COVID-19 changed education in an instant. ProQuest customers were drastically affected by global shutdowns and had to completely pivot their research, teaching, and learning models in a matter of days.
ProQuest - an edtech provider that supports libraries, universities and schools - also had to pivot, moving nearly our entire company to a virtual model. We did so quickly and effectively, which put us in a position to fully support our customers while they managed their transition to virtual teaching and learning.
ProQuest was already well-positioned to deliver online content and other distance-learning resources, but with so many educators moving to online teaching a matter of days, the demand for virtual resources grew astronomically. Immediately, we had to make sure that our customers were set up with remote access and longer authentication periods. We worked with publishers to expand user limits on ebooks and rolled out “E Now,” a comprehensive set of programs that enable institutions to quickly transition to online-only environments. We launched a no-cost Coronavirus Research Database to provide essential coverage of the crisis for researchers. Since the early days of the pandemic, we have been helping many institutions quickly convert print and DVD resources to electronic versions for remote use.
The feedback we’ve received from our customers suggests these initiatives are really making an impact and are helping research, teaching, and learning carry on with minimal interruption.
A Video Usage Explosion
At ProQuest, we’ve seen video usage explode over the past two months as more faculty assign video as part of remote learning. Boclips provides key educational content to Academic Video Online (AVON), our industry-leading academic streaming video product that’s used by universities and colleges around the world. The Boclips catalog features a wide range of educational content that ties in directly to the curriculum at all levels. With brands like Cerebellum, Smithsonian, Crash Course, and Science360, among many others, the catalog really amounts to a remote classroom digital library unto itself. Boclips content in AVON, like all videos, can be seamlessly integrated into learning management systems, allowing easy access in digital classrooms.
Without remote access to copyright-cleared content, many of the universities and schools we work with simply could not have continued with their current curriculum as planned. Having remote online access to a large library of current copyrighted film, documentary, and instructional video has allowed our educational institutions to continue providing necessary course content for their faculty and teachers, while also helping them find creative alternatives to engage students.
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For educators who may not have access to these types of tools, our first suggestion would be to reach out to your institution's library and ask if the streaming video resources you need are already available. In some cases, instructors aren't aware of the wealth of content their library has subscribed to. If not, educators should ask their librarian to request a trial for streaming video resources.
To help education providers get up and running with video in this sudden turn to online learning, Boclips has compiled a Remote Learning Resource Kit. It includes best practices for integrating video, a digital citizenship video series, and video procurement support to keep students engaged with video, now and in the future.
Sarah Brennan is ProQuest’s product manager for Academic Video Online. She can be reached at sarah.brennan@proquest.com.