Sample Project Scenarios

The following projects descriptions and proposed Digital Studio solutions are just sample scenarios. Each real case will differ, and the right solution will depend on the actual project's variables.

• Using Movie Clips in Class
• Creating a Course Website
• Scanning Images for Publication
• Digitizing Out-Dated Audio & Video Formats

Using Movie Clips in Class

Professor Kubrick wanted to show his class a collection of 25 short movie clips from five different commercial films. He needed to be able to pause and rewind while discussing the content of the movies. Also, he wanted students to be able to review the movie clips outside of the classroom. Professor Kubrick was concerned about handling technical difficulties in the middle of the class and about how long it would take him to complete the project. He was not aware of anyone in his department who could help him use these clips in the classroom.

Digital Studio Solution: DVD Production with Companion Course Site

To minimize technical complications in class and honor time constraints, Digital Studio staff showed Professor Kubrick how to author a DVD for in-class presentation. They helped him digitize the film clips, store them on an external hard-drive, create chapter markers, and burn them onto a DVD. Studio staff then referred Professor Kubrick to NYU's Campus Media, who helped him schedule a classroom that had the appropriate equipment to show the video.

Once the DVD presentation proved successful, Professor Kubrick returned to the Studio and worked with Studio staff to put a link to a streamed version of the video content in a Blackboard course site so that students could review the clips outside of the classroom.

Creating a Course Website

Professor Chasen had grown tired of replacing students' lost syllabi and creating printouts of articles that she used in her undergraduate courses. She wanted to create a website to post a syllabus and PDFs of articles for a course that started in 3 weeks, and to be able to update the website for use in subsequent semesters. She had some concerns about copyright, since the articles would be posted online. She also had never made a course site before, and didn't have much time to devote to this project before classes began.

Digital Studio Solution: Blackboard Training, Blackboard Course Site Set-up, and Flatbed Scanning with Document Feeder

Digital Studio staff guided Professor Chasen towards using Blackboard, NYU's learning management system. Since Blackboard is password protected, and integrates with the University's Registrar system to determine students' access to course sites, Professor Chasen felt comfortable with the idea of placing her selected articles online.

Studio staff provided Professor Chasen with Blackboard training, and she was soon able to upload her syllabus, scan large numbers of documents into PDF format with the scanner and high-speed document feeder, and add links to websites she felt her students might find interesting and useful. She also received assistance with locating and linking to NYU-licensed resources that exist in permanent locations in online databases for access over multiple semesters.

Scanning Images for Publication

Professor Leibowitz is preparing a book for publication. She has about 100 slides and flat photographs from her own collection that she needs to digitize, in a format specified by her publisher, for inclusion in her book. After the images are sent to the publisher, she is also interested in exploring ways she may be able to incorporate those and other images into her class lectures.

Digital Studio Solution: High dpi Slide and Flatbed Scanning

Digital Studio staff helped Professor Leibowitz understand the format requirements from the publisher, trained her and her assistant in using the Studio's digital slide and large format flatbed scanners, and devised a workflow to complete the project on schedule. Studio staff also helped her transfer her new digital content to an external hard-drive for long-term storage and advised her on the best file format to use when sending files to the publisher. The staff also guided Professor Leibowitz on how to convert these print-ready, higher-resolution images to web-ready versions in a system like ARTstor, which she could use for her class lectures.

Digitizing Out-Dated Audio & Video Formats

Professor Beethoven had a lot of audio and video content from his own collection that was still on vinyl LP, audio cassette, and VHS tape. He wanted to use some of this material for his teaching and scholarly activities and was interested in taking advantage of new digital technologies such as NYU Blackboard. He was also concerned about the longevity of his collection, as some items were beginning to show their age.

Digital Studio Solution: Audio/Video Digital Conversion

Digital Studio staff helped Professor Beethoven digitize his old LPs and audio cassettes into AIFF files and store them on an external hard drive. He was also instructed on how to dub old VHS tapes to MiniDV for later capturing.

Studio staff showed Professor Beethoven how he could, on his own, convert selected AIFF files into mp3s, a more web-ready format, and helped him upload and organize these files in NYU's Webspace file storage system for future use in Blackboard and other online venues.

Page last reviewed: August 12, 2009