In pursuit of enhancing its digital learning environment, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) adopted YuJa’s flagship Enterprise Video Platform, Panorama LMS Accessibility Platform, Verity Test Proctoring Platform, and Engage Student Response System. Tracey M. DiRusso, Acting Director and Instructional Technologist at the Center for Instructional Technology and Online Learning, first learned about YuJa at an Instructurecon, a conference hosted by the publisher of the Canvas Learning Management System.
The team was impressed by the Video Platform’s student recording capabilities, a feature their previous platform lacked. However, it was the comprehensive suite of tools that captured their attention. “When we saw the demo for Panorama, with all the alternative formats for students and the auto-updates throughout the course, it changed everything,” DiRusso explained, adding that the accessibility tool in the rich text editor was another standout feature.
University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) is a Top-10 Public HBCU. The land-grant doctoral research institution is a short drive from the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay. UMES is known for its multicultural student body, which draws from a broad spectrum of backgrounds and perspectives.
“We were looking for a platform that would allow students to record, which really kicked off our search for a new solution.”
DiRusso said she quickly discovered that the Video Platform’s user-friendly interface allowed for intuitive navigation without extensive training. In addition, robust administrative features, including auto-provisioning and automated scheduling, reduce manual workloads. Before, DiRusso said there was a lot of back-end work to set up and link recordings. “There was nothing automatic about it,” she stated. “With YuJa, there’s no backend setup we have to do anymore. It’s nonexistent.”
YuJa’s integration with the Canvas Learning Management System and streamlined data management have both helped address the cumbersome download and re-upload cycles and other issues UMES had with previous platforms, DiRusso shared. “We had several issues. Our platforms were cumbersome. You had to download, upload, download, upload,” DiRusso noted. “We had tools that weren’t helping us at all. With YuJa, what we have is very user-friendly and intuitive. You can use it without any formal training.”
As planned, the Video Platform has met student recording needs. Instructors have started using the Video Platform to record intro videos and have started adding quizzes to their courses. Instructors also record their lectures for students who miss class or for students who need to revisit a topic as a study aid.
In YuJa Panorama, a major use case has been students downloading and using alternative formats. Institutional leaders have been able to set their own flags and severity weights for issues, which has helped improve the institution’s accessibility score based on their needs and goals. YuJa Engage’s question-of-the-day feature provides effective attendance tracking, and YuJa Verity, is being used across devices.
UMES has found innovative ways to use YuJa for operational and administrative functions. For example, the bursar’s office used YuJa to create an instructional video for a new tuition payment plan. “They did a quick tutorial video for students on how to make a payment in this new platform, generated the link, put it in a QR code, and emailed all the new students. An announcement in Canvas features the QR code, which is linked to the YuJa video,” DiRusso explained.
In addition, the procurement department will use YuJa to create on-demand training videos that can be watched on an attendee’s schedule rather than in person. “These are use cases I wasn’t anticipating, but it’s great that we can use YuJa in ways that help everyone at the institution.”
DiRusso shared that students are enjoying the recordings created by instructors and have been using the Video Platform and Panorama without issue. “We haven’t really had any major questions from students. They’re simple enough that students can easily figure out how to use them,” DiRusso stated.
For instructors, YuJa’s Platforms have won over even initial skeptics with its ease of use. “Of course, we had some non-believers or just petrified new users, but once you get in there and you start to play around, it’s easy for them to catch on. Instructors don’t come back to us asking us questions,” DiRusso said, adding that instructors are especially excited about the Video Platform’s Gradebook Sync and YuJa Engage’s Attendance Tracking feature.
DiRusso said she’s also excited to see how the institution’s use of YuJa Platforms continues to grow. “I’m anxious to see long-term how recording our lectures in core courses may affect our retention. I think YuJa could be a game changer,” she said, adding that there’s a strategic initiative to build virtual programs with everything online. “YuJa will be a key to success in those programs.”
“My experience with YuJa has been remarkable,” she said, adding that she wears multiple hats at UMES and being able to count on a YuJa rep to help has made everything run smoothly.
“I’m anxious to see long-term how recording our lectures in core courses may affect our retention. I think YuJa could be a game changer.”
UMES uses YuJa’s Enterprise Video Platform, Panorama LMS Accessibility Platform, Verity Test Proctoring Platform and Engage Student Response System.
The team was impressed by the Video Platform’s student recording capabilities, but it was the comprehensive suite of tools that captured their attention.
YuJa has helped UMES cut down on back-end work including for instructors while improving administrative and operational workflows.
Tracey M DiRusso
Acting Director & Instructional Technologist
Center for Instructional Technology and Online Learning
University of Maryland Eastern Shore
