Media production can be daunting, especially if you are not sure whether or not a certain media option fits your course. Perhaps you are wondering how to incorporate PowerPoint presentations in your online course or if it is possible to facilitate a guest lecture. While these are challenging questions, you are not tackling them alone. Your assigned Instructional Designer and the UM3D Team are happy to help you add amazing instructional media that meets your learning objectives and course-level goals.
Why Use Video?
Video invites learners not just to read content, but to view content as well. Brame (2015) reviews elements to consider when trying to decide if video is actually a good fit for your course and, if so, how you can effectively create video that helps students move closer to course goals.
“Videos can be an effective tool in your teaching tool kit. When incorporating videos into a lesson, it’s important to keep in mind the three key components of cognitive load, elements that impact engagement, and elements that promote active learning. Luckily, consideration of these elements converges on a few recommendations:
- Keep videos brief and targeted on learning goals. [consider one topic per video.]
- Use audio and visual elements to convey appropriate parts of an explanation; make them complementary rather than redundant. [Don’t just read bullets.]
- Use signaling to highlight important ideas or concepts.
- Use a conversational, enthusiastic style to enhance engagement. [Be yourself.]
- ….Incorporate active learning by using guiding questions, interactive elements, or associated homework assignments” (Brame, 2015).
- Embed videos in the content. Links are distracting.
Is Video Always Necessary?
Consider the most important concepts in your course and how PowerPoint lectures help students move closer to mastering course goals; you may realize you don’t need to create a short video for every PowerPoint slide deck you have. Identifying the key elements of the lectures can help in thinking through how much video content needs to be created and the best steps for that process.
Video for Both Synchronous and Asynchronous Ideas
Providing well-chunked video content for students to access asynchronously in your course allows you to maximize any synchronous meetings you offer.
- For example, students could be asked to review a series of short pre-recorded video lectures early in the week and then later attend a Zoom video conference or class meeting prepared to discuss the concepts covered in those pre-recorded lectures.
Find and embed already-created video. You don’t have to recreate the wheel.
- Use videos from a variety of sources such as YouTube, Kanopy, LinkedIn Learning or even ones created by others in your department. Make sure they are already captioned.
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