Currently viewing the tag: "Kaltura"
At the University of Northampton, we aim to provide our academic staff and students with the best tools for teaching and learning. One such tool is Kaltura, our video and audio media platform which enables tutors and professional services staff to create engaging content as well as allowing students to create and submit video for assessment. But did you know that Kaltura now provides you with detailed insights into your content’s performance? Enter Kaltura My Content Analytics – a feature designed to help you understand how your videos are engaging your students.
What Can You Track?
Kaltura’s My Content Analytics provides you with a wealth of data at your fingertips. For example, you can track:
- Views and Engagement: See how many times your content has been viewed and by whom. This can give you a snapshot of how many students are engaging with the materials.
- Viewer Drop-off: Understand where viewers stop watching, helping you fine-tune your video length or key points.
Focus on Key Data Points
There’s a lot of information available in Kaltura’s analytics dashboard, which can feel overwhelming at first. If you’re a beginner, we’d recommend you focus on Top Videos – this section will show you which of your videos are getting the most views and how they’re performing. Once you’re comfortable with that, you can dive into deeper analytics.
Why Is This Important for Educators?
For educators at the University of Northampton, this data can be very useful. If you’re using video to deliver taught content or supplementary materials, knowing how students interact with that content can inform future teaching strategies. Are students dropping off before key explanations? Do certain areas require more emphasis? This feedback loop can directly impact student outcomes. Combine this insight with the new student engagement analytics in NILE and you have a lot of helpful data to better support your students.
How to Access My Content Analytics
- Go to mymedia.northampton.ac.uk.
- Log in with your university credentials.
- Select My Analytics from the drop-down menu.
From there, you can explore a range of metrics to optimise your teaching content. And if you want to learn more, schedule some training with your Learning Technologist, who can guide you through more advanced features.
We are delighted to announce the new V7 video player across all Kaltura content within NILE and on the MyMedia platform. This update introduces a variety of new features designed to enhance both teaching and learning experiences.
What’s New with the V7 Player on NILE?
The V7 player offers several improvements over the previous version, making it easier and more effective to use video content within your courses on NILE:
Interactive Searchable Transcript: One of the most significant new features is the interactive searchable transcript. This allows students to quickly search for specific keywords within the transcript and jump directly to that point in the video. This functionality makes it much easier for students to locate and review specific content, thereby enhancing their learning experience.
Downloadable Transcripts: In addition to being searchable, the transcripts are also downloadable. This feature supports our commitment to being an accessible university, as it enables students to keep a copy of the transcript for offline review or study. This is particularly beneficial for students who may need to access content in different ways, supporting diverse learning needs.
Improved User Experience
The new V7 video player introduces a range of enhancements, including the exciting Pop-Out Player feature. This allows users to detach the video into a resizable, floating window, perfect for multitasking. Whether you’re taking notes or browsing other NILE content, the pop-out player ensures you remain engaged with the video without interruption.
Streamlined Interface
The player’s sleek, modern design makes navigation intuitive. Key functions like playback speed, volume control, and full-screen mode are easily accessible, enhancing the overall user experience.
Faster Load Times and Improved Playback: The V7 player is optimised for faster load times and smoother playback, ensuring that your video content plays seamlessly across all devices, whether students are accessing it from a desktop, tablet, or smartphone.
Enhanced Accessibility: With built-in support for closed captions, subtitles, and transcripts, the V7 player is designed to be fully accessible. It complies with web accessibility standards, making your video content more inclusive for all students, including those with visual or hearing impairments.
What This Means for You
Simply continue to use NILE as you normally would, and you’ll see the new V7 player in action. We’ll update our guides but I’d encourage you to jump in and explore the new capabilities, particularly the interactive and downloadable transcript, which can significantly improve the way students interact with your video content.
We believe these enhancements will be a valuable addition to your teaching toolkit, making video content more accessible, engaging, and effective for your students. If you need any support, don’t hesitate to contact your Learning Technologist and we’ll be happy to help.
Kaltura Essential Maintenance Complete
JULY 5, 2023
Kaltura is now available again, following essential server maintenance that took place between 12:00 BST on Monday the 3rd of July and 12:00 BST on the Wednesday the 5th of July, 2023.
Important changes to be aware of and actions to take
• New location for video.northampton.ac.uk
Students and staff are no longer able to log in to video.northampton.ac.uk to access Kaltura MediaSpace.
The new address is: mymedia.northampton.ac.uk
• Action needed to reconnect the Kaltura Capture recorder
Please note that action is required by all students and staff to relink their Kaltura Capture recorder. See the following FAQ for more information: How do I connect Kaltura Capture to MyMedia?
• Videos temporarily not displaying the correct creation date
Content uploaded to Kaltura prior to 12:00 BST on the 3rd of July will not currently display the correct creation date. However, all content creation dates will be restored in due course.
Content uploaded to Kaltura on or after the 5th of July will display the correct content creation date.
Kaltura – Essential Maintenance Notification – 3rd to 5th July 2023
JUNE 19, 2023
Essential maintenance will be taking place to the Kaltura system between 12:00 BST on Monday the 3rd of July and 12:00 BST on the Wednesday the 5th of July, 2023.
During the maintenance window some aspects of the Kaltura system will be unavailable.
Services not affected:
Kaltura media content embedded in NILE courses and elsewhere will continue to be available and will play as normal. This includes Kaltura videos which have already been submitted by students for assessment.
Services affected for staff
Staff will not be able to upload new content into Kaltura through NILE, at video.northampton.ac.uk, via Kaltura Capture, or when using the KMSGo app. Media previously uploaded into Kaltura will not be able to be embedded into NILE courses and elsewhere.
Services affected for students
Students will not be able to upload new content into Kaltura through NILE, at video.northampton.ac.uk, via Kaltura Capture, or when using the KMSGo app. Media previously uploaded to Kaltura will not be able to be added to assignments as part of the assignment submission process.
Recommended actions:
- Kaltura content that needs to be available in NILE courses during the maintenance window should be added before 12:00 BST on the 3rd of July.
- Video assignments with submission dates during the maintenance window should be moved to fall after 12:00 BST on the 5th of July.
From the 1st of March 2021, Kaltura will be making a change to the way that your video files are stored. However, please be aware that this change will not affect the playback of your videos.
When you upload a video file to Kaltura, the original video file that you upload (known as the source file) is automatically converted by Kaltura into a variety of different video formats which are more suited to web streaming. These converted video files (known as transcoded flavours) are the ones that people see when they play back your video. Once your original video file (the source file) has been automatically converted into the various transcoded flavours, it remains on Kaltura, but is not used for video playback.
From the 1st of March 2021, your source video files will be automatically removed from Kaltura after one year. However, all transcoded flavours will be retained, therefore playback of your Kaltura videos will be unaffected.
Please note that once the one-year period has expired and your source video file has been removed, it will no longer be possible to edit your Kaltura video.
In addition to a huge amount of written guidance and video tutorials, the Learning Technology team can now offer staff and students access to the Kaltura Help Centre produced by the amazing team at Kaltura.
You can find the new Kaltura Help Centre by going to to the MediaSpace Homepage at video.northampton.ac.uk and selecting the tab.
The content is not all 100% applicable to UON staff and students but the information does cover most common questions. Please keep it in mind if you have a quick question which you need an answer to.
The Learning Technology team are always happy to help but they can’t always be there just when you need support. For example, if you’re trying to record a video at 3am. It’s not often you’d be doing that, but there will be times you need help and we’re not available.
Remember, that in additional to the new Kaltura Help Centre, we also have a library of Video Tutorials available on MediaSpace and we have an extensive set of written guides which cover pretty much everything you need to know about the Kaltura services. You can find the written guides if you follow this link:
If you are interested in how engaged your students are with your video content, then Video Analytics can provide you with some useful insight.
You could discover that your video is a total sensation. That your students watch it over and over again. That they stop at specific points to really take in and digest what you’re talking about. That they are watching it and it is helping them achieve better outcomes.
Conversely, lots of my videos have appeared in front of staff, a small percentage of them click on the video and those that click on the video rarely make it all the way to the end. This forces me to reflect: does it need to be an hour long? Would it be more engaging if it were just 15 minutes? Do I sound very bored?
The wonders of modern Video Analytics have revealed to me that I am not, perhaps, as interesting as I have led myself to believe.
Setting aside my own self-esteem issues, Video Analytics can make a massive positive difference to how you teach and enable you to focus your energy and time in the most productive way.
Every one of your videos in MediaSpace has an Analytics report for you. It can tell you things like how many times a video has been viewed, where your viewers are in the world and what device they have viewed your video on. This is really useful data.
But, let me be clear: you are not required or compelled to use this data. You can continue to produce videos in the same way that you have always done. However, if you are curious to find out how engaged your students are with your videos then feel free to dip your mouse into the glorious world of Video Analytics.
I’m happy to provide a link to some thorough guidance provided by Kaltura or you can contact your subject Learning Technologist and ask them questions about Kaltura analytics or any of our tools and platforms.
This is a link to a detailed guide on Analytics.
One final thought: if you are not inclined to explore Video Analytics then let me offer you one tip: keep your videos short, focused and accessible.
Happy content creation.
From Weds 5th Feb, the Kaltura Mashup for Blackboard is going to change by the smallest amount. Almost every single part of it will remain utterly unchanged except the Select button will now be labelled Embed.
That’s it. Nothing else will change.
This means when students submit video for assessment they use the same set of steps they’ve always done. Nothing will change except the name of the button. If any student is unsure, the FAQ guide has been edited to reflect the new button name. The process for submitting video for assessment remains the same.
How do students submit a video or audio file to NILE for assessment?
The process for staff embedding video in their Blackboard modules also remains 99% unchanged, it is only the name of the button which has changed.
The reason the button name is now Embed is because behind the scenes the Mashup tool is preparing for new and exciting features which I’ll post on when they’re ready to be unleashed.
For now, this is the end of the momentous news that the Select button in the Kaltura Mashup is now called Embed.
We’ve added a new Home tab to MediaSpace, to sit alongside the existing Getting Started tab. The new Home tab will display a rotating carousel of videos from the Getting Started tab. Beneath the carousel, MediaSpace will display videos you’ve recently watched, which can also be accessed via the My History link under your log-in username. The Home tab also has a Continue Watching playlist, for videos you started but didn’t get round to finishing.
Please keep in mind the My History feature may only track what you’ve watched since it was switched on earlier today and won’t show every video you’ve watched.
The big Kaltura news for September is that users will now begin to have automatic machine-generated (ASR) Closed Captions created for any new video uploaded to their MediaSpace account. This is a significant step forward in making our learning content accessible to all our students.
When the captions are created, the CC icon will appear at the bottom of the video player, and viewers just need to select the icon to read them. If the captions are not 100% accurate, the video owner can correct them using the Kaltura Caption Editor within MediaSpace. There is a handy FAQ which explains how to edit the captions.
The many thousands of videos created before September will also be getting Closed Captions during the autumn to bring us in line with new accessibility legislation. In the meantime, if any videos created pre-September need captions, the Learning Technology team can help process priority caption requests.
Finally, if a student is referred from ASSIST and needs course videos captioned and the machine captions aren’t available or accurate enough, the Learning Technology team can authorise a special request for professional human-created captions to be created.
It’s important our video content is accessible to all our students and the Closed Captions project is going to help achieve that. If you have any questions about Closed Captions at Northampton, then email the Learning Technology team at learntech@northampton.ac.uk
In this ABL Practitioner Story, Grant Timms (Senior Lecturer in Marketing) reflects on his use of the Kaltura video recorder and streaming platform to create videos and video quizzes to support student engagement.
Grant shares his feelings on the importance of considering the needs of the audience, how analytics help him track audience engagement, and how to stand out in a digital world where students attention is often hard to catch.
The Kaltura Capture recorder and the MediaSpace video streaming platform are available to all staff and students at the University of Northampton. A link and an introduction can be found on the NILE Help tab, under Tools & Resources.
If you’re inspired by his experiments with video quizzes then contact your Learning Technologist for training and support, or explore on your own by reading this FAQ.
http://askus.northampton.ac.uk/Learntech/faq/188945
Case study produced by Learning Technologists Al Holloway and Richard Byles.
