A (You) B Launches Branded Channel on YouTube

AUB now on YouTube

The American University of Beirut has become one of only a handful of universities worldwide to launch a dedicated channel on YouTube, the enormously popular video-sharing website.

With over 100 million videos seen each day via its free on-line streaming service, YouTube is an ideal venue to introduce potential students, donors, and partners to AUB. According to the latest survey by eMarketer.com, YouTube, which permits users to view, critique, and upload videos, is one of the top three websites favored by American college students. The company describes its demographic base more broadly as ranging in age from 18-55 and "spanning all geographies."

Since the AUB at Lebanon channel was created in February 2008, the University has posted 25 videos organized into five playlists. Over half of the videos are short, promotional pieces that familiarize prospective students and their parents with AUB and its facilities. According to Rosangela Silva, director of the Academic Computing Center (ACC), which created the channel, "Films like these are a form of direct communication between AUB and young people living abroad, who increasingly depend on the internet for information when choosing universities."

Another AUB offering is a seven-minute video on its Campaign for Excellence, which raised over $171 million to be used to upgrade facilities, recruit faculty, strengthen programs, and increase financial assistance to students. Narrated by President John Waterbury, the video provides alumni and other friends of AUB with an open window on the transformations taking place on campus.

Three research centers at AUB have set up their own playlists on the University's channel. The Initiative for Biodiversity Studies in Arid Regions (IBSAR) is an open academic platform for research on the conservation and sustainable development of regional biodiversity. By posting videos that present just a few of IBSAR's community-related projects, the center's director, Salma Talhouk, hopes to increase public awareness of biodiversity issues and attract research partners and funding.

Most YouTube videos cannot exceed ten minutes in length, but those posted on dedicated channels face no such restrictions. As a consequence, both the Center for American Studies and Research (CASAR) and the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs (IFI) have taken the opportunity to upload entire lectures by guest speakers on topics relevant to AUB's regional interests.

"We live in a globalized moment," explained Patrick McGreevy, the director of CASAR, "when we can use technology to broaden our reach and communicate with a wider audience." CASAR videos are the newest additions to AUB's YouTube channel and include Lawrence Hatab's lecture, "Democracy and Conflict," and Hisham Ahmad's discussion, "American Foreign Policy toward Palestine before 1948." They join four Issam Fares Institute videos largely drawn from its Ambassador in the Academy Series.

Similarly, the videos generated by other universities with YouTube channels can bring diverse viewpoints into the classroom. "It only takes seconds," Silva observed, "to embed one or more open-source lectures into Moodle learning management platforms. By exposing students to different approaches to fundamental questions, faculty can stimulate discussion and deepen understanding."

While many privately produced YouTube videos are pure entertainment, a surprising number are educational, such as 3-D animations or "learning objects"