New ILTE Academic Media Production Space expands horizons for faculty and students

26th April 2021

By Steven Krolak

(NEW ALBANY, Ind.)–Don’t be surprised if the videos, online classes and other presentations by IU Southeast faculty start to look more polished, tech-savvy, and . . . well . . . cool.

That’s because IU Southeast now has its own Dreamworks: the Academic Media and Production (AMP) Space at the Institute for Learning and Teaching Excellence (ILTE).

Chancellor Dr. Ray Wallace and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Dr. Kelly Ryan officially opened the new facility with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting broadcast on Zoom.

“The AMP Space is just one of many additions and changes we have made to our campus in recent months, in response to COVID-19 and our campus’ continued commitment to providing high-level, life-transforming instruction,” Wallace said.

Designed and created in collaboration with IU Online, the space provides technical consultation and best practices for self-recording, animating video content, producing interactive videos, and more. Faculty will now have on-campus access to green screens, teleprompters, telestrators, and light boards to aid lectures, while multiple cameras will allow them to record close-up demonstrations such as chemistry experiments.

ILTE Director Dr. Robin Morgan sees the facility having an impact on classroom practices.

“I’m most excited about the opportunity for faculty to make high-quality video that supports our students’ learning,” Morgan said. “The light board, especially, will allow students to follow faculty explanations in ways not possible before when viewing videos.”

According to Chris Foley, associate vice president for online education at IU, the technology will also allow faculty members to share demonstrations and lectures across multiple campuses, to the benefit of students across the IU system.

The AMP Space is a facility nearly two years in the making. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic compelled IU Southeast to move virtually all instruction online, more than half of our students had taken at least one online course. That trend set the AMP Space in motion, as IU sought to expand the ability of faculty to access more sophisticated technological tools in order to deliver more effective instruction in online, hybrid and even face-to-face formats, according to Foley.

“By dedicating this space, training and staffing necessary to support the AMPS, IU Southeast has made a significant commitment to providing cutting-edge technologies at the fingers of their students and the faculty to support the learning experience,” Foley said.

Foley expects the AMP Space to become more than a response to the growth of online education. He sees it as a launching pad for innovation and discovery as faculty members and their colleagues at ILTE apply its technological capacity to making their future teaching visions come true.

“This is just the beginning,” Foley said.

To learn more about the Academic Media Production (AMP) Space, visit the ILTE website here.

Homepage photo: Chancellor Dr. Ray Wallace cuts the ribbon to open the new Academic Media Production Space.

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