YuJa’s 2020 Year in Review

Here are some of our highlights from the past 12 months: 

We scaled our systems. 

We knew that a rise in demand for remote learning would increase institutions’ need to scale video sharply and quickly. Years prior, we architectured our system to be segmented into Sub-Systems, with each Sub-System able to elastically expand and contract based on current load. This architectural foresight became imperative to support our customers as they scaled growth more than 20 times that of previous years. Below is a graph from one of our partners at the University of Calgary .

We helped institutions improve their online campus experience. 

By providing intuitive, user-friendly video workflows, we helped enhance user experience for students on and off-campus. With deep LMS integrations and a focus on a high-quality, video-centric learning experience, our products allow students to use the LMS they’re familiar with while still benefiting from advanced features of the Video Platform capabilities like on-demand streaming, live video streaming, search inside-video, and in-video commenting. Engagement with other learners, interactive quizzes and other features were optimized so students experience a crisp, high-quality video and have access to materials 24/7.  

We committed ourselves to your success. 

To better serve our customers, YuJa doubled its Success and Support Team in 2020. Our support ticket volumes increased more than tenfold, yet we committed to answering both phone and email inquiries quickly, even increasing our response rate over the previous year. We spent time training and mentoring our new staff so responses were of the high caliber you’ve come to expect from YuJa. Our staff worked overtime to help and support institutions thrust into transitioning to remote learning, with a goal of making the experience as seamless as possible. We will continue to invest in our team to support your teams. 

We scaled analytics to help work with large data sets. 

We focused extensively on making sure all aspects of the system operated efficiently under significantly increased data workloads. Load time of Visual Analytics and the Admin Panel, which housed large volumes of audit logging and statistical data were substantially improved.

We added new features to maintain reliability, enhance system supports and increase efficiency.

These include:

• Performance and throughput improvements to Canvas API Module. The Canvas API Sync module was improved to perform higher throughput Canvas data synchronization. 
• Deployed infrastructure to move Static Asset Delivery to the global Content Delivery Networks. This enhancement improved the global performance of Video Platform static asset resource loading (images, CSS files, etc.) to reduce both page load times and server load.
• Improved Performance of Zoom Ingestion. The Video Platform sub-systems responsible for performing Zoom ingestion were bolstered to provide even more robust and scalable ingestion of Zoom recordings. 
• Improved Performance of Audit Logs Data Loads. The Video Platform’s Notifications and Auditing Logging, which facilitates support scenarios for our institutions’ administrative teams, was upgraded to be more dynamic with improved load times for large data sets.

Lecture Capture Features to Look for in 2021

For many colleges and universities, lecture capture, or recording instructional lectures, has been one component of a successful transition to hybrid or entirely remote learning operations. Not only does this type of technology enable video recording in a traditional sense, but it can capture webcam video, digital whiteboards and computer screens using software, hardware, your browser or even mobile devices.

As the landscape has changed, so too have the needs of institutions, many of which have a desire to provide higher value content to learners. Features that were once an added bonus are standard, and features that help engage, innovate, and ease technology learning curves (for both instructors and students) are a higher priority.

As leaders in video enterprise solutions, we spend a great deal of time not only innovating and developing the next generation of learning tools, but also in understanding organizational needs and priorities.

Top Lecture Capture Features

Below are several important feature considerations as you embark on or learn more about lecture capture.

 

Compatibility is Paramount

One of the most important considerations (for any new technology) is how well it integrates with existing technology. This is not an area to compromise on, as it makes the entire transition and use of video tools easier for all parties involved.

• Your lecture capture solution should integrate with other existing technology and meet Learning Tools Interoperability standards. YuJa, Inc. is an IMS Global Learning Consortium Affiliate member. LTI® Advantage is the gateway to enabling digital transformation—rapidly advancing a secure educational technology ecosystem where users have more options for innovative tools that work together and result in better integrations, better user experiences, and better learning. The Content Item Messaging (CIM) capability, which is part of the IMS Advantage Standard, enables Gradebook Sync.
• Another advantageous feature YuJa, Inc. offers is interactive assessment capabilities  within the video experience, which includes creating video quizzes, inserting related documents, and making interactive comments.

Ability to Create Higher Value Content

Everyone involved is likelier to embrace new tools when they’re inherently easier and more intuitive. Features like multi-stream, non-destructive editing within a web browser, smart workflows, inline caption editing and the ability to schedule recordings all allow course designers and instructors to create and deliver higher value content for learners.

• YuJa Lecture Capture allows even more tools within the video editor to create engaging content without the hassle, including tools for higher quality ASR captioning, multi-source playback and apps that enable lecture capture outside of the classroom for capturing field work, practicums and ad-hoc captures.
• Like video conferencing tools, students and professors can add virtual backgrounds. Real-time whiteboards, desktop recording/sharing, bookmarking, note-taking capabilities, collaboration tools like in-video commenting, and live streaming all add to the value of a product, increase engagement and help improve learning by making your high-value content accessible to all.

Playback Ability is More Important Than Ever for Third Party Content

With many students and teachers not being able to return to their classrooms, ensuring that videos can play on any device is more important than ever. Some institutions have students enrolled who have never set foot on their campus or even in the state in which the college or university is located. Students have to be able to access lectures any time and from anywhere.

• YuJa allows the ability to download content for offline consumption (without WiFi or network connectivity), allowing flexible viewing on any device and dynamic storage solutions.
• The YuJa Enterprise Video Platform can automatically ingest content from other third-party providers such as Blackboard Collaborate, Skype for Business, WebEx, Cisco Teleconference, and more via our Watch Point ingestion tool. Video conference recordings from Zoom, Webex and YuJa can become playable videos, which enhances playback experience.

Actionable Engagement Analytics Benefit the Institution

Measuring student engagement is essential to understanding what is going well and to determine areas of improvement. Ensure your lecture capture learning system offers detailed reports and information about audience engagement, along with a comprehensive overview of viewing and usage behaviors.

• The YuJa Enterprise Video Platform’s Visual Analytics suite collects a wide variety of data and provides reports that cover system statistics, usage, and instructional insights.
• Visual Analytics and Audit Logging encompasses all aspects of the Video Platform’s function. Visual Analytics has been designed to prioritize key insights, enable easy-to-use filtering, present meaningful visual insights and enable on-demand and automated data exportation.

Instructors should be able to zero in on areas of concern and  track participation and user adoption using near real-time reporting. Today’s integrated tools have the capability to automatically identify actionable video insights to ensure students are getting the most out of each lecture.

Need more information on Lecture Capture, choosing the right tools or Hybrid Learning? Check out our Comprehensive Guide to Lecture Capture in Today’s Educational Environment or reach out.

YuJa Helps Make Content Accessible to All

For example, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ensure that students with disabilities are given access to services and are eligible for accommodations to meet their needs. Section 504 works in tandem with the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) to protect those with disabilities from exclusion and discrimination in educational settings, the workforce and even in their communities. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act mandates that federal agencies make information and communications technology accessible to people with disabilities. 

Technology and Disability Accommodations

Educational technology is required to meet the federal accessibility regulations that make it easy to navigate for students with disabilities and instructors alike. YuJa is fully compliant with Section 508/VPAT, WCAG, CVAA and abides by FERPA and security regulations.

The YuJa suite of products automates many accessibility features for students, primarily through the Enterprise Video Platform and YuJa Panorama for Accessibility: 

• Videos are auto-captioned, making them accessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Auto-captioning creates a word-for-word transcript of a lecture, allowing students to both listen to and read lectures, depending on how they best learn. 
• High-quality audio recording and text captioning makes material accessible to students with visual disabilities.
• Live ASR allows live-stream events to be captioned in real-time for viewers to provide improved accessibility to content. 
• Alternative text is included for images and video thumbnails to convey meaning to users.
• The Video Platform scales well when text is enlarged up to 200%, such as when used with screen readers. 
• The HTML5 media player provides keyboard shortcuts.
• Alternative formats of course material can be generated in HTML, Electronic Braille, EPUB, Audio (Speech-to-Text), High Contrast, and as Tagged PDF files.

YuJa also supports regulations for the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act with: 

• Video Origination: YuJa offers full support for captioning workflows, including automation, of full-length video programming, Internet video clips, and archival video programming.
• Quality Standards: Captioning workflows ensure that captioning meets the quality standards outlined by the FCC for clarity, accuracy, timing, completeness, and placement.
• End-User Controls: Capabilities for modification of captions is included, with tools for end-users to change the text color, opacity, size, font, background color, and window color.
• Live and Near-Live Video Captioning: YuJa supports recorded and live captioning workflows, including for implementation standards provided by the National Captioning Institute, a non-profit organization.

No matter who the learner is or their abilities, YuJa’s products aim to simplify workflows to enable more accessible, usable technology.