SBIR Phase I: Classroom VideoAnalyst: Automated Video Content Analysis for Classroom Evaluations

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project aims to research and develop a prototype Classroom VideoAnalyst(CVA) system to automatically extract and index relevant content from classroom observation videos for evaluations and teacher professional development. The premise underpinning this effort is that automatic video analysis can help unpack the complex and fast-paced classroom activities to help teachers and evaluators to better understand and assess the teaching and learning processes. Relevant features to extract from classroom videos to facilitate subsequent classroom observation analyses will be determined collaboratively with the educational partners. A video summarization capability will provide report generation from classroom observation videos. intuVision?s video analysis test platforms will be leveraged for rapid implementation testing and validation of the concept prototype. The broader/commercial impact of this project will be the potential to fulfill a confirmed need for fundamental changes in teacher education especially in mathematics and science as recognized by researchers in the field and by the government. The educational reform measures call for technology that enables teachers to work collaboratively with their peers to share best practices. Hence, tools to bring the advanced technologies to teacher professional development and objective classroom evaluations are of utmost importance. The proposed Classroom VideoAnalyst(CVA) will provide the ability for teachers, and coaches to breakdown classroom observation data for analysis and identification of trends within and across different classrooms. It will provide teachers a deep insight into teaching practices and researchers with tools to conduct quantitative assessments to advance the U.S. to a leader status in education.