Case study
Chatham University Makes the Switch to YuJa’s Comprehensive Video Platform for Ease of Use, Robust Capabilities and Ongoing Support
Introduction
Chatham University Sees Benefits of YuJa at a Conference
At educational conferences, there are many exhibitors showing their products and services, opportunities to learn about new and innovative changes to education, and to network with the best and the brightest in their chosen fields. Lauren Panton, Director, Instructional Technology and Teaching Development at Chatham University was at a conference when she learned about YuJa’s suite of ed-tech products.
60+
Programs
2,837
Students
1869
Founded
344
Faculty
She was particularly interested in the Enterprise Video Platform, an all-in-one, cloud-hosted solution that enables institutions to securely create, manage, and distribute video and other media content. “I was impressed with the product and customer service experience,” Panton said, and when the university was looking for an alternative video platform, “we were really pleased with how the software product has grown, features have expanded, and the ease of use. We were excited about a lot of the functionalities that did not exist with our existing vendor.”
Chatham University had been using its former video platform for over a decade, but administrators were unhappy with changes to the license and model, the features and support. A demo and trial led to excitement for the future. “We wanted a really good, consistent user experience across platforms. That was really important to our users,” Panton said. “We really liked the feature-rich functionality YuJa provided with editing, accessibility, and adjacent products YuJa offers.”
About the College
About Chatham University
Founded in 1869, Chatham University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has an enrollment of nearly 2,400 students and over 60 undergraduate and graduate programs in several areas of excellence: sustainability and health; business and communications; and the arts and sciences. Chatham is composed of three distinct locations: the historic arboretum, Shadyside Campus; Chatham Eastside in the fast-growing East End; and Eden Hall Campus, one of the world’s most sustainable campuses.
Chatham’s mission is “to prepare students to build lives of purpose, value, and fulfilling work…by preparing graduates to be informed and engaged citizens in their communities; to recognize and respect diversity of culture, identity, and opinion; and to live sustainably.” Building on this mission, Chatham is committed to creating a supportive and inclusive learning, living, and working environment for all members of the campus community.
“I was impressed with the product and customer service experience.”
Integration
Integrating YuJa With Chatham’s Platforms was ‘Seamless’
All of YuJa’s products work with an institution’s existing learning tools and systems, including the learning management system (LMS), single sign-on, and video conferencing tools like Zoom. Chatham University uses D2L Brightspace LMS.
“Our integration was pretty seamless,” Panton said, adding that instructors like that permissions pass over. “If students are enrolled in a course, they can very easily make the connection and get the access they need without a lot of additional work.”
In addition to the Video Platform, Chatham University uses the Zoom Connector to sync Zoom meeting recordings into the secure, cloud-hosted YuJa Media Library and make them viewable across any device. Administrators can create data policies to archive content based on video views, type, user and date of upload, and Panton said all videos recorded using Zoom are automatically sent for long-term storage.
Use Cases
Students and Instructors Enjoy Robust Features
Faculty and students alike have enjoyed the robust features YuJa offers, from video recording to editing, the ability to create transcriptions, captioning, gradebook integration and video quizzing. “The overall ease of use has been a great strength,” Panton said. “Support and training have been strong as well.”
Panton noted that instructors and students are able to create videos seamlessly, and by adding reflective pauses and opportunities to interact, it makes it an “interactive experience as opposed to a passive one.
“For example, we have some doctoral level students who are virtual, and they used YuJa to create poster presentations they’ve expanded to the wider community,” Panton remarked. “We’ve received very few requests for assistance during that process. Students have been able to use the software, focus on content and share research and experience with others without struggling with software.”
Other faculty, like those in health sciences, have used YuJa to record videos that demonstrate a therapy, and then add reflective moments to videos. “The preceptor can look at comments in the video and respond. It’s made for a powerful experience,” Panton said. “No matter the type of student – traditional or nontraditional, in person or online – we’ve had really positive experiences with our interactions,” Panton shared.
Ongoing Support
YuJa Continues to Provide Strong, Ongoing Support
Chatham University ran a pilot program, so the team could “feel confident users got a chance to see the impressive use and capabilities prior to signing on the dotted line,” Panton said, adding that she felt comfortable during the transition and as more users get onboarded.
“Another thing that has been tremendously helpful is the white glove service YuJa provided,” she stated, adding that the implementation team went through existing links in Brightspace and updated them. “We’re extensive users of this type of software, and not having to go through and manually upload or change URLS when they have so many embedded videos in a course has been a lifesaver.”
Because the institution had been with its former vendor for many years, they had a great deal of content to migrate and training to coordinate. Panton admitted she was nervous for those reasons, but that the process was “tremendous.” YuJa has provided support documentation, as well as a dedicated team for administrative training, student and instructor training, and technical support throughout the process.
Chatham has a small support team and help desk, but Panton said YuJa lifts the burden off them by enabling students and faculty to reach out directly for support. ‘Our experience has been easy…YuJa has been so flexible during our changing needs, which has eased our stress level through this major change.”
Highlights
The YuJa Video Platform replaced a video product the institution had used for more than a decade.
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Chatham University faculty and students use the Video Platform extensively and find the ease of use among its biggest benefits.
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Administrators and the IT team appreciate the high level of training and ongoing support YuJa provides.
“No matter the type of student – traditional or nontraditional, in person or online – we’ve had really positive experiences with our interactions.”
– Lauren Panton, Director, Instructional Technology and Teaching Development
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