Broadcasting Education in the Age of New Media: Building Multimedia Products from the Academy

As our society continues to develop new technologies, the use of streaming technologies in higher education has lagged behind. The traditional academic landscape is dependent upon instructors to use commercial media products to deliver adjunct learning materials to the classroom. Faculty are also beginning to explore in the use of social media in classrooms for the first time. Video production may be seen in some communication departments as course requirement, but are not thought of as a means of delivering content for teaching and learning. The purpose of this study is to outline the development and use of a multimedia production facility, and the use of multiple platforms and to demonstrate it as a dynamic environment for creativity and innovation at the university. Additionally, it argues for a shift in thinking for both faculty and administration toward an innovative, creative environment supporting academic media production that can be used in conjunction with the social media movement in education. Universities can use multimedia production facilities for purposes of instruction, recruitment, retention and graduation along with the creation of television style presentations beyond the traditional classroom to build an even larger audience. The development of new technologies, for assisting faculty in the creative process, for improved learning content is discussed.