Video Note in Brightspace

 

You know that short video increases student engagement, however you do not have the finances or time to purchase complex video creation software.  Getting a video production crew on a teacher’s salary is just not possible.  How can one take advantage of video in their online courses?

What if I told you that there is a tool that can easily create short video clips for your online course, embed the clips, and automatically generate closed captions?  Ensuring that the experience is accessible, the tool generates transcripts automatically.

How to use Video Note

Video Note can be accessed by using the “Insert Stuff” icon.

When selected you have to option to:

• Record live using your web camera or
• Upload a premade video.

Remember to keep the video short, or you will lose the attention of the viewers.

Remember to give the video:

• a name,
•  description,
• select the video’s language and
• select “Automatically generate captions from audio”.

Select next to review and insert (or re-record).  The video will be in embedding into the web page. Video Note will even keep your video in your course – so there is no commercial access or issues with social media!

 

There are so many uses! Video Note can be used in any editor in Brightspace and is excellent for giving feedback when grading.  Use it in the feedback section so students will then be able to easily click on the video with one click when viewing their grades – increasing their likeliness to review the feedback!

 

Other video editing tools and transcript tools can cost you thousands of dollars.  Video Note cost nothing – and can be paid in four small payments of $0.

I only want Audio

What if you do not want video, but only want audio, can you embed that with Video Note?  Yes.

Whatever your reason, be it being an international spy or that you just want to remain faceless, you can use Video Note to upload audio.  Simply select the audio only feature or upload the audio file, and Video Note can create an interactive player that proves captioning and transcripts.

Why are Synchronous Online Classes Dull?

When asked, students generally feel that they learn most from Asynchronous courses, followed by traditional face-to-face courses, and least by synchronous online courses.  How can this be?

This is in-part because many asynchronous courses rigorously apply instructional design best practices based on years of research.  It is not clear that most traditional course are and probably less likely for synchronous courses given the emergency adoption during the pandemic. We must remember that teaching online involves significantly more than simply dropping a face-to-face course, or Zoom meetings, into the campus learning-management system. Designing effective online courses is hard work and differs significantly from in-person teaching. HyFlex courses essentially braid the two together, which means it is even harder.

 

Before working on an HyFlex course, it is important that you are comfortable teaching asynchronously online. If not, you may underestimate the amount of effort and interaction necessary for engaging students.

With this in mind, why are synchronous online classes dull?

The issue is not that they are intrinsically worse than traditional classes. Instead students are perceiving that they are not learning from them.  It is vital to ask another question:

Are we using the technology correctly?

The online medium is dynamic and listening passively for an hour may not be the best way to promote learning. In fact, the average time a student will watch an instructional video is 6 minutes – regardless if its length is six or sixty minutes.  Clearly, the take home message for the medium is that video alone needs to be in small chunks if we want to foster learner engagement.

 

The traditional sage on the stage model has been abandoned by a significant number of teachers. For example, many teachers flip their classroom. The content is available on online, while the classes meet for a quick review, discussion, learning activities and assignments.

 

This strategy has also been successful in implementing HyFlex.  It is better suited for brief exposition (lessons, review, or instructions) that is recorded followed by breakout sessions for groups.  The class then returns for students to present or follow up information with the instructor.

During the breakout sessions, the instructor can offer more personalized assistance by visiting all groups, virtual or within the classroom.

 

The flipped classroom has a long history of success.  It is not surprising that it also works for HyFlex.  It probably works equally as well for online synchronous courses because this strategy better aligns with the mode of educational delivery.

Live in 3..2..1: Resuscitating Synchronous Classes with Dynamic Delivery

Students have reported more dissatisfaction with synchronous online delivery over face-to-face or asynchronous delivery.  This can often be attributed to the content expert not being aware of successful practices in presentations or the online medium.

Often instructors are never taught vital presentation skills that are key for capturing their classes attention.  For example, within the first few minutes of a presentation the audience's attention can be commanded by:

• Reflecting on a bold statement
• Considering a story
• Reviewing, and being primed for, the content they will learn
• Engaging in an interactive activity

When the presenter presents in a lively fashion, the movement keeps the viewers' attention.  Also, revealing one’s own humor and why you are excited about the topic both makes the talk personal to the audience. They then become more invested in the topic. These presentation skills benefit both synchronous online presentations and face-to-face presentations.   

The issue with teaching online is that instructors both must wrestle with using technology effectively as well as employ instructional strategies that best suit the medium they are using.  This webinar will first address faux pas with technology that diminishes the instructional effectiveness of the presentation.  Then it continues to investigate effective strategies for the medium.  Specifically, attention spans in this medium our short and instruction must be interactive to be effective. By adopting a micro-lesson approach as well as a flipped approach, instructors can maximize student engagement in their synchronous sessions. The session concludes on some of the pitfalls experienced by faculty using flipped classes online and how to overcome these issues. 

References

 

Azib-Powell, B. (2005) David Byrne really does love PowerPoint. UC Berkeley News.

Bumiller, Elisabeth (2010) We have met the enemy and he is PowerPoint, New York Times.

Cohen, N. (2010)  “The magical mystery four: how is working memory capacity limited, and why?”  Current Directions in Psychological Science. February 2010 vol. 19 no. 1 51-57. 

Goa, Philip (2012) Optimal Video Length for Student Engagement. EdX.

Grabill, Carolyn (2009) Why learning from PowerPoint lectures is frustrating Carolyn Works. 

Hicks, Cat, Emeline Brulé, and Roberta Dombrowski. 2020. “You Have to Put Your Class Online: Simple Things to Think About.” Online resource.

Hinck, G. & Burke, L. (2019). New Technologies Deliver on the Promise of HyFlex: University of St. Thomas. In B. J. Beatty, Hybrid-Flexible Course Design: Implementing student-directed hybrid classes. EdTech Books.

Lokken, F. (2017) Online Courses as Good as In-Person Classes. Inside Higher Ed.

Malczyk, B. R. (2019). Introducing Social Work to HyFlex Blended Learning: A Student-centered Approach. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 39(4-5), 414-428.

Meyer, R (2001) Multimedia Learning. Cambridge Press, NY.

McGee, P. &. A. Reis (2012) “Blended Course Design: A Synthesis of Best Practices.” Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 14(4).

Rhoads, D. (2020). Traditional, online or both? A comparative study of university student learning and satisfaction between traditional and Hyflex delivery modalities. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.

Rose, D & A Meyer (2002) Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age: Universal Design for Learning. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Singh, C. (2021) Why Flipped classes often flop. Inside Higher Ed.

Sweller, John (1999) Visualization and instruction design, Australian Educational Review

Tufte, Edward (2003) PowerPoint is evil, Wired. 11:09.

Vanderstoep, S. W., Pintrich, P. R., & Fagerlin, A. (1996). Disciplinary differences in self-regulated learning in college students. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 21(4), 345-362.

Whittaker S.&  Hirschberg J (2003) Look or Listen: Discovering Effective Techniques for Accessing Speech Data. In Proc. CHI98. Springer-Verlag, 253-269

What is HyFlex?

 College students face unprecedented challenges compared to the past and in order to serve their needs, colleges need to adopt customizable learning opportunities that are highly flexible.  The success of online courses demonstrated that students needn’t be constrained to a geographical location, but can experience quality learning experiences at anytime, anywhere, and from a variety of devices. HyFlex teaching is aligned with this mission of offering more flexible learning environments. It aims to deliver students the maximal amount of choices possible within a formal learning program.  Students are provided a choice between a variety of course delivery modes and can regularly change modes during the semester.  MgGee and Reis (2012)  define HyFlex where,

“course designs involve instructor and learners working together in mixed delivery modes, typically face-to-face and technology mediated, to accomplish learning outcomes that are pedagogically supported through assignments, activities, and assessments as appropriate for a given mode and which bridge course environments in a manner meaningful to the learner.”

Essentially, a well-designed HyFlex course will provide effective alternative participation modes that all meet the same learning outcomes. This will provide meaningful learning opportunities for all students.

HyFlex instructors are not merely recording lectures for students to asynchronously watch.  Instead, a full asynchronous version of the course offers an alternative to the synchronous as well as face-to-face options (See Figure 1). It is preferable to provide the content from the face-to-face delivery in an online version as well. This will require little additional work if materials are already available in digital format, however it is important that this format is accessible (such as having closed captions).

Figure 1: The various modes of instruction in HyFlex 

Those interested should look to the four principles Brian Beatty defined for HyFlex over ten years ago and that act as pillars for its implementation.  They are:

• Principle 1 – Learner Choice: Provide meaningful alternative participation modes and enable students to choose between participation modes.  This may be weekly, by class, or topically.
• Principle 2 – Equivalency: Provide equivalent learning activities in all participation modes. This is also good teaching practice in line with the theory of Universal Design for Learning.
• Principle 3 – Reusability: Utilize artifacts from learning activities in each participation mode as “learning objects” or resources for all students. Make use of your labor efficiently – this will make the process sustainable and affords students equitable access to learning resources.
• Principle 4 – Accessibility: Provide all students with technology skills and enable full access to instructional resources and activities in all participation modes. This may also require equitable access to minimal technology.

A key aspect of accessibility is the need to make all course materials and activities accessible for all students. 

Naturally, HyFlex courses require more time and work in their development and delivery. In most cases, it may take close to twice as much time. Nevertheless, the time spent is well worth it.  This model both benefits the college and students.

 Colleges benefit from:

o   Insuring all courses are rigorously reviewed and apply instructional design practices that are proven to increase student success.

o   Crisis protection, as courses can immediately continue online in the event of emergencies that would close the campus. Courses would continue uninterrupted as the deliver would pivot to be online.

 Students benefit from:

o   Well-designed courses that can accommodate different learning styles.

o   Courses that accommodate the student need for flexibility.

Doing HyFlex correctly to ensure all modes are equally provided for students is not a trivial task, but done correctly will afford students much needed flexibility that many students require.  Besides offering benefits that increase student success, retention, and potentially enrollments, HyFlex can be a way of promoting equity in education.

References

Beatty, B. (2019) Four Fundamental Principles for HyFlex – The Pillars HyFlexWorld. Republished from 2010.  Retrieved: 3/26/2021

Beatty, B. (2012) HyFlex Design Enables a Quick Flip. HyFlexWorld. Retrieved: 3/30/2021.

Beatty, B. (2008). Sloan Consortium Effective Practice Award: Using the “HyFlex” Course and Design Process. Retrieved 02/28/2021

McGee, P. &. A. Reis (2012) “Blended Course Design: A Synthesis of Best Practices.” Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 14(4).

Tips for Virtual Instruction

Teaching online poses several challenges for instructors, such as managing to keep or increase student engagement in a traditionally sterile environment. It has always been a challenge to leveraging instructional technology to motivate and inspire student interest.  The rapid pivot to virtual instruction due to the pandemic has exacerbated this issue, as now many instructors are still learning a new medium of instruction while working at engaging students.

The following guide is a collection resources that can both help online instruction as well as enhance traditional or hybrid instruction.  Included is a collection of standards, such as our guides to maximizing instructional technology and design to make teaching more accessible and effective.  The guide also includes collections of tips for using PowerPoint, YouTube, and Podcasts that can be harnessed to enhance instruction.

The guide is designed for your convenience.  Selecting the number on the tab on the home screen will take you directly to the category. Each tip is hyperlinked to a webpage or video to assist you quickly. You can select the arrowhead on the bottom right to return to the home screen.

 

You might want to download the guide for whenever you want to explore new options on a raining day.  Alternatively, it may give have answers for you when you need for assistance. An interactive tabbed Powerpoint like this can also easily be build and use to present your own lessons as well.  

Faculty Introductions and Building a Learning Community

Taking an online course can be intimidating and the environment can seem cold and impersonal. Students can feel that they are on their own navigating a morass of information where the solutions to their questions is difficult to find. Ironically, this also can apply to a traditional face-to-face course. However, using best practices in course design can help overcome this.

One way to breakdown the impersonal atmosphere of the Learning Management System is to remind students that you, a person, are there and that they can communicate with you. Adding a Faculty Introduction or Welcome page to the course is an excellent opportunity to make the learning environment less sterile and add a personal touch. Be sure to let the students know a little about yourself and your credentials to both demonstrate that you are indeed a person and a highly qualified instructor to better influence their acceptance of the course content (Dulaney, 2013).

 When you are creating an introduction, you should consider taking advantage of the medium and including multimedia. Simply adding an image of yourself can influence student perception of you (Russo & Campbell, 2004), and their retention of the material (Mayer, 2009), such as your expectations. By using video, instructors will increase students’ perception of connectedness with the course (Rose, 2009) and studies show that they will be 20% more positive about their interaction with the you and the content. This has been shown to have a direct impact on their success in the course (Jones, Naugle & Kolloff, 2008). You will also find that with currently technology, creating an introductory video is not the difficult.  (For a templated see the discussion about video introductions and your course, see: https://instructionaldesignsccc.blogspot.com/2018/03/video-introductions-and-your-course.html )

While you have a stand-alone page developed, it is wise to include the best ways for students to communicate with you.  In order to communicate high expectations, you first need to be able to communicate.  Including the best means to reach with you and the length they can expect in order to get a reply, affords insight for the students so that they understand what is expected. It also gives the students a location to consult if they forget the most effective ways to communicate with you, e.g. email or messenger.  The advantage is that this page can be a continue beacon that promotes a learning community and communication.

References

Dulaney, E. (2013). Does the Credibility of the Presenter Influence Acceptance of Content in the Classroom. American International Journal of Social Science, 2(4), 14-20.

Jones, P., Naugle, K., & Kolloff, M. (2008). Teacher presence: Using introductory videos in hybrid and online courses. Learning Solutions. Retrieved on March 26, 2014 from learningsolutionsmag.com

Mayer, R. E.  (2009) Multimedia Learning. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2^nd Ed. 

Rose, K. K. (2009) Student Perceptions of the Use of Instructor-Made Videos in Online and Face-to-Face Classes. MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching. 5(3), Retrieved July 18, 2018 from http://jolt.merlot.org/vol5no3/rose_0909.htm

Russo, T. C., & Campbell, S. W. (2004). Perceptions of mediated presence in an asynchronous online course: Interplay of communication behaviors and medium. Distance Education, 25(2), 215-232.

Video Introductions and Your Course

Taking an online course can be intimidating and the environment can seem cold and impersonal.  Students can feel that they are on their own navigating a morass of information where the solutions to their questions is difficult to find. Ironically, this also can apply to a traditional face-to-face course.

One way of breaking the ice is to use short introduction videos.  A brief video can introduce you to your students as well as possibly sell the course to others. Clever authors can make the video both introduce the instructor and sell the students on taking the course. This will allow you to have an introduction video that can also be used as a promotional video for students deciding on which courses to take.

Why use an introduction video?  Studies show that students more positively about their instructor and participate approximately 20% with online content.   Even adding a photo and a video improves students’ perceptions of the instructor and the class (Russo & Campbell, 2004).  From a practical perspective the increase on your instructor evaluations offers a pragmatic reason to add video introductions. However, the video introductions help students perceive a relationship between themselves and the instructor and which students have identified as having a direct impact on their success (Jones, Naugle & Kolloff, 2008).

Is Video Hard?

There are several easy ways to create video.  One of the simplest is to just use your phone or web camera on our laptop computer.   You may notice that this is not as simple as it sounds.  Pointing a video camera at someone and shooting does not make a successful video.  Like everything in life there is a little work.  Also like everything in life, knowing successful heuristics can help you accomplish great feats in a significantly decreased amount of time.

Besides using video from a video camera, there are several web and mobile tools that allow you to create slick animations and slideshows that can be converted into video.  Add a voice over and you can have a great show.

There are several video creation web resources out there.  With technological advances, there are now great mobile apps that can offer impressive video editing.  For example, iMovie is only $4.99 and it can convert your phone or iPad into a virtual editing studio.

Feel Free to take a look at some of the videos in the playlist above.  Most were made with affordable and simple web tools.  Two were made with professional tools. Can you tell which ones?

How do I create a good introduction?

Understanding of a few key rules and process can easily get you on your way to producing excellent video introductions.  Ironically, not following these rules can also make some dreadful attempts.   One of the best things to do if you are at a college is to contact a specialists, such as your instructional designer.  They can easily get you going.

Understand that video is successful is short.  About 48% of people viewing will stop after 1 minute.  So make sure that the video is succinct, engaging and to the point.
Second, make the script first.  Rehearse a little and work on good audio.  The video will follow.

Below is a sample script.

References

Dulaney, E. (2013). Does the Credibility of the Presenter Influence Acceptance of Content in the Classroom. American International Journal of Social Science, 2(4), 14-20.

Jones, P., Naugle, K., & Kolloff, M. (2008). Teacher presence: Using introductory videos in hybrid and online courses. Learning Solutions. Retrieved on March 26, 2014 from learningsolutionsmag.com

Russo, T. C., & Campbell, S. W. (2004). Perceptions of mediated presence in an asynchronous online course: Interplay of communication behaviors and medium. Distance Education, 25(2), 215 — 232.

Widmeyer, W. N. & Loy, J. W. (1988). When you're hot, you're hot! Warm-cold effects in first impressions of persons and teaching effectiveness. Journal of Educational Psychology, 80(1), 118-121.

Embedding Dynamic Content

You have worked hard on your course and created some excellent content pages.  Since you know that students perform better with multiple modes of content presentation, you would like to offer some alternatives to text.  Today there are several options for including dynamic content from the web.  You could link to these sites, however, you would rather have the students have a streamlined learning experience.  You know that people are more likely to review the video before reading the text.




Besides, when you link to another site like Youtube, the students are taken out of their learning environment and subject to distractions, such as by videos of adorable cats. It is in the interest of these hosting sites to drive traffic to their site and retain it.  This is not in your interest as an instructor.

This is exactly why embedding the video in your content page better meets your pedagogical goals.  Embedding keeps students in the course and focused on learning.  Simply, embedding protects students from being distracted by those adorable cat videos. Moreover, you reduce the number of clicks to get to the content, and it common web developing knowledge that this encourages engagement.

In Blackboard, you already have the Mashup tool and it does embed the content at one level. This does not give you the same flexibility that you can enjoy when you opt to embed material by using the HTML button from the content editor.  Further, inside the content editor there is an option to access the Mashup tool. This offers the option of embedding video from Youtube, or offering a link, or providing a mashup.  While the tool does work, there is an even easier way.  Skipping this for an old-school way that will allow the freedom to select more web 2.0 options.  

Simply follow these steps to embed an object into Blackboard:

1. find object's embed code (note: When working with YouTube deselect the option to show related videos)
2. copy the embed code
3. go into Blackboard (it is best to use another tab)
4. create a 1 X 1 table and right align it – or chose the alignment you want.
5. add a little buffer, say 5 spaces horizontal and vertical
6. type a large number of the same digit (222222222222222222222)
7. Select the HTML button (third row down on the toolbars)
8. Scroll and find the large number (222222222222222222222)
9. highlight it and the paste the embed code in over it
10. Select “update”
11. Select “submit” and you are done.

Now let’s take a look at embedding a different dynamic content.  Look for the Share option, and then copy the embed code.  If you follow the same instructions – creating a table with only one cell, using a string of digits, entering HTML editing mode and replacing the string of digits with the code, you will have the same effect.

Using this technique will benefit your students with seamless access to many various engaging presentations and web tools.  Minimally you can use it for YouTube videos, but you should feel free to adopt this to take advantage of the several Open Educational Resources that exist and offer embed code.