With greater emphasis on remote learning as the University of Utah prepares for fall semester, Teaching & Learning Technologies (TLT) is in the process of outfitting approximately 120 general access classrooms with video capture systems.

Instructors will be able to connect their laptops to a ceiling-mounted microphone and camera using a USB interface, which will facilitate lecture recordings via Kaltura Capture or Zoom software. Recorded lectures will be transferred to the instructor’s My Media account, where videos may be published and made accessible to students on-demand.

TLT has created a tutorial video, which you can access on this webpage, and will provide printed instructions in each classroom on how to connect devices and position the camera. The systems require an HDMI cable and a USB cable. USB cables can be checked out from the TLT Service Desk in Marriott Library’s Faculty Center.

“We really tried to make the system as simple as possible, so that it won’t require a whole training regimen to use it,” said TLT Director Jon Thomas.

Visit this TLT knowledge article for a list of classrooms to be converted and an installation schedule. The classrooms were chosen based on scheduling data from the Office of the Registrar and existing infrastructure capabilities.

Adam Stewart, associate director for TLT Operations, lauded the partnership with UIT’s Network Services team, which is evaluating pre-selected classrooms to ensure appropriate connections and ample wired and wireless coverage.

“The more we dive into it, the more we realize how interdependent we are. We owe a lot to the network group for making this happen on a tight schedule,” Stewart said.

If you have questions, please email TLT at classhelp@utah.edu or call the TLT help line at 801-581-6112, option 1.

General instructions

1. Plug in an HDMI cable and USB cable into the system hardware.
2. Connect the cables to your laptop.
3. The ceiling-mounted microphone and video camera will now appear as audio and video sources in Kaltura Capture or Zoom.
4. Begin recording.
5. Use the provided remote control to select camera presets, or manually position the camera with the directional pad.
6. Once finished, upload the recording to your My Media account from Kaltura Capture. If you use Zoom, a copy of the recording will automatically transfer to your My Media account.