINESS CONTINUITY
PLAN
In t=
he
event that the university is submerged in water due to a flood, students and
professors resume classes from alternative predetermined locations around t=
he
world. Participants in the co=
urse,
professor and students provide an alternative address, far away from the
present potential disaster area, to resume classes.
&quo=
t;This
system is good for backup and recovery.&nb=
sp;
It's good for archiving.
Also think about the example of Katrina, Tulane University was out of
commission for a semester. Wh=
at
happens to their students? Th=
ey
don't want to lose those students because if they transfer to another
university, they may just decide to stay in that university. Here I can capture those students =
and
say: At least take those clas=
ses
that you had last semester. T=
hey
are on, they are archived, those classes.&=
nbsp;
Because a lot of times they were disbursed also =
to
faculty members. You c=
an do
it for short periods of time and use it for continuity measure. So in disaster recovery and contin=
uity,
you can perform just as well."
AMER=
ICAN
WITH DISABLITIES ACT (ADA) COMPLIANCE FINANCING THROUGHT FACILITATING DISTA=
NCE
EDUCATION, CONTINUING EDUCATION, TEXTBOOK AUTHORING, SURVEILLANCE AND FOREN=
SIC
AUDIT
Norm=
ally,
ADA compliance can be very costly.
Therefore, universities are many time reluctant to grant it to stude=
nts
and professors with disabilities.
Universities are also concerned about setting a precedence that will
promote the idea; for fear that every ADA person will demand a full video c=
aptioning
service. The repurposing of s=
uch
captioning for additional applications may help fund the compliance with AD=
A,
and at the same time produce a mummer of additional pros and cons that we m=
ay
have to deal with.
CONT=
INUING
PROFESSIONAL LEGAL MEDICAL & ENGINEERING EDUCATION (CPE, CLE, CME, CEE)=
AND
THE REQUIREMENTS OF CONTINUING EDUCATION UNITS (CEUs) TO MAINTAIN PROFESSIO=
NAL
CERTIFICATES
Some=
of
the additional applications of ADA compliance for the hearing impaired incl=
ude
but is not limited to be distance education, where some students that are n=
ot
present in the class can view or read the edited or raw transcript of the c=
lass
and use it for distance learning.
Further, it can also relieve some of the students present in the cla=
ss
from excessive pre-occupation with writing notes, at the expense of listeni=
ng
to the class. It can also be
repurposed for Continuing Professional, Legal, Medical, & Engineering
Education (CPE, CLE, CME, and CEE).
Professional organizations, such as CPA (Certified Public Accountant=
s)
associations worldwide, require their member an annual minimum Continuing
Education Units (CEUs) of credit to maintain their certificate valid. Such alumni will only be happy to =
help
fund their university while earning the credits that they need, especially =
if
they can earn them also in a self-study mode, with the flexibility of liste=
ning
to live, or archived audio and video clips on demand. Instead, most of them are forced to
participate in such classes in the most inconvenient times such as after ho=
urs,
at week-ends, which may also be the least effective times for additional
learning.
PUBL=
ISH OR
PERSIH AND INTEGRATING TEXTBOOK AUTHORING WITH ADA CAPTIONING AND SUBTITLING
GOOGLE VIDEOS
Inte=
grating
it with textbook authoring may give the instructors additional fiduciary
incentive not only to publish, and comply with "publish or perish"=
; paradigm,
but also to prepare better for the classes and ultimately teach more
effectively. Likewise, it wil=
l make
the resulting textbook; a lot more attentive to the actual need of the
students, rather than cater to the perceived student needs, or what the
instructor thinks that the students need.&=
nbsp;
As a result, the instructors may prepare more for the class, students
will have a greater input into the process of textbook authoring, and most
importantly the textbook revisions will be much more up to date due to the
automatic and repetitive continuous quality improvement processes that are
taking place.
WHY =
SHOULD
WE LET THE PROFESSORS REPURPOSE THE CAPTIONED EDITED TRANSCRIPT FOR TEST AND
TEXTBOOK AHUTHORING PURPOSES DID WE NOT PAY THEM TOO MUCH ALREADY?
Some
administrators may be too short sighted to see the benefits of letting the
professors repurpose the captioned transcript for test and textbook authori=
ng
and publishing purposes, claiming that they are already over-paying them, f=
or dubious
quality of teaching services. However,
we have to understand the marginal added utility of such professor’s
efforts. Even the most experi=
enced
court reporter or captioner, as was the case in our study, where a professi=
onal
court reported with about 20 experience, did an
excellent job, transcribing and captioning these videos, she made some
mistakes, that may be crucial to the complete understanding and accuracy of=
the
transcript and the captions. =
That
is especially more prominent, as some of the professors are foreigners with=
a variety
of accents that makes it more difficult for a student, and a computer to un=
derstand
and correctly transcribe. As =
such
foreign accents become more and more common with the globalization of higher
education and business this challenge becomes more and more relevant.
PROF= ESSORS CAN BECOME MORE EMPATHETIC AND MORE SENSITIVE TO THE LEARNERS ABILITY TO AB= SORB THE MATERIAL AND THE CAPTIONER ABILITY TO TRANSCRIBE THE LECTURE CORRECTLY<= o:p>
For
example, a case in point in this experiment was the name of a web site's do=
main
name, which is "http://www.OnAFree.com. " The captioner consistently
misinterpreted it as "on free.com." Even though, it is a small mistake,
which is oblivious when one watches the video, and sees the URL, as the
professor demonstrates it, it may also be very confusing to a blind and deaf
person trying to go to the site and check it out.
The
professor needs the extra incentive to go back to the transcript of the
captioner or the court reported read it carefully and correct it. Furthermore, the professor learns =
to
monitor more effectively the captions and watch it more carefully in real-t=
ime,
correcting it as early as possible, and preventing such errors from prolife=
rating
throughout the course, confusing more and more viewers.
AUTO=
MATED
CONTINOUS QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROCESS THAT IS VERY COST EFFECTIVE
Like=
wise,
it teaches the professor to be more sensitive to the students and listeners
ability to follow and absorb the material, especially when the professor has
been teaching this subject for some 30 years (30 years times 10 courses a y=
ear,
about a total of 300 times) and can reach an extremely fast pace of speech
leaving even the fastest court reporter, students and listeners way behind =
the
ability to listen, absorb, process, and transcribe correctly the lecture.
Yet,=
when
such a professor does listen, and does view and reviews his own lecture one
more time, especially when it includes a captioned transcript, edited by
another expert from around the world, this professor may be surprised to se=
e,
how much more there is to learn.
Not only will the professor learn something new about the topic, but
also about himself and ways to improve the professor’s public speaking
and communication skills. Thi=
s is a
valuable lesson that even the slowest learning professor may experience due=
to
such meticulous and thorough review of the professors' videos, audios,
transcripts, and overall demeanor.
Such a system may induce even the most reluctant tenured professor to
improve his teaching, and in turn improve the learning experience of his
students, as well as advancing the field of study one more step forward.
This=
will
induce, over time, an automatic continuous quality improvement process that
will lead to better and better work for all parties, on a grand scale, assu=
ming
that it will be adopted by many organizations. It should have a positive competit=
ive
affect, on the university, the professor, the students, the captioner
transcriber or court reporter, the security system and the entire system.
INTE=
GRATION
INTO THE SURVEILANCE AND FORENSIC AUDITING SYSTEM MAY IMPOVE SECURITY WHILE
REDUCING COST
Inte=
grating
the surveillance systems into the video and audio recording and captioning
process will reduce the cost of recording the lecture exclusively for ADA
compliance, by sharing the cost for multiple applications. More importantly, it will eliminat=
e the
classic problem of "Ghost Security Cameras and Ghost Security
Guards." These are the c=
ommon
problems similar to the famous case of the "2007 Virginia Tech
University" killing of more than 30 students and professors, and mal
functioning or none-existing security surveillance system that permitted the
killer to walk away from the killing zone for 2 hours and then come back and
kill another class of students and professors. This is consistent with the famous
symptom of high security camera that mal functions for years without anybody
noticing, a high security door that is left adjar, so people can come in an=
d go
out frequently without using the key.
Likewise, it is typical of the "ghost security" officer wh=
o is
missing or "asleep at the wheel," and endless litigation about
security over-billing that drag forever, costing the tax payers a fortune a=
nd
do not help improve the public safety and security, as reported by the Miami
Harold.
GHOST SECUR= ITY GUARD EXCESSIVE LITIGATION COSTS AND FORENSIC AUDITING
Miami Harold reports the details of such cases in a recent article, as follows: "http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking_dade/story/486235.html." "30 months after it began, 'ghost posts' audit still pending."= Posted on Mon, Apr. 07, 2008, by LARRY LEBOWITZ AND SCOTT HIA= ASEN, llebowitz@MiamiHerald.com. " In August 2006, Miami-Dade County's top auditor found evidence t= hat Wackenhut Corp. had billed the county nearly $1.6 million over a three-year period for 69,000 hours worth of work that its employees -- private security guards who patrol .."
Integrating
such activities into the security system, will save som=
e of
the recording costs and technical difficulties, but more importantly, it wi=
ll
force the security staff to work.
Students and professors will be continuously monitoring the recording
and live broadcasting of the classes to ensure that they get the AV files a=
nd
transcripts that they need. A=
t the
same time they will be forcing the security staff to operate the cameras, a=
nd
the security infrastructure, in tip-top shape, instead of waiting until
IMPR=
OVING
ADA VOLUNTARY UNIVERSITY COMPLIANCE RELEIVING THE DISABLED FROM BEGGING
&quo=
t;>>
This is another issue that I wanted to explain to you. Right now universities are saying:=
What do I care about these ADA
people? I'm going to do the m=
inimum
that I need to do with compliance and let them go to other schools or whate=
ver
they want to do, because I cannot afford to spend so much money for caption=
ing.
but = what we are telling them, from now on it's not only going to be for ADA students" ONLLY, what you are going to do is take the videos and store= the videos off-site. In the event= of a disaster, that the whole university is submerged, you are going to lose a l= ot of money because the students like what happened to Tulane Univers