The Ball State University: College of Communication, Information, and Media’s Unified Media Lab opened in 2013.
The mandate of the Unified Media Lab is to offer aspiring journalists and producers a hands-on, real-world environment where they can engage with industry-standard media production workflows and storytelling tools. As a creative and collaborative hub, the Lab empowers students to plan, produce, and share compelling content across a variety of platforms, including Newslink Indiana (the daily student-produced newscast), Sportslink, Daily News, WCRD Radio, and more.
In recent years, the Ball State team knew that its Unified Media Lab’s video studio/production control room equipment & newsroom editorial tools were coming to the end of their useful lives.
With limited access to various camera shots and production device integrations that did not always work, it was starting to hinder creativity and limit students’ ability to learn and experiment with modern workflows. Ball State needed an updated and fully integrated solution that would align its teaching approach with current industry-standard technology.
Ball State turned to Ross Video’s end-to-end ecosystem to empower their students with the latest production technology used in real newsrooms around the world.
The new systems included Ross Video’s OverDrive automated production control system CamBot robotic camera system, Carbonite video switcher, XPression Studio graphics, Media I/O video playout/ingest server, plus its browser-based Inception News newsroom system & its browser-based Streamline Pro asset management systems.
Fun fact: Ball State was the first university to launch Ross Streamline Pro Version 12 which includes its own browser-based video editor.
The new systems have empowered students to get more creative with their productions, discover new and different ways to solve issues, and learn independently. “Inception is faster and a lot easier to learn, especially for my freshman reporters,” said NewsLink Indiana student news director & managing editor, Sophie Schick.
The Unified Media Lab now boasts a cutting-edge newsroom that bridges the gap between classroom learning and industry practice.
Students are exposed to the same tools the local commercial stations use, providing them with a great foundation upon graduation.
“We have more production students than ever show up, and I have to believe it’s because they’re attracted to the equipment we have, and they want to get in and learn it,” said Tim Underhill, Senior Lecturer at Ball State University Department of Media.
For Ball State, the real victory lies in the success of its students. The new production system helps ensure that every aspiring journalist and media producer leaves the program equipped with the knowledge and confidence to excel in their career.
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