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Education
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California community colleges stay connected with satellite network
Nov 14, 2006
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by James Careless
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It sounds like a pipe dream, interconnecting all of California's 110 community colleges using multimedia program distribution. But this is exactly the purpose of the California Community Colleges Satellite Network (CCCSAT), which provides programming via satellite, videoconferencing, and the Web on a 24/7 schedule.
Based at Palomar College in San Marcos, "CCCSAT distributes college-produced programming to an estimated 2.5 million students and 85,000 faculty, staff, and administrators" said Blaine Morrow, CCCSAT's project director. "At the satellite receiving end, CCCSAT's programming is distributed by local cable TV, on closed circuit TV at the colleges, and streamed online. Those who sign up with www.cccsat.org can view programs on the Web."
Since 1975, Palomar College has provided educational instruction via local cable TV. Branded as PCTV, the college's educational television studios in northern San Diego County produce 4,200 hours of original programming each year. "Some of it is distance learning for students off-campus, while the rest includes topical programming and promotional spots," said Bill Wisneski,
Quality Content
PCTV's programs are produced within its modern 2,000-square-foot production facility. It features a studio with sets by Broadcast Design International, the same company that designed the set for The CBS Evening News with Dan Rather.
"BDI president/owner Tim Saunders is a Palomar graduate," explained Wisneski. "He really devoted himself to ensuring that we got a top-quality set with interchangeable pieces, capable of being reconfigured for a variety of shows."
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| Programs like College Mathline are produced at Palomar College and shared with all of California's community colleges through CCCSAT. |
Programs are shot using three pedestal-mounted Sony BVP-550 cameras equipped with flat screen prompters. Meanwhile, the control room is a sleek facility anchored with a Grass Valley Series 1200 digital switcher that can handle 16 SDI/analog video inputs. There's also a Grass Valley DPM-700 for effects, Soundcraft 24 channel audio board, and Macintosh G5 and Mac Pro computers with a 2 TB raid array for editing and DVD authoring.
PCTV uses Avid Symphony, Composer, and Final Cut Pro for nonlinear editing. A Sony DXC-D35 DVCAM and Canon XL1 are used for ENG work. A new Canon XL-H1 HDV camcorder was recently ordered, and the department hopes to upgrade the entire facility to HD within the next three to five years.
PCTV's award-winning programming includes College Mathline, a live, call-in tutoring show for adults. "Students can call in with their questions for everything from algebra to advanced calculus," said Wisneski. "They also get to see how math is used in the real world, because we bring in live guests who talk about actual applications. We also record features in the field to show that math is much more than theory, and the positive feedback received about the program has been tremendous."
Already broadcast in southern California, College Mathline will be extended into northern California as well through the CCCSAT network next spring.
Distribution Backbone
With its expertise in producing and distributing educational content, it was only natural for Palomar College to spearhead a statewide distribution system not just for itself, but all 110 state community colleges. As a result, the college applied for and received an $8.5 million grant from the California Community Colleges Chancellors' Office in 1997 to establish CCCSAT.
Carried on the Galaxy 10R satellite, CCCSAT has become the backbone for statewide CCC television and Web-based distance learning. Its content is produced by CCCSAT's member colleges, who send it to Palomar College for inclusion in the CCCSAT feed. The CCCSAT staff take responsibility for encoding and streaming this footage over the Web and producing DVDs for distribution as needed.
"CCCSAT is a statewide distribution system, not a content producer," noted Morrow. The entire CCCSAT operation, including satellite transmission time, is paid for by a five year, $10 million grant from the CCC Chancellor's Office.
As for the broadcast schedule? CCCSAT runs 24/7, year-round. Its programs run the gamut from distance learning (one-way and interactive with Web return) to health, technology, arts, professional development, culture, diversity, CCCNews, and student-produced content. CCCSAT also carries programs from outside sources, such as PBS and federal government agencies.
The fact that CCCSAT and Palomar have increasingly moved into streaming video should not be taken as a rejection of the traditional educational TV model. If anything, this experience has strengthened both organizations' commitment to broadcast television.
"Many people are closing down their educational production facilities in favor of putting their professors in front of webcams at their desks and streaming out content that is horrible," said Wisneski. "We believe that high quality broadcast production is essential to creating educational programming that works. As well, the increasing sophistication of viewers thanks to the advent of HDTV and high-end multimedia content makes quality production more important than ever before. If you want to keep them watching, you need to be as good as anything on mainstream commercial TV. Nothing less will do."
MORE INFO
Apple apple.com
Avid avid.com
Broadcast Design International broadcastdesign.com
Canon usa.canon.com
CCCSAT cccsat.org
Grass Valley thomsongrassvalley.com
Palomar College Television palomar.edu.pctv
Sony sony.com/government
Soundcraft soundcraft.com
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