Libraries Launch State-of-the-Art Studios, Expanded Academic Video Production Team to Support Faculty’s Growing Curricular Needs

October 30, 2024
Academic Video Production studio B photo 2024

Above: Andrew Telep (from left), Troy Shaw and Andy Clark of the Experiential Learning team participate in a studio session in the Academic Video studio.

Thanks to funding from the Office of the Provost and expertise in the Learning Technologies department, the University Libraries have unveiled a state-of-the-art video production studio and services to support Baylor’s growing online presence.

The university’s rapid growth in its Graduate Professional Education programs – 22 in all, and growing consistently since 2020 – as well as a general move toward video-based curricular requirements and an increasingly online-savvy workforce were all driving factors in establishing the new production studio and creating a larger team of experts to partner with faculty on their video projects.

Neaves and Richmann in Studio B, 2024

Above: Christopher Richmann of the Academy for Teaching and Learning (left) receives instruction on proper lavalier mic placement from Steven Neaves of the Experiential Learning team. Still taken from video below.

Early work in the areas of online coursework and video production relied on a variety of do-it-yourself solutions, which often yielded mixed results.

“Until very recently, video elements were largely either outsourced or self-produced with varying levels of quality,” said Andrew Telep, director of experiential learning in the University Libraries. “Now, our production team has five studios in Moody Memorial Library, ensuring all internally generated videos are of a consistent, high quality. Our studios and field equipment accommodate a wide range of sets and purposes.”

Gary Carini, vice provost for institutional research and professional education, shared his excitement for the new opportunities offered by the space. “We want to grow professional education within Baylor and master's degree and doctoral degrees. And this is primarily for people who are working full time, though not exclusively. 

“This is a growth area within Baylor University,” Carini continued. “I think this is the most exciting area we have now, an opportunity that we have not had before to create top shelf stellar courses that include video of faculty members really communicating lessons and interacting with students. That is probably second to none.”

Clinical assistant professor Jessica Feda, from the Doctor of Physical Therapy program, said adding high-quality video components makes a big impact on her courses. “It's made them a lot more engaging and lively, so it's been nice to feel like we're actually interacting with the students in real time, and that adds a personal flavor, if you will, to the videos, which makes it just a little bit more personable, which is nice.

“The higher-level video production really allows us to bring the clinical learning to the student, and this is the perfect location to do so.”

Dr. Feda in video still 2024

Above: Dr. Feda demonstrates a procedure in a video recorded in Studio B of the video production suite. Still taken from video below.

Jared Alcantara, preaching director of the Kyle Lake Center for Effective Preaching at Truett Seminary, noted the impact that video can have as a training tool for pastors. “We have pastors, Christian leaders, churches all over Texas, all over the country, in other parts of the world as well,” Alcantara said. “And video was a way for us to maintain a really high professional standard, but then also to reach our students and reach far beyond our students.

“We wanted to do high impact, concise video content that we would make available to our students because they're learning how to preach and they need to get better. Pastors have had to learn to preach, in front of a camera. More and more. It's not like that's going to happen less and less over the next couple of decades.”

Watch the video below to peek inside the new production studio through interviews with Baylor faculty and Libraries staff. 

For full details about the Academic Video Production team and the spaces they manage, visit the Experiential Learning Commons (ELC)  libguide here. The video production suite is located on the Garden Level of Moody Memorial Library. Click here to learn more about the ELC.