Indigent Defense Education
- Faculty: John Rubin, Whitney Fairbanks, and Alyson Grine
- Program Manager: Meredith Murray
- Events: Indigent Defense Education
- Type: Narrated PowerPoint: recorded during live presentation
- Tools: PowerPoint, Adobe Presenter, lavalier microphone
- Date: Fall 2008-ongoing
- Clients: Indigent Defense
- Link (view sample):Involuntary Commitment Process
Objective:
Make Indigent Defense training available for clients unable to attend live sessions.
Challenges:
- Recording sessions live in class.
- Equipment requirements and setup.
- Capturing audience responses and questions.
Description:
The School of Government’s Indigent Defense Education (IDE) wanted to better meet the needs of their audience and stay abreast of changing technologies and advancements in communication. As so many of their programs consist of relevant, timely, and essential information for indigent defenders, the IDE group initiated a Narrated PowerPoint project, to help disseminate information more broadly to their clients. Many North Carolina indigent defenders are unable to attend their trainings due to space constraints, their work responsibilities, location, travel budgets, etc. In order to cater to a larger audience IDE is offering this means by which their clients may receive training regardless of their ability to physically attend.
Click to view an example
Although there exist myriad methods and channels by which to disseminate information over the Internet–including traditional video webinars, straight e-learning, and web conferencing–the IDE group has deemed Narrated PowerPoint online trainings to be a valuable and plausible first step on the distance-learning ladder. These online trainings are available for all to watch at no cost, and will soon be available, for a fee, for continuing legal education (CLE) credit.
What distinguishes this narrated PowerPoint project from others is that rather than record presentations in the TLS media design studio (1411), presentations are being recorded live, in-class during the original presentation. Together, John Rubin, Whitney Fairbanks, and Alyson Grine decide who will be recorded, audit the individual recorded presentations, and then ultimately decide which online trainings will be posted online. John initially brainstormed this project with Meredith Murray in June, 2008, who then worked to research and manage the project in conjunction with ITD.
