Recorded lectures help ‘disaster-proof’ instruction at JMU

JMU used Camtasia Relay to create recorded lectures, allowing students to keep on task in case of weather or illness-related disasters.

“Snowmageddon,” the monster snowstorm that pummeled the East coast of the United States in 2010, caused many universities to close their doors for several days, including James Madison University (JMU) in Harrisonburg, Va.—but it didn’t interrupt instruction at the school.

Fortunately, JMU had plans in place to deal with disasters, both weather- and illness-related. Two of JMU’s academic centers had developed a resource website for faculty who faced high class absences from a flu epidemic.

“For the flu and weather-proofing site, we created a ‘faculty-friendly’ framework that mirrors the way instructors think about their courses: syllabus, attendance, participation, lecture, group work, assessment, et cetera,” said Karen Santos, executive director of the university’s Center for Faculty Innovation.…Read More