The project, led by the University of California Berkeley, the U of S, ETH Zürich and the University of Osnabrück, is a result of a two-year planning and development effort between 13 North American and European partner institutions.
 
“The great thing about Matterhorn is that it addresses the increasing demand for education to become more accessible,” said Christopher Brooks, computer science PhD student and U of S technical lead on this project. “Anywhere, anytime, lecture-capture technology focuses on the learner’s requirements, whether it’s a student who can’t attend class on a certain day, someone in a remote community or a life-long learner.”
 
Matterhorn is also accessible to any academic institution. “A number of commercial solutions are being offered to universities, many with high price tags. Matterhorn is a free open-source solution designed by academic institutions for academic institutions,” said Brooks. “The software is free and also offers specifications for low cost, low energy, high quality lecture-capturing hardware—microphones and cameras for audio and visual, and equipment to capture materials displayed by data projectors—for classroom installation.”
 
Brooks points out that scalability is another key benefit of Matterhorn, meaning any number of instructors at a university can use the software as long as their lecture takes place in a classroom outfitted for lecture capturing.

“Starting this fall, five classrooms offering 15 courses will be piloting the Matterhorn technology at the U of S,” said Jim Greer, University Learning Centre director. Greer hopes—based on student demand and Matterhorn’s lower cost—to see that number grow to about 100 courses in three years.

“Matterhorn focuses on the learner and the student experience,” said Brooks. “More than 80 per cent of U of S students polled said they preferred to enrol in courses with lecture capture capabilities, while 76 per cent said they would use this system to review lectures before finals. Despite earlier concerns that class attendance will suffer, studies indicate that attendance is unaffected by this technology.”
 
Matterhorn was funded through contributions of the partner institutions and grants from the Andrew W. Mellon and William and Flora Hewlett foundations totalling more than $3 million.

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For more information, contact:

Kris Foster, University Communications
University of Saskatchewan
Tel: (306) 966-1806
Email: kris.foster@usask.ca