By Jumbi Edulbehram
While video is critical to the security of K-12 schools and universities to help detect threats and investigate incidents, it is increasingly becoming a critical tool beyond protecting students, faculty, staff and assets. Going further than simply gathering footage, educational facilities are beginning to see the value in adding intelligent video software, such as analytics, to their arsenal. This results in an innovative approach to not only security, but also operations within a school.
Video analytics enable schools to proactively recognize behaviors to create an efficient and safe environment with minimal disruption. The ability to capture patterns and track a scene both retroactively and in real-time makes it easier than ever to realize trends and anomalies. This analysis can be critical in the case of an investigation, but it can also be used to improve operations.
For example, crowded areas of a campus can present a challenge for administrators in the event of an emergency. Video analytics can help pinpoint these areas and allow administrators to address them.
Teacher and Student Empowerment Through Video and Data Analytics
Classroom-based video and data analytics can also be used to measure teacher performance and student engagement. Specific to the use of video only, according to a recent study conducted by Harvard University, video observation of teachers and students in the classroom can contribute to the heightened awareness of classroom activities.
The research found that using recorded video of real lessons to conduct teacher evaluations resulted in more constructive feedback. According to the study, recorded video of a lesson can highlight what teachers do best and identify areas for improvement.
Many educators who want to offer students the best possible educational experience welcome the initiative to use of video and audio in classrooms. However, there is still some pushback from teachers to embrace such solutions because of the fear of being evaluated.
School administrators can help address this concern by engaging with teachers on how video and audio can be used as a tool to improve pedagogy.
As the technology becomes more developed, schools aim to deliver actionable insights from the data to be used in streamlining educational goals and ensuring students are taking charge of their education investment.
Allowing students to use analytics to improve the quality of student/teacher engagement in the classroom is significantly valuable, and pairing analytics with video results in an even more robust method for improving education, learning and overall operations.
Although analytics software has proven valuable in security, they’re slow to be widely adopted elsewhere. With new applications and use cases that incorporate analytics into the operational side, an educational facility can see value in their deployment across a number of sectors.
About The Author
Jumbi Edulbehram is a thought leader within the security and business intelligence markets, and serves as the Regional President ? Americas for Oncam. His career has spanned more than 30 years with senior leadership roles at Intel, Samsung Techwin, Intellivid, and Axis Communications.