By By: RACHAEL PITTMAN
Staff Writer
@ralypitt
In our technology-driven world, teaching is changing. Kanopy, a new video streaming service offered by IU South Bend, is part of that change.
Like Netflix, Kanopy allows subscribers to log into their account and access different titles wherever there is Internet access. Unlike Netflix, it is free to all IUSB students.
While Netflix is known to have many categories, Kanopy specifically carries over 9,000 titles of educational videos for subscribers. Students and instructors can also browse by popular producers, including PBS and some BBC.
According to Head of Electronic Resources, Feng Shan, categories include accounting, African American studies, anthropology, education, films studies, history, sociology and theatre.
“But that doesn’t mean that there are no feature films at all,” he said. “But they are rare and mostly for teaching purposes.”
The teaching purpose was essentially the reason for the addition of this resource. While professors may choose to use media in the classroom, Kanopy will make these materials more accessible.
“For students, a single copy of film can only accommodate one student at a time, while this digital service can have multiple students viewing the same title at the same time from their homes or anywhere,” Shan said.
Because it is a digital service, Kanopy will help the library avoid excessive costs related to storage, replacement, or waste from an unused title.
Shan said that the way Kanopy charges also helps avoid the additional costs associated with keeping physical copies in the library.
“After several times a film is used, then we pay for it,” he said. “If a title, out of 9000 in the collection, is viewed only once in a year, it will not cost the school anything.”
This resource is free to students and is available in the library for the public access as well. Students can use this program as part of presentations, research citations and even entertainment from categories such as experimental films in the art category.
Students can also learn a new skill through their “technical training” category. These skills vary from makeup application techniques to basic workplace safety training.
If students are unable to find a specific title, the IUSB library page urges them to contact Susan Thomas at suethoma@iusb.edu.
