A new offering on campus will help faculty and staff who are interested in creating educational media but who lack the equipment or expertise to make their dreams happen. The Faculty Media Center in Kidder Hall is now available for use, and includes studio space for audio and video recording as well as a team of experts to help guide faculty through the creation and editing process.

A soundproof audio booth is already in use for podcasts, voiceovers, and interviews. A larger video recording booth is pre-mic’ed and available for individuals and small groups hoping to create content for flipped classrooms, hybrid teaching, and online training resources. The open ‘flex’ video set has track lighting, a fixed camera and a small selection of backdrops, including a green screen, for video lectures and demonstrations, concept videos and group interviews. Any media recorded will be made easily available from a secure server through the center’s network. The space is large enough to also include a consultation and planning area, visualization resources, and a basic editing suite to help visitors get up and running with their projects.

Ed Ostrander, program manager for the Faculty Media Center, said they’ve been working on the space in Kidder Hall for nearly a year. The project is the brainchild of John Greydanus with Information Services. Greydanus wanted a place for faculty that was similar to what Student Media Services offered to students, where digital equipment was ready for use, rooms were already wired for recording and lighting and backdrops were already set up, requiring minimum effort and offering maximum opportunities to create educational materials.

“We’’re trying to empower people,” Ostrander said. “We are filling that gap (in resources) for on-campus faculty and reducing technological barriers.”

Ostrander and Amy Hunter are available as consultants to faculty and staff who have projects in mind and need help getting them from the idea to production. Clients can walk-in during open hours or reserve parts of the studio for specific projects, whether it’s a sound booth or the pre-lit set.

The center is funded by auxiliary funding from the Oregon Wireless Instructional Network Consortium, which receives money earned through cell tower leases. The money is distributed to partner universities across Oregon for projects similar to the media studio.

Eventually, with the help of grants and other funding sources, Ostrander said they’re hoping to buy more recording and video equipment that faculty can borrow for fieldwork, and are working closely with staff in Student Media Services and elsewhere to make sure they’re purchasing the same equipment used elsewhere on campus, so there can be consistency.

Ostrander anticipates hiring student employees to help with production needs, and anticipates that in addition to appointment-based use, the studio can have drop-in visits as well as targeted workshops on topics like podcasting.

“We’d like it to be a learning facility as well as a creator space,” Ostrander said.

The space is large enough for a consultation area, production area and editing bay. A soundproof audio booth is already in use, and a larger recording booth is pre-mic’ed and available for small groups hoping to record conversations or interviews. The video set has track lighting, a fixed camera and a small selection of backdrops, including a green screen, as well as a podium for lectures. Any media recorded will be made easily available through the center’s network.

Currently studio hours are 9 a.m. to 5 or 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. For more information go to is.oregonstate.edu/diymedia. The center is located in Kidder Hall Room 100. On April 11, from 2-4 p.m. the Faculty Media Center and Student Multimedia Studio will host a Soft Launch & Open House event. Stop by Kidder 100 and the Valley Library to check out the studio spaces and learn more about these resources. Light refreshments will be served

~ Theresa Hogue

April 03, 2019