Description
TechSmith Relay is York University’s supported solution for lecture capture.
This service is available to all York University faculty and staff members who would like to use lecture capture to enhance and supplement their teaching.
TechSmith Relay is available on built-in computers in lecture halls throughout the Keele and Glendon campuses. If you do not find it on a qualifying computer, please contact askit@yorku.ca to inquire about the possibility to have that room enabled for future use.
Features
Capture anything that’s on your computer’s screen and share it with your students.
Automatically publish your recordings into an auto-generated Lecture Recordings forum in your Moodle course. Or, you can optionally choose to have the recordings sent to your York University email inbox, so you can choose when and where to share the content.
Upload a video file that you’ve already created via the Media upload function.
Hardware and Requirements
Microsoft’s Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and 10
Apple’s MacOS 10.10 through to 10.12 (officially supported). OS 10.13 and 10.14 do work with the current platform.
For both platforms, you will need at least two gigabytes of free hard drive space per one hour of recording.
Availability
On campus:
TechSmith Relay is available in any classroom that has a built-in microphone and projection unit. Rooms that require a roll-in cart may have it, and/or may require you to borrow a USB microphone for the duration of your class in such a room.
Off campus:
Users with an active TechSmith Relay account can download and install TechSmith Relay on any Windows or Apple computer that fits the above requirements.
Go to: https://camtasia.uit.yorku.ca to download and install today.
Copyright and Legal
All lecture capture is subject to copyright. This applies to both the real-time recording and capture of your lecture or presentation, as well as with the file upload option.
When in doubt, please consult with York’s Copyright Office. You can find them here: http://copyright.info.yorku.ca.
How do I get it?
Request it at the same time as your Moodle course:
https://tinyurl.com/ineedmoodle
Only TechSmith Relay:
https://tinyurl.com/ineedrelay
USB Microphones are available for qualifying users who teach in a room that has TechSmith Relay but does not have a microphone. You can submit a request for the use of a microphone, for use in your class, for the duration of the course. The microphone loan is good only for the duration of your course. For more information, go to the Microphone Loan page.
How do I use it?
Lecture halls, large classrooms and seminar rooms with built-in technology will have TechSmith Relay installed on the computer in the room. Roll-in (cart-style) computers may not have TechSmith Relay. When in doubt, it’s always good to reach out to us at askit@yorku.ca to ensure that your room is enabled.
PDF – Using TechSmtih Relay (Quick Start guide)
VIDEO – How to record and submit a presentation using TechSmith Relay
TechSmith Relay can be used on any of your personal or work computers as well. If you have a computer where the University does not manage software installations, etc., follow the video instructions below.
How to download and install TechSmith Relay on a:
Windows computer: VIDEO
Apple computer: VIDEO
If your computer is managed by the University. Please reach out to your support group to book a time for them to install the software for you.
How do I get help?
TechSmith Relay’s help documentation is found here:
https://www.techsmith.com/tutorial-techsmith-relay-self-hosted-5-recorder-process.html
For help related to the TechSmith Relay software and how it performs, you can open a help request at: https://askit.yorku.ca.
If you are in a supported classroom, and you need immediate help, please call the help desk via the room’s built-in telephone.
FAQs
Q: What does it cost?
A: It is free!
Q: How long will recordings be available?
A: The lifespan of all recordings conforms to Moodle’s archival and deletion timelines. Please keep this in mind when you are repurposing older lectures from a few years ago. At some point, the lectures will be moved off of the server. Affected users will be notified via their PPY email address if and/or when any archival occurs.
Q: How do I request this service?
A: Links to request the service are above in the How do I get it section.
Q: No profile when logging in to the software.
A: If you have only one course in the system, you should not see the profile menu. All recordings created are submitted and published through to the only profile that is bound to your account. If you know that you have multiple courses, and you still do not see them, please contact us via the ticketing system at: https://askit.yorku.ca.
Q: No sound when I perform the test recording.
A: Depending on what type of computer you’re using; the troubleshooting will differ slightly. Generally, you want to start by making sure the audio on the Crestron (if in the classroom) is correct; then on the computer, ensure the system settings for your audio are correct; and finally, ensure the audio settings inside of the TechSmith Relay application are correct.
Q: I do not see my profile in the drop menu. I only see Upload and decide later. What do I do?
A: Submit your recording to Upload and decide later. Contact us at https://askit.yorku.ca. You have not requested your profile yet. If this is the case, include the course information (semester, course code and number, section(s). If you want this to automatically publish to Moodle, include the full web address to your course. Indicate in the ticket that you want the recording to be pushed through the new profile once it has been created.
Q: I hit the stop button by mistake. Now I can only submit or discard!
A: While a bit of an inconvenience, it only means that you will title your recording as Part 1, or some other name that signifies that the video is the first of a series. Some instructors run their whole courses in this manner, so they can offer smaller recordings to their students.
Q: Can I edit my recordings?
A: You can only edit the beginning and the end of the recording prior to submitting it via the TechSmith Relay application. After this, you cannot edit the video as it is, in the system. You can follow the advice given below, first in the Can I have a copy of my lectures? And followed by What if I want to do more?.
Q: What if I want to do more?
A: If you want more control over your videos, you can opt to create your videos at home (or in your office) by purchasing the educational version of Camtasia. This software allows you to publish through to TechSmith Relay. For more information, visit the vendor site: https://techsmith.com.
Q: Can I have a copy of my lectures?
A: You can download a copy of your lecture by going to the link for your recording. First, remove the .html from the link. Second, change the .html to /media/video.mp4. Finally hit the Enter key so the browser initiates the download of the video file. You can do this for any video that you have already published.
Q: Class has started, and I can’t get Relay to work. What do I do?
A: Call the helpdesk on the phone in the classroom. You will need to speak with Classroom Support as they work with the software as it is deployed on the computer.
Q: I can’t find the Relay icon where the documentation shows. Where can I find it?
A: Click the Windows logo in the bottom left corner of the screen. Start to type “TechSmith”. You will see TechSmith Relay appear as you type. Click on it to launch the application.
Q: I made a recording at home hours ago, but I still don’t’ see it.
A: It is likely that your recording is stuck in the uploading phase. This is most often due to the computer you used to create the video has been shut down; gone to sleep; and/or has lost network connectivity. Most times, turning the computer back on, or waking it from sleep is enough to resuscitate the upload. You can check the status of your uploads in real-time by going to: https://camtasia.uit.yorku.ca and logging in with your PassPort York credentials.