Through the collaboration of its Facilities and Information Technology Departments, the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine (ICOM) recently unveiled its new video recording studio, which will allow faculty to easily record lectures and supplemental content for their classes. 

ICOM’s Director of IT, Brian Atkinson, said the studio will provide several benefits to faculty members — as well as students — and serves as a sign of the times in education. 

“The addition of this lecture capture studio will allow our faculty to create content that is focused and relevant to their curriculum — bringing tremendous value to our students who want access to these types of learning media,” Atkinson said.

ICOM’s move to remote and hybrid instruction for the 2020 spring and fall semesters, amidst the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, catapulted the idea of a recording studio into a necessity. 

Over the course of six months, crews worked to transform one of ICOM’s conference rooms into a high-tech video recording studio that rivals those at television stations, equipped with a floor-to-ceiling green screen, multiple cameras, sound proofing, professional lighting design, and microphones. This innovative space allows faculty to create polished video and audio products without requiring previous production experience.

“The recent shift to remote learning taught us the value of multimedia resources in our student’s education,” Atkinson said. “The opportunity to continue to innovate and provide the students with high quality video lectures and supplemental materials will be critical to ICOM’s success.”

Ease of use was a priority throughout this project. A single touch-panel allows users to activate the system and turn on the cameras, microphones and lighting; and the iMac in the studio is used to display the instructor’s presentation utilizing the green screen. A confidence monitor is located in the back of the room, which allows instructors to see what is being recorded. The studio also features Learning Glass Lightboard technology — LED lighting on specialized glass which creates a transparent white board that illuminates writing with neon markers.

Despite having only been open for just over three years, ICOM’s Director of Facilities, Chris Wilson, says the College is continually reflecting on ways to improve and maximize the teaching and learning experience on campus, and this new recording studio showcases those efforts.

“ICOM prides itself on being student-centered and we look at our use of space through that lens, as well,” Wilson said. “This recording studio will make a significant impact on our students’ learning process, just as equally as our formal learning environments, including our lecture halls and small group study rooms.”