Deploying a university-wide academic video platform requires integrating with existing tools—Zoom for videoconferencing, Blackboard for the LMS—and training faculty at scale. Pontificia Universidad Javeriana Cali accomplished this in three days in March 2020, when the pandemic closed campuses, using Panopto as the platform and Districalc as the authorized integrator. In the first month, nearly 50% of the university's courses were being recorded, students consumed over 12,000 hours of asynchronous video, and more than 25% of full-time faculty actively used the platform—adoption that would have taken months or years without proper technical integration, concentrated training, and design that kept faculty and students within workflows they already knew.
In March 2020, when the pandemic forced campuses to close overnight, <strong>Pontificia Universidad Javeriana Cali</strong> faced the same challenge as hundreds of institutions across Latin America: keep the semester running without an academic video continuity plan already in place. The university needed a class recording and streaming platform that could be deployed immediately, integrate with the tools it already used — Zoom and Blackboard — and be simple enough for hundreds of faculty members to adopt within days, not months.
The answer was <strong>Panopto</strong>, the academic video platform that Districalc distributes and integrates at universities across the region. What followed was one of the fastest implementations Panopto has documented in Latin America: the platform was up and running in three days, integrated with Zoom and Blackboard, and within the first month it already covered close to half of the university's courses.
The challenge: moving to remote learning without losing the semester
Before the pandemic, Universidad Javeriana Cali already used video in some courses, but it had no institutional recording and video management platform built for the scale a full campus closure would demand. The university compared several alternatives — including Mediasite — and chose Panopto for its versatility, ease of use, and ability to integrate with the infrastructure it already had running.
The challenge wasn't only technical. With students spread across different cities and varying levels of internet access, the platform needed to work well even for those who couldn't reliably attend live classes.
"With Panopto, you don't have to download any software," noted a university IT director in the success story published by Panopto — a key advantage when hundreds of faculty members had to start recording and streaming classes overnight.
The rollout: 3 days, integration with Zoom and Blackboard, and two weeks of faculty training
The full Panopto implementation took three days — a timeline usually measured in weeks or months for an institutional deployment of this scale. The platform was integrated directly with Zoom, the videoconferencing tool the university already used for live classes, and with Blackboard, its learning management system (LMS) — so recording a class or accessing a recording stayed within the same workflow faculty and students already knew.
<strong>Districalc</strong>, Panopto's authorized integrator and distributor in Latin America, was the integrator responsible for this rollout. That role included the technical setup of the platform, its integration with Zoom and Blackboard, and support throughout the two weeks of intensive training that followed for the entire faculty.
Results: rapid adoption among faculty and students
Within the first month of use, close to <strong>50% of the university's courses</strong> were already being recorded on Panopto. Students, in turn, watched more than <strong>12,000 hours of video</strong> during that same period — a clear sign that recorded content wasn't just a backup for the live class, but a real form of studying.
Over the course of the semester, more than <strong>25% of full-time faculty</strong> actively used Panopto for their distance classes — a high figure considering that, just months earlier, most of them had never recorded a class.
"Students expect these kinds of tools today," the same director noted in Panopto's success story, referring to the role the platform played in supporting students without reliable connectivity at home.— Success story published by Panopto on Universidad Javeriana Cali
Why it worked: asynchronous access for students with limited connectivity
One of the most important findings of the implementation was the value Panopto provided to students who couldn't reliably attend live classes. By letting students download recordings and watch them offline, the platform became the only viable option for those with limited bandwidth at home — with no need to install any additional software.
That combination — centralized institutional recording, integration with existing tools, and flexible access for students — is the same one Districalc helps implement today at universities across Latin America facing similar needs, whether for academic continuity, hybrid learning, or distance education programs.
Districalc and Panopto: academic video integration and implementation across Latin America
<strong>Districalc</strong>, Panopto's authorized distributor and integrator present in over 20 Latin American countries since 1981, was the integrator for this project at Universidad Javeriana Cali — from the technical setup of the platform and its integration with the institution's LMS and videoconferencing tools, to faculty training and ongoing technical support.
If your university or school is evaluating an academic video platform — for class recording, flipped classroom, video assessments, or academic continuity — Districalc can support the entire implementation process, just as it did with Universidad Javeriana Cali.
Is your institution evaluating Panopto or looking to improve academic video adoption among its faculty? Contact us — Districalc integrates and implements Panopto at universities and schools across Latin America.
For more details on this implementation, see the full success story published by Panopto.
Does your institution need a fast academic video rollout?
Districalc integrates Panopto at universities and schools across Latin America — from technical setup to faculty training and ongoing support.
Contact UsFrequently asked questions
How quickly can an institutional academic video platform be deployed?
Universidad Javeriana Cali deployed Panopto completely in 3 days, including integration with Zoom and Blackboard. This was possible because Panopto was designed to integrate with tools universities already used. The deployment included two additional weeks of intensive faculty training. This is one of the fastest rollouts Panopto has documented in Latin America.
What IT infrastructure requirements does Panopto have?
Panopto requires no software downloads from users. It works entirely in the web browser and integrates directly with existing platforms like Zoom for videoconferencing and Blackboard as the LMS. Students can download recordings to watch offline, which is especially useful in regions with limited connectivity.
What was the faculty adoption rate in the first month?
In the first month, approximately 50% of the university's courses were being recorded on Panopto, and more than 25% of full-time faculty were actively using the platform. Students watched over 12,000 hours of video during that period, indicating that recordings were being used as a real form of studying, not just as backup.
What else can the platform be used for besides recording live classes?
According to the article, Panopto can be used for flipped classroom, video assessments, and academic continuity. At Javeriana Cali, the main value was allowing students without reliable home connectivity to download and watch recordings without needing additional software, making it the only viable option for many.
How does Panopto integrate with tools the university already uses?
Panopto integrates directly with Zoom to capture videoconferences and with Blackboard as the LMS so that recording and accessing recordings stays within the same workflow faculty and students already know. Districalc, as the authorized integrator in Latin America, handles the technical setup and training for the entire institution.