I am currently taking four MOOCs at the moment and finding some very interesting applications of video in these classes. To start off, video introductions and lectures seem to be quite common in the MOOCs that I have been associated with. That is not my mode when teaching, but that is partially due to my own preferences in mixing content. I'd prefer to use video by professional speakers and of ideas and concepts introduced by something other than a talking head. However I do understand how this might be valuable based upon your teaching and learning styles. It is particularly valuable when illustrating something highly visual, such as math or science.
After having spent several weeks with a variety of different approaches to video I have a few observations for what I consider to be best practices in the area. The suggestions below are equally applicable to regular online courses. Here is the list:
1. Chunk. A 40 minute video followed by a 15 question quiz is not a good way to avoid cognitive overload. I can understand this approach if the video cannot be edited for some reason, but at that, there should be some attempt at reinforcement prior to trying to assess. My approach would be to either break up the video into minimum of half a dozen segments, each reinforcing a concept or related objectives, followed by some sort of exercise to reinforce, and then followed by a short quiz for each segment. Give students an opportunity to interact with the concepts introduced and deep process them prior to the quiz. A single long video forces students to take notes in order to make certain that they record each point. While this is similar to what happens in the classroom, it is without benefit of being able to interact with the instructor. In effect it is the worst of a lecture format.
2. This is actually related to the above. If you are going to use a classroom lecture or a conference presentation for your course, make sure that it is miked properly. If it is difficult to hear, then that compounds the difficulty students will have in understanding and engaging in the materials. Most video editing programs allow you to modify the sound in a video. Modify the content to be easier on the ears.
3. If you must narrate a PowerPoint or series of PowerPoints as content, there has to be some creativity in the presentation. Two most common problems that I have seen so far have been using the same bank of a dozen background slides for numerous presentations and allowing computer screen items to pop up on the screen while narrating. The former gives the impression that little thought went into the presentation. By this I mean that even in a series of short videos designed to create a 60 minute presentation you need some variety. Using the same dozen slides over and over again doe not build student engagement. In my case it breaks concentration while I wonder where I have seen the image before. I suspect that I am not alone here. The other issue is having something like an Adobe acrobat update notification pop up in the middle of the recording. It is distracting and does not lend itself to a professional looking content piece. Also it takes little time to correct, just pull your video into an editor and replace the popup with the slide for the duration.
4. Do use closed captioning. In a MOOC, many of your students will be taking your class outside of the normal work day. Your students will thank you if they can watch your videos with the sound turned down while sitting with a baby or significant other sleeping next to them.
5. Do use a transcript. I'm thinking of how much easier it would be to review for a quiz or test (see number 1 above) if there is a transcript to read rather than having to scan through the 40 minute video in order to locate a concept that you would like restated. At the very least, if possible, make the outline for your lecture downloadable from the course.
6. Make your lecture video available as audio in MP3 format. It is not difficult to use a video editor or Audacity to strip the audio portion from your video. Making this available for your online students gives another means for them to access the lectures. Again, many students will be non traditional, and allowing them to listen to your lecture while driving to work or working out at the gym is just another way to help make them successful. It is also a much smaller file size and can easily be downloaded even with a slow Internet connection.
7. Allow your video lectures to be downloaded. Again it gives students more opportunity to view the videos away from the computer. It is easy enough to load a lecture in the proper format onto a multimedia device or cell phone and the view it at leisure.
8. Do use video in your online class, but be sure that your audience can access it. Use common formats and always be aware of your audience. I realize that high speed internet seems ubiquitous to those living in highly populated areas, but if your audience is rural, or low income, there is a chance that they will not be able to view streamed video of high quality.
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