CLAS now enables you to import a video link or ID from external services. Currently only Youtube is supported, but more platforms will be added in the coming months. "Views" of a Youtube video from within CLAS will also count toward your Youtube statistics. So aggregating content into CLAS for teaching does not take away any of the benefits of uploading a video to a public channel like Youtube. The “discussion” feature set (collaborative annotations, comments, and live response) of CLAS is now at least 4 times faster than before, and should feel “snappy” from anywhere in the world. Annotations in CLAS are now more interactive! Simply hover on an annotation will immediately show a preview of the exact point in the video. Convenient “play” and "slow motion" buttons on the hovering preview pane let you review the moment of the annotation repeatedly without extra navigation. The video recording feature in CLAS has recently been used for pronunciation coaching, using student recordings from home instead of in a computer lab. So the demand for audio quality adaptation to non-standard recording conditions becomes much higher, yet the feature must still be simple to use for students. Therefore, CLAS now has automatic noise detection and compensation, to achieve a reasonable compromise between the subject’s voice and background noise. Clas.ubc.ca has been entirely redesigned and now contains a wealth of information on what CLAS is, how to get onboard, interesting use-cases shared by instructors, and documentations. Follow ubcCLAS on twitter for major feature updates every 1-3 months!

1. S
Importing Youtube Videos
Core features optimization
Automatic noise detection
More interactivity in the annotations
New home page & Twitter account!
July 2015
Project Owner: Dr. Fred Cutler
Designer & architect: Thomas Dang
Arts ISIT, University of British
Columbia

2. Importing from Youtube to
CLAS
S Many videos that instructors want to use are already uploaded before on Youtube, Vimeo,
Livestream, or recorded via Mediasite. CLAS now enables you to import a video link or ID
from external services. Videos imported this way will be automatically shared to the playlist
that you are currently on. Importing from Youtube is instantaneous and takes insignificant
resources on the CLAS server. This saves time and effort for instructors, and conserves
resources on the CLAS application.
S Currently only Youtube is supported, but more platforms will be added in the coming months.
S "Views" of a Youtube video from within CLAS will also count toward your Youtube statistics.
So aggregating content into CLAS for teaching does not take away any of the benefits of
uploading a video to a public channel like Youtube.
S Some level of privacy can also be achieved with this importing, as you can upload a video as
“unlinked” to Youtube, and then import it into CLAS. The video won’t be searchable on
Youtube and won’t be viewable by those who do not have the video ID.

3. Quality improvement items
S The core “discussion” (annotations, comments, and live response) engine of
CLAS is now at least 4 times faster than before, and should feel “snappy”
from anywhere in the world.
S The video recording feature in CLAS has recently been used for
pronunciation coaching, using student recordings from home instead of in a
computer lab. So the demand for audio quality adaptation to non-standard
recording conditions becomes much higher, yet the feature must still be
simple to use for students. Therefore, CLAS now has automatic noise
detection and compensation, to achieve a reasonable compromise between
the subject’s voice and background noise.

4. Screenshots - Desktop

5. Screenshots – Mobile
(identical experience to internal CLAS videos)

6. Closer linkage between the
annotations and the video
S Simply hover on an annotation will immediately show a preview
of the exact point in the video
S A convenient “play” button on the hovering preview pane lets
you play and replay the moment of the annotation repeatedly
without extra navigation
S A “slow motion” button, for closer review of a specific moment
S Works the same way with both Youtube video and CLAS’s
internal videos

7. Screenshot

8. New home page!
S Clas.ubc.ca now contains a
wealth of information about
S What CLAS is
S How to get onboard.
S Interesting use-cases shared
by instructors
S Documentation & support
contacts
S The convenient sign-in portal is
still on top of the page, which
will guide you to to the
appropriate instance

9. “ubcCLAS” Twitter account!
Follow “ubcCLAS” on Twitter to receive updates on
S Major feature releases: every 1-3 months
S Major bug fixes: only when they are critical and can affect
your usage
We will keep the updates to a minimal, undisruptive
frequency.

10. Caveats
S Full screen annotation is not available on Youtube yet
S The Youtube player does not have the same integrated
“attention trend heatmap” that the CLAS player has
S If a Youtube video contains advertisements, the ads will
appear
S If a Youtube video is later deleted from Youtube, then it
will also be deleted in CLAS. The reverse does not apply.