Webcasting on Campus

Webcasting is increasingly a key tool for universities looking to open up their content to a broader audience. Universities are increasingly under pressure to communicate on a global level, as their network and reputation spreads around the world. Alumni outreach, special lectures, even convocation—all can benefit from live video broadcasts. Whether an address from the president or a visit from a celebrity guest, webcasting makes it possible to share information and events with parents, alumni, fellow institutions, and the community at large, no matter where viewers are.
We’ve talked about how to run a perfect webcast before, but it was more from the perspective of a corporation looking for ways to improve their internal communications. What differences should an educational institution expect when webcasting on campus?

Why Webcasting on Campus Is Special

1. Delivery off campus.

Most of the point of this is to increase your institution’s reach. You’ll want to make sure you test your delivery beyond the boundaries of campus, and make sure that viewers have a great experience on whatever device they choose, wherever they are.

2. Hiring a crew.

Your institution may not have the personnel or equipment to pull off some of the technical details. That’s ok. Consider hiring a white glove service company to manage this part of the event for you. (We had a great webinar a little while back on some of the technical details you’ll need to consider.)

3. Taking advantage of your LMS.

Many schools depend on their LMS to manage the bulk of their content. Don’t make your webcasts live outside it. Make sure that the VOD lives on where it can be easily found by creating a single URL that automatically converts from the live event to the VOD. Add captions so your video can be easily found through search. (A good webcasting platform will make the slides searchable.) Enable social sharing through the LMS to keep content in use and to see which content ends up being most popular.

For the most part, though, the principles remain the same. With careful preparation, you can have as engaging a webcast as any enterprise.

Want to learn more about webcasting for educational institutions? Read the whitepaper “11 Steps to a Flawless Webcast: Webcasting for Educational Institutions“.