Case Study: Samuel Merritt University achieves expanded access and increased student engagement with Panopto

Samuel Merritt’s Commitment to Educational Equity

Samuel Merritt University, a health‑sciences institution in Oakland, sought to expand educational equity and flexibility for its diverse learners. When its initial video host (MediaCore) was discontinued, ITS and Academic & Instructional Innovation needed a reliable solution for recording, storing, and sharing instructional video that would support flipped classrooms, adult learners, and universal‑design accessibility.

The university adopted Panopto in 2016 for lecture capture, captioning, shared content libraries, and easy faculty workflows. Instructors created short “high‑yield” modules and flipped lessons, boosting engagement and access—students use videos on demand (often peaking before exams), pause and review at their own pace, and rely less on office hours. The result: measurable increases in usage, improved accessibility and learning equity, and a lasting shift away from traditional podium lectures.

Samuel Merritt University

Karissa Legleiter

Assistant Professor, Basic Sciences