Balancing Act: Creating Online Videos That Honor Your Teaching Style Without a Full Scale Video Production Team

Concurrent Session 8
Streamed Session

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Session Materials

Brief Abstract

Gain tips for developing your own low-budget, good quality video materials that honor your teaching style and convey your subject matter expertise.

Presenters

Lead Presenter: Jennifer M McVay-Dyche, Strayer University-Washington Campus

With over 17 years of experience developing adult-centered online programs, Jennifer knows what drives student success— learning experiences that connect academic content to learners’ own lives in realistic, relevant, and relatable ways. Jennifer has managed e-learning initiatives and operations for public, private, and for-profit institutions of higher education. She has led the development of solutions focused on scaling instructional design processes using Lean and project management principles while building infrastructures to keep pace with the evolving state of online higher education. Jennifer earned a BA in Corporate Communication from Marietta College, an MAEd in Adult Education and Distance Learning from the University of Phoenix, and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from The University of Dayton. She is also a graduate of the OLC's Institute for Emerging Leadership in Online Education.

Extended Abstract

Video has become a preferred communications tool and a medium of choice for storytelling with impact. Compelling and timely video content reaches students in a way that text-based content alone cannot. Additionally, the use of video in eLearning has been connected with improved initial learning, reduced dropout rates, and improved end of course grades (Brecht, 2012). So, what's holding you back?

Traditionally, instructors are comfortable teaching students in the face-to-face setting, but the idea of moving to the computer screen or mobile device is frightening. What if I stumble over my words? Will I look silly? What if I do not have access to a studio? Where do I begin? Thinking about creating videos for an online course can be disorienting for the expert who becomes a novice again while redesigning instructional delivery for the online classroom (Ali et al., 2005; Ryan et al., 2004).

Video enables instructors to engage students with content and make social connections that can cultivate teaching and social presences in the online classroom (Garrison, Anderson & Archer, 2000; Sherer & Shea, 2011).
This session will cover tips and tools to help instructors create their own videos for online teaching and learning. Presenters will share examples from their work supporting faculty as well creating their own videos for online teaching. During the session, attendees will gain knowledge of:

* Guidelines for setting the "stage," even if the stage is just the office;
* Practical methods for overcoming stage fright and working without a physical audience;
* Practical methods for planning and practicing how materials will be presented (ie storyboarding and repackaging content);
* Best practices for recording video, and what to expect when the camera is turned on for the first (or fiftieth) time;
* Tips for creating accessible video recordings that reflect universal design practices.

Participants will view real-world examples of how instructors have overcome camera shyness and/or technology to create engaging videos that reflect their personal teaching styles and maintain their positions as experts-- even with the occasional "um," "ah," or unexpected visitor. Participants will also receive tips sheets and strategies they can readily use to start creating their own videos for online teaching and learning.

References:
Ali, N., Hodson-Carlton, K., Ryan, M., Flowers, J., Rose, M., & Wayda, V. (2005). Online education: Needs assessment for faculty development. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 36(1), 32-38.

Brecht, H. (2012). Learning from online video lectures. Journal of Information Technology Education: Innovations in Practice, 11, 227-250.

Garrison, D.R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2000). Critical inquiry in a text-based environment: Computer conferencing in higher education. The Internet and Higher Education, 2(2-3), 87-105.

Geri, N. (2012). The resonance factor: Probing the impact of video on student retention in distance learning. Interdisciplinary Journal of E-Learning and Learning Objects, 8, 1-13. Available at http://www.ijello.org/

Ryan, M., Hodson-Carlton, K., & Ali, N. (2004). Reflections on the role of faculty in distance learning and changing pedagogy. Nursing Education Perspectives, 25(2), 73-80

Sherer, P., & Shea, T. (2011). Using online video to support student learning and engagement: An assignment example. College Teaching, 59(3), 56-60.