Incorporating Video in Your Classroom

Video-enhanced instruction has skyrocketed in Higher Education, and while it has been used to supplement face-to-face instruction since the second world war, has become a cornerstone of student engagement in distance and blended modality courses.  Including video in your instruction is a great and effective educational tool, because it activates both auditory and visual learning processes.

Whether you are considering which clips to show in your live class, you are looking at creating learning videos to flip your class (or supplement video-conference of blended learning), or your class is completely online and dependant on video as a primary content delivery tool, there are a few simple strategies to help you create and post content that will get the most bang for your time-investment buck.

And, if you want to check out more theory on how video content engaems learners thoughout the learning process, I recommend you check out Vanderbilt University’s  Effective education videos page.

Your Video is an Extension of You

Your video persona is an extension of you, and in an online class, it is really the only exposure that your students get to you as the dynamic professor that you are! Don’t be afraid to be yourself, and use natural, conversational language that you would use with students in a live, face-to-face learning session. Follow these quick tips to hone your ‘naturally-camera-ready’ skills:

1. Make ‘eye-contact’ by looking directly at the camera
2. Where ever possible, capture your webcam with your presentation or screenshot, to increase your social presence
3. It doesn’t have to always be serious–have fun with your content, be enthusiastic… let student’s see why you love your content area
4. You can write a script, but you don’t have to–an outline works well (after all, you don’t write a script for an in-person class, do you?
5. You don’t need a professionally produced video (a la John Green) to engage students–you just need to be yourself

Keep it Relevant & Personal

There is a benefit to creating ‘evergreen’ videos–that is, videos that we can re-use semester-to-semester (because the content does not change), however, you can keep that content fresh with these strategies:

1. Be sure that the video you are presented is ‘made-for’ the environment it is being consumed in  (ie–is the video being made for a flipped learning experience, for an online course or to be shown in class?)
2. If you are re-using a video from a past semester in an online class, be sure to add some relevant context content (so students feel this content is being curated for them)
3. Keep video content to-the-point, be sure to include content, prompts, and information that is relevant to your learning goal, and will help learners successfully complete your assessment
4. Chunk your video content into smaller, more meaningful and targeted pieces information for the greatest recall

Whether you are considering which clips to show in your live class, you are looking at creating learning videos to flip your class (or supplement video-conference of blended learning), or your class is completely online and dependant on video as a primary content delivery tool, there are a few simple strategies to help you create and post content that will get the most bang for your time-investment buck.