Pete Woodworth, CTS's dashboard

Thanks, Brad.
My concern is for the number of start-up, face-to-face minutes required so far, per newbie Creator, for tasks like:
// New account administration;
// Software installation on their workstations;
// Training on the growing CourseCast feature set, plus file maintenance and naming conventions; proper microphone usage;
// In some cases assist with installation and troubleshooting of external devices, etc. prior to even the user's first recording session.
I can not envision this occurring at phones length. But these are the tasks which prompted me to ask the support question.

The actual support time required after the folks have been using the system for a while has been comparatively small, but usually requires on-site assistance. Say, if users were to call Panopto Tech Support at the start of a class (as they have me) with an urgent "no audio" support call, and the symptoms point to a dead battery in the microphone, how would you then appropriately handle the call and what was the benefit received?

Pointing users to some type of 'quick-start' website, FAQ or video does not seem workable either, although those are good tools to augment face-to-face training. But no, I don't read FAQ's either. If we decide to expand CourseCast into a production mode, I am anticipating a not-insignificant 'push-back' from other Department technicians if we desire to delegate start-up and training tasks to those technicians. This does not even include consideration of editing of sessions.

But now that I think about it, perhaps Panopto could indeed provide live, Webex-type training for new users in order to introduce the product and features. I'll have to consider this a bit more...

Just my observations. Thanks. -Pete-

Thanks, Marquis. During our pilot (only four or five concurrent Courses), I am the sole support technician. But I can see that a significant support increase would be required if CourseCast were to be implemented campus-wide in order to provide appropriate training for lecturers. -Pete- – Pete Woodworth, CTS, on April 16, 2009 16:48

Thanks, Eric. I'll give you a call.

That's a pretty swell list, thanks Rob.
I will also be experimenting with integration with our Tandberg HD video systems and will report on that a little later. CourseCast seems to be a better value than our $30,000. Tandberg Content Server. heh heh.

Congratulations on the new release! Happy New Year! -Pete

To all,
I had a great discussion with Eric offline regarding my request and I need to correct my incorrect terminology above:

When I refer above to "log-in" and "log-out," I am not referring to User Authentication, but merely the current process of accessing recordings as currently sorted into Student and Staff/Faculty.

Regardless, I am convinced that Eric, et al, understands my question.
Thank you for the excellent responses.
-Pete-

I know these clients are running as services not applications, but Windows Messenger, Skype, AIM, etc. are good examples for a look-and-feel which we have become familiar with. Compact screen layout containing only the most needed user controls. Configuration is only accessed via menu or tray icon, and the tray icon displays the current status. Winamp and Polycom PVX are good examples of how a big fat application can be folded up.
Just my opinion. Thanks.
-Pete-

Howdy.
We have been using the little xTag microphones this quarter with varying degrees of success.

Pros: Small, USB-powered, good wireless range from the base, GHz band--so no interference; good battery life and feature set. It is actually bi-directional duplex for use with Skype, etc. or other VOIP.

Cons: Surprisingly, the frequency response is not tailored to voice, it's quite boomy no matter where the microphone is worn. Also, the response seems to vary from unit-to-unit. I wrote to the company but they never responded. All it really needs is a 'high pass' switch to roll off the low end at about 200 Hz.

We also want to try one of their wireless tabletop models as well. Still, the xTag is a unique product and we will probably continue to use them until a competitor appears.

Cheers. -Pete-

Greg:

That workaround may be of some relative value, but for me any resolution looks like the fewest number of mouse clicks to accomplish a task. To require any user to log out of one account and log into another in order to access recordings which they have some level of rights to is frustrating and counterproductive--especially since I already enjoy that service model as an Administrator! The beneficial 'Courses:Subscribed' and 'Courses:All' sorting links suit us just fine from within our account. Why not expand this capability to other account types as well? How would that look?

For Creators, the 'Courses:Subscribed' link should obviously display Courses to which they can record. The 'Courses:All' link should display Courses to which they have lesser (viewing) rights.

Just my opinion. Thanks.
-Pete-