On a large course, where several teachers were in charge of teaching smaller classes, video made it possible to share the individual teacher’s specialist knowledge across the classes. The videos were recorded using the screencast programme Camtasia and showed how to properly use the statistics programme Jasp, to which all students on the course needed an introduction.
The course was taught by several teachers. Each teacher was in charge of classroom instruction with classes of approx. 30 students. All of the teachers had special methodological expertise, which was shared with all 250 students through Brightspace by developing instruction and exercise material consisting of video and exercise sheets. In this way, the individual teacher’s role was not to be in charge of all the teaching nor to be an expert in everything. Instead, they had time to support their students’ work with the materials.
In addition, developing video material was an attempt to make it easier for the students to learn how to use the statistics programme Jasp by:
giving them a chance to follow each step at their own pace and
giving them the opportunity to repeat.
Teacher’s preparation:
The teacher prepares videos and related exercise material well in advance of the workshop. There are three separate videos with corresponding exercise material, which is referred to during the video. The exercise material consists of a number of exercises linked to the videos, so the two parts form a whole. This task is relatively time consuming (approx. 50-100 hours).
The teacher uploads the material to Brightspace before the classes and creates quizzes, so the students can test their results and answer more theoretical question about the elements of the sub-exercises. Again, a relatively time-consuming task.
Student preparation:
The students download the statistics programme in question (Jasp) before the classes, possibly supported by a short instruction video to help them.
The students also read the syllabus of the course.
The students have time to orient themselves in the video and exercise material before teaching starts, but this is not compulsory.
During class:
During class, the students review the material in Brightspace on their own. The teacher is present to answer any questions and to help the students with the material.
The classes were carried out in two different ways during the first and second completion of the course.
The first time, the different teachers supervised the students’ work in classes of approx. 30 students with two hours of in-person attendance. Guides and answer sheets were printed.
The second time, only the course’s statistics teacher supervised the students’ work online via Brightspace and Zoom in two rounds with classes of approx. 125 students. The teacher was virtually present in Zoom for a “Q&A sessions” of 2 x 60 minutes out of a four hour workshop.
After class:
The students can access the material at any point after class and in connection with the exam.
Camtasia (screencast)
Jasp (statistics programme)
Camtasia was chosen as screencast programme, since you can edit videos and embed exercise questions. JASP was chosen since it is an open source statistics software that students can use for free both during their studies and later in their professional career. The user interface is point-and-click as opposed to coding. There are several free manuals and teaching material online that can be used for support during/after the workshop.
You can share specialized knowledge to many students at the same time, which is particularly useful when only a few of the classroom instructors have the necessary statistics qualifications.
The students benefit from the video material’s ability to rewind and pause, which means they can follow along and do things at their own pace. Experience shows that this works better than when a teacher does it live.
The demonstration will be better, since it is recorded and edited beforehand. As a teacher, you have a better awareness of the product, and you learn about your own presentation skills, language, amount of information, etc.
Brightspace worked well for seamlessly integrating different modalities. Video, exercise, help (both automatic feedback and teacher-driven Q&A)
It can be a challenge to ‘inherit’ video and exercise material from a colleague, since it is usually difficult to help students with material that you didn’t produce.
You need to be able to handle unpredictable challenges that might arise from the video material or otherwise. You will also need to update the material based on these challenges.
The teacher is not in touch with the learning of the entire class, since the teacher’s attention is only directed at those who actively seek help (e.g., video office hours, emails, etc.). So, there might be ‘invisible’ problems among some students.
Recording, cutting and editing videos takes more preparation time than one might think. Typing a manuscript helps a lot, and it’s a way to structure the content. You need software experience to do it properly.
It is worth considering how to best activate the students, so the videos don’t become static one-way communication.
Be careful not to underestimate the time it takes to prepare – try to always have the video material ready one week before it’s needed. Then you will have time to handle any inevitable challenges.
Find a way to keep in contact with the students – avoid ‘invisible teaching’ where you can’t follow up and help those who are uncertain or experience technical difficulties.
Use a manuscript to structure the content of the videos. It saves a lot of time during when recording.
We received help and advice from CED while we were producing the video material. That is highly recommended.
