Panopto can record lectures and screencasts, and store and share videos recorded in other applications, such as Teams or Screenpal (previously known as Screencast-o-matic). It has advantages over other video-sharing sites because of its security, Blackboard integration, and interactive features.
Why Use Panopto?
- Video storage and publishing tool
Similar to YouTube, Panopto is used to store video/audio files and make them available to your desired audience. Recordings can be created directly within Panopto or created using other software or recording devices and uploaded into Panopto. Unlimited storage is available for all Panopto users.
- Simple video editor
Panopto has a simple, web-based editor that makes it easy to perform common edits, such as trimming and replacing sections. Editing is non-destructive, which means that you can always undo any changes you make in the future should you need to.
- Add quizzes and polls to recordings
Unlike other video tools, Panopto can be used to check students’ understanding of the material in the video. Playback can be paused automatically and students prevented from continuing until they answer the quiz.
- Linked to Blackboard
Each Blackboard module has its own area for storing videos that automatically ensures that the only the students on the module will be able to view the video. Videos can also be embedded in other parts of the module to better integrate them with the other materials in the module site.
- Supports student assessment submissions
Panopto can be used to support secure student video submissions, such as presentations, demonstrations or screen recordings. Submissions are copied to a secure area so that students can’t edit the video after it has been submitted – something that can happen with video submission through other tools.
- Automatically generate subtitles
Panopto can automatically generate subtitles to allow us to meet our legal obligation to do so. Automatically generated subtitles are acceptable for this and pre-emptively editing them is not required, rather they can be left as-is until corrections are requested by students. By default, subtitles are generated for British English, but 17 other languages, such as French, German, Spanish, Russian, and Chinese, and 2 other English accents (US and Australian) can be used instead.
- Analytics
Panopto produces detailed analytics for videos and folders of videos. These can show, among other things, which students have viewed a particular video, how many times a video has been watched, and which parts of a video have been watched most. This information is useful for understanding student engagement and identifying concepts that students are struggling to grasp.
