In his study Using video announcements, instructional videos, and video feedback to improve social presence, student engagement, and a growing relationship to one’s university Patrick Lowenthal writes:
Video is often praised as a tool for improving social presence in the online classroom. However, the theory, research, and practice of online learning suggests that video alone does not make the difference but rather how it is used. *
In this blog post we’ll look at some of the quickest and easiest ways you can add meaningful video to your courses and boost your instructor presence and student success.
What is Quick & Easy Video?
We all have cameras on our phones and on our computers. We also all use the same LMS that allows us to quickly capture video and add it to our courses. These types of videos aren’t professional quality. They don’t feature fancy transitions, animations, or graphics (those aren’t quick & easy). They might not be scripted, but they are effective in conveying meaning and building instructor presence.
Why Quick & Easy Works
Quick and easy videos work because they answer questions, show examples, and give feedback right when it is needed. Now that we are all so used to Zoom calls, we all understand that video does not need to be perfect. A slip up can show that we are human and can often be a way to lighten the mood a bit. Even basic videos are humanizing, bring variety to content, and clarifying many issues in ways text simply can’t.
How to use it
Feedback
Your LMS has a video capture tool that you can use practically anywhere in the LMS. In less time than it takes most people to type, you can use this feature to leave meaningful comments on a student assignment. Video feedback is personal, engaging, and often can be faster than leaving written feedback. Students really appreciate it.
Announcements
You can also use your LMS video feature to post a quick introduction or recap to a topic of study. Make these short and sweet and be sure to highlight the most important items students need to look for in the rest of your materials or readings– not the details.
Screencast
Screencasts record everything that happens on your computer screen, so you can show what to do by moving the cursor, following links, or even a series of steps. Screencasts are much more engaging than just a picture with an audio description, and once again help with instructor presence.
Break up and enliven presentations
One of my favorite ways to use a screencast is to add audio and movement to presentations. Instead of just adding audio, screencasting your slides allows you to show what happens when you click a link. It also makes it easier to break a long presentation into smaller, topical segments. You can still have one long presentation, but just post to individual recorded sections of it.
Using video in your course doesn’t have to be tricky or time consuming. Ask an UM3D Instructional Designer for more information if you’d like to get started.
*The University has an account with OLC. To register so you can read this article and view useful webinars, see these instructions.
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