This short handout gives information about some best and preferred practices when recording mini-lectures in Camtasia

1. 1University of Wisconsin-Stout © 2013 The Board of Regents, University of Wisconsin
Learning Technology Services
A Unit of Learning Information and Technology
Making Mini-Lectures in Camtasia
At UW-Stout instructors used Camtasia Studio to make their mini-lectures because of its flexibility and relatively low price. It is
also an application which is supported by Learning Technology Services (LTS). LTS can train instructors and provide technical
and instructional design assistance. Some instructors have used the mini-lectures for completely online courses where there
is no face-to-face (F2F) component. Others have used it for blended or hybrid courses, where students receive some lectures
in a F2F setting and receive other lectures materials online using the mini-lecture format.
Process
Most instructors follow a similar process for creating their mini-lectures. This process is simple and can be replicated at most
institutions.
1. Preparation of materials. Instructors take traditional F2F lecture materials and chunk them into sections that take
between 5 and 15 minutes to record. This involves splitting apart PowerPoint lectures or other grouped materials. If it is a
new course or instructor, the instructor develops the materials so that they can be recorded in 5-15 minutes.
2. Training in Camtasia. Some tech-savvy instructors opt out of training. Most decide to take the training from LTS, which
takes about 60 minutes. Training involves basic recording, adding title slides, noise reduction, deleting unwanted pieces
of recordings, captioning, and producing. LTS also gives training in other areas of Camtasia that are of interest to the
instructor, such as live screen recordings.
3. Recording and editing. Instructors with their own copy of Camtasia can record anywhere. Instructors without their
own copy may use the LTS Multimedia room, which has a computer with Camtasia, soundproofed walls, and a studio
microphone. LTS staff are available for assistance when instructors use the LTS Multimedia room.
4. Saving the project file. Instructors are strongly encouraged to save the project files that are created when they are making
mini-lectures. Saving the project file enables an instructor to modify an existing mini-lecture (e.g. add new information)
without having to completely recreate the mini-lecture.
5. Producing for streaming. Once the instructor has completed their recording and editing, they produce their video to be
streamed. This is done by going to the custom production settings and choosing the MP4 format. Producing in this way
enables the instructor to add metadata to the file that helps others to know which instructor produced it, that it was made
at UW-Stout, and that it is copyrighted.
6. Uploading to the streaming server. Once the instructor has completed the producing of the mini-lecture, they provide the
file to and LTS staff member. Key members of LTS have access to the UW-Madison streaming server. The file is uploaded
to an appropriate area on the server.
7. Linking to the file. Once the file has been uploaded to the streaming server, an LTS staff member creates a redirect file
and link. The link is provided to the instructor, who then places it in the appropriate area of their D2L course.
Things to Consider
• To ensue efficiency, decide on the divisions in your lecture materials before beginning recording.
• Adequate time for recording and editing is necessary. Plan out how many recordings you plan to make available to
students. You will most likely want to have a good portion of your recordings finished before the start of the semester.
• It is much easier in the long run to caption lectures as they are produced than to go back and caption them later.
• MP4 files can be loaded directly into a D2L course but large numbers of files may cause performance issues or problems
when copying course components between course shells. Using the linking method saves instructors from these problems.
• When loaded to the streaming server, the MP4 files can be played on laptops and most mobile devices.
• The speech-to-text feature for captions is not perfect, but can be trained to your voice to improve speed and accuracy.

2. 2University of Wisconsin-Stout © 2013 The Board of Regents, University of Wisconsin
Learning Technology Services
A Unit of Learning Information and Technology
Of 112 students, 49 filled out the survey for a response rate of 44%. Results are shown below. A complete
report including student comments is available. To receive the report, please email bergr@uwstout.edu.
6.12% 6.12%
4.08%
8.16%
24.49%
20.41%
30.61%
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
35.00%
0% of
lectures
1-20% of
lectures
21-40% of
lectures
41-60% of
lectures
61-80% of
lectures
81-99% of
lectures
100% of
lecutres
Percentage of recorded lectures watched by students
2.04% 0.00%
6.12%
36.73%
55.10%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
Strongly
Disagree
Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
The audio quality of the recordings was satisfactory
2.04% 0.00%
6.12%
32.65%
59.18%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
Strongly
Disagree
Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
The video quality of the recordings was satisfactory
4.08% 2.04%
14.29%
22.45%
57.14%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
Strongly
Disagree
Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
The recorded lectures played back without problems
2.04% 2.04%
6.12%
28.57%
61.22%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
Strongly
Disagree
Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
The visual elements were easy to see in the playback
2.04% 2.04%
14.29%
28.57%
53.06%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
Strongly
Disagree
Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
The player controls were easy to use
2.04%
4.08%
14.29%
36.73%
42.86%
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
35.00%
40.00%
45.00%
Strongly
Disagree
Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
The length of the audio recordings was appropriate
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
80.00%
90.00%
100.00%
Too Long Too short Neither. I thought the
length was satisfactory
If the length of the recorded lectures was not suitable,
the problem was because the lectures were:
16.67%
31.25%
27.08%
6.25%
18.75%
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
35.00%
5 Minutes or
less
10 Minutes or
less
15 minutes or
less
30 minutes or
less
Length of the
recorded
lecture does
not matter to
me.
The optimal length for a recorded lecture is:
4.08%
0.00%
8.16%
30.61%
57.14%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
Strongly
Disagree
Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
The recorded lectures added instructional value to the
course.
2.08% 0.00%
16.67%
27.08%
54.17%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
Strongly
Disagree
Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
Listening to the recorded lectures reinforced my
understanding of the course content.
4.08% 4.08%
10.20%
36.73%
44.90%
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
35.00%
40.00%
45.00%
50.00%
Strongly
Disagree
Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
The content in the recorded lectures was a good
supplement to the other course materials.
2.04% 2.04%
20.41%
42.86%
32.65%
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
35.00%
40.00%
45.00%
Strongly
Disagree
Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
Listening to the recorded lectures helped me to feel
confident that I understood the course materials well.
2.04% 4.08%
22.45%
53.06%
18.37%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
Strongly
Disagree
Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
Listening to the recorded lectures helped me to master
the course content.
0.00% 0.00%
22.92%
12.50%
64.58%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
Strongly
Disagree
Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
Having the captions on the recorded lecture was helpful.
4.08% 4.08%
16.33%
26.53%
48.98%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
Strongly
Disagree
Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
I used the recorded lectures to prepare for tests and
exams.
4.08%
2.04%
20.41%
38.78%
34.69%
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
35.00%
40.00%
45.00%
Strongly
Disagree
Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
Listening to the recorded lectures helped me to do
better on tests and exams.
4.17%
0.00%
25.00%
37.50%
33.33%
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
35.00%
40.00%
Strongly
Disagree
Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
Listening to the recorded lectures helped me to get a
better grade in the course
20.83%
22.92%
31.25%
12.50% 12.50%
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
35.00%
Strongly
Disagree
Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
If given a choice in the future, I would opt to have
recorded lectures instead of face-to-face lectures.
2.04%
4.08%
20.41%
26.53%
46.94%
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
35.00%
40.00%
45.00%
50.00%
Strongly
Disagree
Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
If given a choice in the future, I would opt to have
recorded lectures in addition to face-to-face lectures.
93.88%
81.63%
93.88%
36.73%
67.35%
85.71%
65.31%
77.55%
6.12%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
80.00%
90.00%
100.00%
I could play
them any
time I
wanted
I could play
them
anywhere I
wanted
I could play
them
multiple
times
They are
more suited
to my
learning
style than
traditional
lectures
I could read
the captions
while
listening to
the lecture
I could
pause the
recordings
to take
notes
They
signifcantly
increses the
instructional
value of the
course
They were
useful in
preparing
for tests and
exams
The
recorded
lectures did
not appeal
to me