STAFF REPORT
(L-R) Marco Fernandez, Valerie Cortez, Dr. Myshie Pagel, Dr. Steve Smith, James Valdez
EPCC recently opened a new multimedia studio at the Valle Verde campus featuring a podcast studio with both audio and video capabilities, a lightboard and video studio with a green screen. These studios, located in the Technology Resource Center, will be open to faculty and students. Funded by a U.S. Department of Education “Accelerate@EPCC” Title V Grant, the multimedia studios will engage students, enable creativity and innovation while fostering student success.
Funding from the Title V allows EPCC to implement this and other transformative programs, bolster infrastructure, and deploy innovative teaching methods, all aimed at student success. The funding allowed for creation of the multimedia studios which also supported faculty in the development of Competency Based Education courses and online courses at EPCC.
“By fostering rapid institutional improvement, the Title V “Accelerate@EPCC” grant has ensured broader access to technology for our students, will improve retention and graduation rates, and prepare students for success,” Dr. Steve Smith, Vice President of Instruction and Workforce Education said. “EPCC is providing students the high-quality educational experiences that transform their lives and improve quality of life in our region.”
The TRC Multimedia studios are an important resource for both faculty and students. The podcast studio allows students to gain practical skills in audio production,
Valerie Cortez (L), student, explains usage of Podcast Studio
interviewing, script writing and editing which are valuable in various fields such as journalism, mass communication, media production and other majors. The podcast studio will also be a resource for faculty to strengthen curriculum for their students. They will now be able to make high quality recordings that will serve as supplementary educational resources for students, incorporating additional perspectives, case studies and real-world examples relevant to course materials.
The lightboard is another tool in the studio which allows professors to present complex concepts, equations, diagrams, and demonstrations in a clear and captivating way.
Elsa Lopez, Math Instructor
uses Lightboard
The lightboard also allows students to actively engage with curriculum by watching faculty members write, draw or annotate directly on the lightboard during lectures, promoting active learning and participation.
Finally, the video studio with green screen will allow for enhanced visual presentations for faculty to create engaging presentations and instructional videos with virtual backgrounds, animations, and special effects that facilitate the comprehension of complex topics. This creates interactive and immersive learning experiences by overlaying graphics, images and videos into faculty lectures. Students can use this technology to create multimedia projects like presentations and digital storytelling allowing them to express their creativity and communicate ideas in innovative ways.
Sergio Ramos demonstrates green screen
“El Paso Community College is committed to offering our students and faculty technology for success,” Marco Fernandez, Interim Associate Vice President of Information Technology said. “The multimedia studios we are opening today is just one example of the incredible technology that is available at our campuses.”