Using video in your online class

Videos can be great in online classes because of the combination of visual and auditory impact. There are many applications of video in an online class:

  • Live videoconferencing for a synchronous class session (e.g. Adobe Connect of DimDim)
  • Pre-recorded/scripted videos edited to be engaging and informative (Sonic MediaSite or posted on YouTube)
  • Student generated videos with role-play or expression of their opinions (Shared via YouTube or other sites)
  • Finding relevant videos online and sharing them (from YouTube, etc.)
    • NOTE: Just because something is posted online does NOT mean it’s free of copyright concerns. If you find a video on YouTube, you cannot assume the person who posted it is the copyright owner. While educational of content are covered by Fair Use, you must be careful in what you use and how you use it.

Successful use of video content requires considering some questions:

Is the video well produced?

A static shot of the teacher’s head reading a lecture is NOT taking advantage of the format of video. Successful videos SHOW more than they TELL. (This principle actually holds for good storytelling in movies, too. Movies that sit there and EXPLAIN aren’t as satisfying as ones that DEMONSTRATE and SHOW).

Whether you adapt existing videos or create your own, try to find a way to make your point in a memorable way. Try using humor and visual examples to make a better impact. If you aren’t creating videos yourself, then look for those qualities in the ones you choose.

How long is too long?

Choose or create video content that is short and sweet. A series of short and sweet 2-5 minute videos covering a specific topic each are better than one comprehensive 60 minute video. The process of chunking from course design applies here.

If you think it’s hard for your students to sit through a 90 minute lecture in a classroom, then consider what it’s like trying to do the same in a web browser when they will be tempted to multitask, check email/facebook, grab a coffee, and more.

An exception to this rule is when your recorded lectures are simply backup/review tools for your students to come back to. In that case it’s a welcome way for students to revisit classroom content at their own pace. Many students appreciate being able to “rewind.” However, be careful to pack activities into your course to ensure your students aren’t procrastinating on the content, thinking they can “catch up” the last day by watching 500 hours of lecture videos. In this case, there really is too much of a good thing, and some students don’t have the discipline not to procrastinate thinking they’re safe because the lectures are online.

Combine use of video with course activities

It’s a fact that online learning puts more power in the hands of students (and thus more responsibility). Your best bet in using passive content like video is to make sure the quality is top notch, the length is as short as possible, and that you pair it with activities.

Posted in elearning | Tagged , | Leave a comment

RAD131 PDF – Podcast test

RAD133_Gallbladder

Description goes here.

Posted in PodcastPDF | Leave a comment

RAD131 – Video Podcast test

View lecture video

Radiography is the use of the property of X-rays to cross materials to view inside objects. The impact on society of this technique has been immense with application fields including medical, non-destructive testing, food inspection, security and archeology.

A heterogeneous beam of X-rays is produced by an X-ray generator and is projected toward an object. According to the density and composition of the different areas of the object a proportion of X-rays are absorbed by the object. The X-rays that pass through are then captured behind the object by a detector (film sensitive to X-rays or a digital detector) which gives a 2D representation of all the structures superimposed on each other. In tomography, the x-ray source and detector move to blur out structures not in the focal plane.Computed tomography (CT scanning) is different to plain film tomography in that computer assisted reconstruction is used to generate a 3D representation of the scanned object/patient.

Posted in Vodcast | Leave a comment

RAD131 – Podcast test

RAD-131-A-audio

Radiography is the use of the property of X-rays to cross materials to view inside objects. The impact on society of this technique has been immense with application fields including medical, non-destructive testing, food inspection, security and archeology.

A heterogeneous beam of X-rays is produced by an X-ray generator and is projected toward an object. According to the density and composition of the different areas of the object a proportion of X-rays are absorbed by the object. The X-rays that pass through are then captured behind the object by a detector (film sensitive to X-rays or a digital detector) which gives a 2D representation of all the structures superimposed on each other. In tomography, the x-ray source and detector move to blur out structures not in the focal plane.Computed tomography (CT scanning) is different to plain film tomography in that computer assisted reconstruction is used to generate a 3D representation of the scanned object/patient.

Posted in Podcast | Leave a comment

The Promise and Practice of Blended Learning – Plenary Presentation

Presented by:
Joel Hartman – Vice Provost for Information Technologies & Resources – University of Central Florida

(I’ll update this with a link to his presentation slides as soon as it’s posted)

Joel began by reminding us that chalk, paper, books were all technology. Plato warned us we might lose our memories to technology. Joel then reminded us of the promises of the 80s and how education would be revolutionized, but those predictions didn’t pan out.

If the technology from the 80s didn’t change everything, then why do we think blended learning will?

Joel’s answer is that it’s not just the technology itself, but the way in which we practice blended learning that could be revolutionary. The way institutions are collaborating, the way faculty development is more center-stage, the way assessment is being taken more seriously: all of these things point towards revolutionary potential.

How do we define Blended Learning?

BL courses combine online and classroom learning activities and resources in an optimal way to improve student learning outcomes and to address important institutional issues. In many institutions, online learning is a continuum. Blended lives in the area between traditional and online classes.

Institutional promise of blended learning:

  • Improve teaching and learning (e.g. implement learner-centered pedagogies)
  • Move form an ad-hoc, “bottom up” approach to an institutional scale initiative
  • Increase efficiency of classroom utilization (e.g. manage growth)

Other ways of blending

Joel summarized a number of different ways to blend courses. Dividing a large class into multiple online sections, aggregating several classes into one larger group, mixing F2F and online sections of the course.

Faculty promise of blended learning:

  • First step into online learning
  • An opportunity for meaningful faculty development
  • A way to meet Net Gen student expectations
  • Build information literacy skills
  • Possibly “the best of both worlds” (though this is not a guarantee)

Pedagogical promise of blended learning:

  • An environment of pedagogical diversity and experimentation
  • A platform for integrating other technologies
  • More assessment options
  • A constructivist environment (more authentic, more contextual assessments)
  • Impacts teaching practice in and out of the classroom

Student promise of blended learning

  • Student expectations do not align well with traditional F2F classes
  • Blended learning is a good match for Net Gen’s visual, exploratory, participative, technology-rich learning preferences
  • Student success rates are high and withdrawal rates low

Ten Keys to Success with Blended Learning

  1. Institutional strategy for blended learning
  2. Systemic approach
  3. Faculty development
  4. Course design and development support
  5. Online student support
  6. Online academic services
  7. Robust and reliable infrastucture
  8. Effective organizational model
  9. Pro-active policy development
  10. Data collection and assessment

Joel noted that the skills required to support blended learning is a set that doesn’t typically exist in any particular department on a campus. Organizations need to change, he says.

Sloan-C Pillars (the holy grail; the goals)

  • Access
  • Learning effectiveness
  • Student satisfaction
  • Faculty satisfaction
  • Cost-effectiveness

Joel noted that blended learning improves access to learning by removing barriers of time and location (fully online learning obviously completely removes these barriers).

Surveys about why students enroll in BL courses reveal its overwhelmingly because of schedules and flexibility. Students also reported enthusiasm about the quality and benefits.

Predictions for Blended Success and Withdrawal

The significant predictor for success in blended learning is GPA — not ethnicity or placement testing. It resembles the predictors for F2F success.

In other words…

  • Blended learning is NOT a treatment
  • Modality, per se, does not produce increased student success
  • What does is rich, engaging learning experiences facilitated by well-trained and motivated teachers.

Students in blended courses benefit from reduced ambivalence, reduced ambiguity, improved interaction, responsive environment, increased value, latitude (freedom), increased engagement and sustained conversation.

Faculty benefit from convenience, personal satisfaction, learn technology, increased student engagement. Faculty satisfaction is less about teaching format than it is about a variety of other, such as: things-recognition, culture, risk.

Money

Joel mentioned that “making money” is not a good reason to engage in blended learning. However, he says good implementations are generally sustainable and may even be profitable. Of those that failed, he noted that often they underestimated costs and overestimated enrollment.

At his institution:

  • Support costs are centrally funded
  • Tuition and state support ($29.1M) distributed to the colleges ($69.7M for fully online + blended)
  • Increased capacity = $27M in construction
  • 16.6:1 ROI

Living in the “New Normal”:

  • Declining state support
  • No funds for new construction
  • Increasing student demand
  • Increasing tuition and fees
  • Online and blended learning may be “our only hope.”

This is to say, online and blended learning may be our only fiscal hope in an environment of declining support.

Posted in elearning | Tagged | 3 Comments