University of Leeds Sees Rapid Growth of Mediasite Personal Capture to Support Online Learning

MADISON, Wis., April 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The University of Leeds, home to one of the world’s largest automated video learning programs with Mediasite, is seeing a rapid growth of personal capture by faculty and students to facilitate 100 percent online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Academic video is a top strategic initiative for the United Kingdom institution – one of the world’s top 100 according to QS World University Rankings. Its latest evolution of Mediasite provides an unprecedented digital learning experience for its 38,000 students. Faculty and students are using My Mediasite to create, share and watch video lectures from their personal devices while they teach and study from home. 

“Mediasite is mission-critical at University of Leeds, especially right now as we navigate a new world of 100 percent virtual learning. Academic video has been a top priority for us for many years, and we are pleased to see such an uptick in faculty and student use of Mediasite to create video lectures and assignments at home. Using Mediasite helps ensure we give our 38,000 students the most relevant, effective and personalized learning experience possible right now and always,” said Professor Neil Morris, Dean of Digital Education, University of Leeds.  

Leeds maintains more than 239,000 hours of Mediasite video content that have been viewed more than 5.7 million times since 2014. The videos generally receive over 1 million views annually. However, there has been a rapid increase of over 300,000 views since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. This has already resulted in more than 1 million views since the start of the academic year just six months ago.   

All the video content automatically goes into its Blackboard learning management system where faculty and students can access it. The content can be automatically closed captioned on demand by 3Play Media via an integration in Mediasite.  

“The ease-of-use, control and security that Mediasite gives us is a huge benefit. If a lecturer wants to keep the content locked down for assessment purposes, they can. If they want to publish it more widely, they can do that easily from Mediasite too,” said Luke Haywood, Application Support, IT, University of Leeds.  

Jim Bird, Application Support Manager at the University of Leeds, praised the swift pivot to online learning: “The strong partnerships we have with key technology suppliers has allowed the rapid delivery and benefits realisation of online learning and remote working solutions.  Mediasite has been instrumental in allowing our teaching staff and students to continue teaching and learning effectively despite it being flipped in a new and unplanned way.”    

Beth Snowden, Digital Academic Practice Adviser, Organisational Development and Professional Learning, Leeds, said: “Prior to going fully online as of late, the biggest usage – about 90 percent – of Mediasite at Leeds was automated lectures. Instructors walked into a classroom, the recording light came on and they started teaching. Mediasite is so much more than that and faculty are fully realising this now. They can record from anywhere, edit the content if needed, upload videos from other sources. The list goes on.”  

“Incorporating video learning into a curriculum has endless possibilities for an institution, its faculty and most importantly, it’s students. However, the efforts will go un-noticed without a solid digital video strategy in place,” said Michael Norregaard, CEO, Sonic Foundry. “University of Leeds understood that unequivocally from the very beginning back in 2014, strategically and impressively rolling out one of the world’s largest automated video learning deployments with careful video policies and powerful on-boarding programs to encourage Mediasite usage. It is a privilege to partner with a university as distinguished as Leeds, and we are committed to helping them through this uncertain time to ensure that learning is not disrupted.”  

Trusted by more than 1,700 colleges and universities, the patented Mediasite webcasting and video content management system quickly and cost-effectively automates the capture, management, delivery and search of live and on-demand videos for campus events, lecture capture and flipped learning.  

About University of Leeds 

The University of Leeds is one of the largest higher education institutions in the UK, with more than 38,000 students from more than 150 different countries, and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. The University plays a significant role in the Turing, Rosalind Franklin and Royce Institutes. 

We are a top ten university for research and impact power in the UK, according to the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, and are in the top 100 of the QS World University Rankings 2020. 

The University was awarded a Gold rating by the Government’s Teaching Excellence Framework in 2017, recognising its ‘consistently outstanding’ teaching and learning provision. Twenty-six of our academics have been awarded National Teaching Fellowships – more than any other institution in England, Northern Ireland and Wales – reflecting the excellence of our teaching.   

About Sonic Foundry®, Inc. 

Sonic Foundry (OTC: SOFO) is the global leader for video capture, management and streaming solutions. Trusted by more than 5,200 educational institutions, corporations, health organizations and government entities in over 65 countries, its Mediasite Video Platform quickly and cost-effectively automates the capture, management, delivery and search of live and on-demand streaming videos. Learn more at  and @mediasite. 

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