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Welcome to the Digital Teaching & Learning Studio!

The Faculty of Arts & Science's Digital Teaching & Learning (DTL) Studio was established in 2023 to provide A&S instructors with the equipment, space, and skilled personnel to develop and produce high-quality video and audio content.

Interested in learning more about the Studio and what projects are possible? Watch the sample videos and read more about the Studio below, or book a one-on-one meeting to discuss your ideas!

Book the Studio

Real Reels: Project Examples

Please see the short videos below for examples of projects that have been completed in the Studio or on location using Studio resources.

Learn more about the DTL Studio

What features and capabilities does the DTL Studio have?

Production Support

We offer end-to-end production services for simple or complex projects, including:

course introduction videos
mini- or full-length lectures focused on key course or discipline concepts
technical demonstrations
course or assignment walk-throughs
and more!

We always begin with a conversation to align your needs with our capabilities.

Video Recording

The centrepiece of our studio is a video recording space with a green screen backdrop, professional lighting and microphones, a 4K HDR camera and post-production capabilities. We have a teleprompter and a large presenter-facing monitor to allow you to see your content as well as a document camera for working with physical objects or annotating paper-based content. You can use our touch screen laptop or your own computer as the presentation source and our green screen allows your content to be used as a backdrop behind you.

Audio Recording

The studio also has a separate podcasting station. Equipped with a Rodecaster Pro mixing board with two high quality boom-mounted Shure microphones the podcasting station can be comfortably used to record dialogue or presentation content for one or two presenters. The mixing board has buttons to trigger sound effects, and the ability to record and control the volume of phone and Bluetooth audio alongside your voice.

What equipment is available in the Studio?

The Studio provides video and audio recording space equipped with the following:

SONY HDR-NX80 4K camera
green screen backdrop
professional-quality lighting
professional microphones
- 2x Sennheiser MKE600MKE600 Shotgun microphones
- 2x Sennheiser clip-on lavalier ME4 microphones with wireless transmitter packs
Teleprompter and presenter-facing confidence monitor
podcast and audio recording station
- Rodecaster Pro mixing board
- 2x boom-mounted Shure SM7B microphones
Microsoft Surface touch-screen laptop
Cintiq 22HD Creative Pen Display
document camera (for working with physical objects and/or materials)

Who can use the DTL Studio?

The Studio is available to instructors in the Faculty of Arts & Science.

What kind of content should I consider recording?

We find the following prompts effective when thinking about recording content:

Consider whether core concepts critical to students' understanding of course material could be recorded as mini lectures or presentations for students to access in their own time, and repeatedly.
Are there lab or equipment demonstrations that could be recorded for reference, perhaps with interactive elements added?
Do you want to produce “evergreen” content, reusable in the same course from year-to-year or across multiple courses?

How can I book the Studio?

If you are interested in booking the Studio, touring the space, or learning more about what projects are possible, please complete the Booking Form.

How long are Studio sessions?

Studio sessions are scheduled in 60-minute increments and no longer than three hours at a time.

We will work with you to arrange a production schedule appropriate to the project.

What support is available?

The Studio team is available to provide hands-on guidance, support, and feedback at every stage of project development. The pre-production, recording, and post-production process may involve some of the following:

Pre-Production

Initial consultation
Visioning, concept identification and project feasibility
Establishing project timelines
Storyboarding and scripting
Formatting presentation materials (e.g., slides; equipment)

Recording

Studio orientation and walk-through; practice session
Direction and in-studio support

Post-Production

Video and audio editing
Adding effects, animations, video and motion graphics
Chromakeying and colour adjustments

I am recording video content, what should I wear?

When filming in the Studio, we recommend that you:

Wear neutral, solid tones (e.g., beige, grey, black, navy) or colours that are far from green (e.g., maroon, purple)
Be mindful of the colour palette of your content. For example, if you plan to present in front of a purple background, avoid wearing purple

As much as possible, please avoid wearing:

Clothing or items that are green or close to green
Clothing with a busy pattern
Reflective objects like jewelry

Our team can work with you to ensure that the colour schemes are compatible.

What is the project delivery timeline?

The delivery timeline depends on the particular project.

For end-to-end projects where we assist with each stage of development, including scripting, storyboarding, and post-production, we recommend budgeting 6–8 weeks for project completion. We will provide delivery estimates for other project types following our first consultation.

We also offer recording services for projects that do not require end-to-end production assistance. For example, our podcasting station is oriented to a self-serve model and it is possible to take your finished files with you immediately following your session.

What are the Studio's terms of use?

For more information, please review our Terms of Use page or reach out to us directly at teachinglearning.artsci@utoronto.ca.

Who can I contact if I want to learn more?

If you would like to learn more about the Studio, please reach out to the team at teachinglearning.artsci@utoronto.ca or book a one-on-one consultation using the Booking Form.

Can't find what you are looking for? Consult the Index for a full list of pages or contact the T&L and TTS teams. Page last updated: April 6, 2023.

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Related Resources

Welcome to the Digital Teaching & Learning Studio!

Real Reels: Project Examples

Learn more about the DTL Studio