Panopto is a tool that allows instructors to record lectures or other content in or outside of the classroom. Faculty can record their voice, computer display, a webcam, and/or other devices. Panopto is integrated into Canvas so both students and instructors can access and interact with content. Using Panopto, faculty can encourage student discussion linked to specific time markers in a video, add an interactive transcript to guide students in navigating a video, and embed quiz questions at specific points in a video to assess student comprehension.
Using Panopto to record videos gives faculty the freedom to create their own content and the means to heighten the sense of faculty presence in an online course space. The interactive features and Panopto’s integration with Canvas also make it a powerful tool for increasing student engagement around video. Students can adjust the speed of video, comment on the video with other students in a discussion chat, take notes, create bookmarks, and participate in quizzes, all within the same screen.
Both faculty and students often wish for more time in face-to-face class sessions to engage in deep discussions, work through problem sets, and get hands on in learning a concept. To create time for these interactions, some faculty will record mini-lectures and post them online for students to watch before class. Posting the lectures online through Panopto, also gives students the opportunity to review the material―replaying more challenging sections and even speeding up or slowing down the video―and, through the discussion feature, more opportunity to ask detailed questions.
Faculty can record their course lectures and presentations using Panopto software, which is installed on classroom computers on the Main Campus, Medical Center, and the Law Center. Panopto will record your voice and whatever you display on the computer screen, including slides, websites, and other media. Wireless microphones are available for faculty to use in many classrooms. Faculty can initiate and stop the recording process for each class or request that all classes be automatically captured. In-class captures allow students to focus more on the classroom interchange, provide absent students access to course content, and help students in reviewing lecture content.
Panopto gives faculty the ability to embed multiple-choice and short-answer questions at different points in a video. As students watch the video, the playback will pause until the question is answered. Students will get automated feedback on whether their answer choice was right or wrong. They can then continue playing the video until the next question or set of questions. Because Panopto integrates with Canvas, it is possible for graded quizzes to feed automatically into the Canvas gradebook.
One of the most powerful features of Panopto is the ability to comment at a specific time marker on a video. Using this feature to give personalized, detailed feedback on student presentations can lead to gains in student performance and engagement. More precise feedback can help students better identify their strengths and understand what improvements they could make in future presentations.
Explore more about Panopto at Georgetown's Panopto site, including information on how to get started. Both University Information Services (UIS) and Panopto offer regular Panopto training sessions. Additional support resources are available through the online Panopto Community. For a consultation on teaching with Panopto, please contact CNDLS.
Sign in to Panopto Visit the GU Panopto support site Contact the GU Service Center
