Is there anyone watching?

This Gasta will briefly look at the options lecturers should consider before the create a video resource for their course. Switching from campus teaching to remote teaching during to COVID was challenging, timetabled classrooms resulted in the replication of the campus classroom online. The typical model used was one-to-two-hour lectures, with presentation slides. During these classes, many learners turned off their cameras; lecturers were frequently wondering was anyone watching? Di Paolo et al., (2017) suggest that online learners have low attention spans, and they quickly suffer from cognitive overload. Ideally, courses and videos need to be pre-planned by programme teams in a collaborative environment (Zakharova and Tanasenko, 2019); however, this takes time, something lecturers were short of when pivoting to online.

While video has a place in online or blended courses, it should not be the only part of a course; careful planning enables lecturers to consider when and what type of video is appropriate for their course. Gunawardena and Zittle (1997) suggest video can be used to generate intimacy and interaction to create a social presence in online courses presentations, through verbal and non-verbal language. Furthermore, when used to draw out discussions, videos can create a more authentic learning experience and enrich the transmission of information (Brame, 2016). Video is still an essential resource in the lecturer's toolbox, post-COIVD it can be used to complement the campus classroom learning experience. Mercedes et al., (2016) suggest there are six areas for consideration when producing a video firstly, the initial standpoint secondly, the narrative structure thirdly, the production type fourthly, the recording considerations fifthly, the production guide, and sixth, the accessibility guide. In this Gasta we will take a look at these production considerations from a lecturers viewpoint.

References:

Brame, C.J. (2016), ‘Effective Educational Videos: Principles and Guidelines for Maximizing Student Learning from Video Content’, CBE life sciences education, 5(4). DIO 10.1187/cbe.16-03-0125

Di Paolo, E., Buhrmann, T. and Barandiaran, X. (2017) Sensorimotor life an enactive proposal. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press.

Gunawardena, C.N and Zittle, F.J. (1997) ‘Social presence as a predictor of satisfaction within a computer-mediated conferencing environment’, The American Journal of Distance Education, 11(3), pp.8-26.

Mercedes, A., Sergio, M., Jose, A. M., Belen, M., Miguel, R., Manuel, C. and Dario, A. (2016) ‘Computer science MOOCs: A methodology for the recording of videos’, Global Engineering Education Conference (EDUCON), Abu Dhabi.

Zakharova, U. and Tanasenko, K (2019) ‘MOOCs in Higher Education: Advantages and Pitfalls for Instructors’, Educational Studies Moscow, 3, pp. 176–202. DOI: 10.17323/1814-9545-2019-3-176-202