In an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19, some schools had to shut down or resort to other forms of teaching environment. With lockdowns still imposed in most countries, face-to-face delivery is out of the picture, ushering in a new dawn in digital education. Realizing the need to maximize the effectiveness of online learning, Areté came up with an idea to record Ateneo teachers giving lessons and thus Magisterial Lectures (ML) was born.
“We wanted high production value, something that would age well. We envisioned that these videos would be useful within Ateneo and outside Ateneo, during the pandemic and even after. We therefore wanted something that would still look polished even in the long term, so, we have a full team of professionals behind the production. We have a director, Dot Temporal, we have several cameramen, we have a team of editors. We even do hair and makeup!” says Dr. Ma. Mercedes Rodrigo, Areté’s Executive Director.
The idea behind ML, however, germinated even before the pandemic erupted.
From Emeritus to Magisterial Lectures
“The idea of ML was brewing long before COVID-19 The Areté team and I thought of doing a Last Lecture-type series of videos from our Emeritus Professors. In fact, we were thinking of calling it ‘Emeritus,” says Rodrigo. “The hope was to capture a part of the greatness of our Emeritus Professors and show it to future generations who didn’t have the pleasure of being their students.”
But then came the unexpected. With the onslaught of the global health crisis, the Areté team modified its original concept, patterning it after the popular TED Talks. With more than 3 billion views, TED Talks are delivered by scientists, researchers, technologists, business leaders, artists, and other world experts. The talks are short (maximum of 18 minutes) and are readily available online.
Rodrigo pitched the idea to the Loyola Schools’ Department of Communication and the Eugenio Lopez Jr Center for Multimedia Communication (ELJ CMC).
“When the idea was pitched to us, Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) had been running for 3-4 weeks so we could see the need for the creation of online learning objects,” says Dr. Maitel Ladrido, the department chair. Producing educational video materials, she adds, is a core expertise of the department so they readily agreed to be part of it. But there is also another reason, Ladrido shares.
“The department has 3 technicians whose work is school-based. With the quarantine in effect, the school was closed and I needed to find a way to help my technicians. ML was an opportunity for us to help them work from home. So apart from the occasional campus visits to maintain the department’s production facilities, they can edit the lectures from home.”
ELJ CMC’s Executive Director Aaron Vicencio recalls how a pilot tech run was conducted in the studio with Ladrido giving a mock lecture. “D Cortezano (Areté’s Resident Technical Director) brought in his team and a couple to theater lights to augment the TV lights in the studio. After that, we decided to scale up to the Hyundai Theatre for more space and control for the set up. ELJ-CMC pulled its portable lighting systems, cameras, and mics and transferred our kit to the Hyundai theater. It’s been there since June.”
Entering a new normal in teaching
Teaching in front of a camera can be a challenge, even for experienced teachers. Doing the mock lecture, Ladrido says, proved to be advantageous.
“We had an idea on how to conduct the lecture but we didn’t know if it would work. The rehearsal allowed us to see what works creatively and also in terms of technical execution; it was a big learning experience.” Lecturers tend to lecture big but for ML, she stresses, the concept is to “lecture small.”
Ladrido expounds, “When you think of a lecture, you tend to lecture big because you’re in an auditorium, a big space but we wanted an intimate setting. The idea is that the lecturer will talk to one student, that kid alone in his/her room with just a laptop. It’s very personal so when you look at the framing, it’s tight to stimulate a one-on-one connection. That comes off really well. People have told us that ML lectures give off that intimate vibe.”
Adds Cortezano, “If you compare all videos side by side you would notice how every single element is constantly changing - from lighting, to camera positioning to microphone positions to make-up and hair! We begin with a standard template as a springboard, but we adjust the elements depending on who the lecturer is, and what the lecture is about.
The transition from the classroom to the web limits interaction so nonverbal cues take center stage. Dr. Ricardo Abad, Areté’s Artistic Director, confirms the importance of body language in doing these video lectures.
“My initial idea, which did not turn out to be practical, was to give lecturers some personal coaching on body language before each lecture. In the end, we thought it best to keep it simple, to work with the natural grace of each lecturer, and provide visual support, including shifts in camera angles, to simulate movement and visual interest. The staff also tried to make the lecturers feel relaxed, as this is critical to any presentation.”
The initial challenge, Abad recalls, was contracting faculty members who would give the lectures: “The format (15-20 minutes of extemporaneous talk) is new to teachers who are used to doing at least 50 minutes of lecture time. The lecture will be on video and shown to the public so the performative demands increase.”
The first ML lecturer was Fr Bert Alejo SJ, followed by two more Jesuits and former University Presidents— Fr. Ben Nebres and Fr. Jett Villarin, setting the tone and authenticity of the talks.
Choosing the speaker and topic, according to Rodrigo, was consultative. “We started by asking the departments, the deans, and the instructional designers of each school for recommendation. As production progressed, we in the production looked at the line up to see which departments or disciplines were underrepresented. We started actively inviting from these areas. We are striving for diversity in topics and voices.”
Given the health situation, safety protocols are strictly enforced. Production starts on a Tuesday when the Areté team sets up. Up to 3 speakers are invited the next day to do the actual shoot, which may last until 5 pm. Post production [of previously recorded episodes] occurs throughout the week so new episodes can be released every Friday and Monday.
“We treat each lecture as a new show, because every one of these is unique, not just in content but also in technical specifications since we need to adjust the set-up every now and then for each lecturer,” says Cortezano. “These arrangements include constant sanitation before, during and after the shoots, as well as constant policing of distancing measures and personal protective equipment of the staff.
COVID-19 has pulled no punches when it comes to disrupting everyday life but the pandemic has also allowed us to be more flexible, adapt and even thrive.
As Vicencio says, “The ML production exhibits that we as an institution should explore and value the multimedia archiving of the signature lectures of our faculty. It creates a digital library and is an invaluable resource of knowledge and practice. It becomes a shared thread with students, alumni, and other academic institutions.
“The lectures are being used by other schools—even beyond the alumni community. We are being of service to a larger community, a scope beyond which the lectures were originally designed. We are able to serve the nation in general,” adds Ladrido.
For Abad, ML is an avenue for people to know Ateneo better. “The opportunity is that we have a chance here to make a full University effort to spread the ideas and ideals of what it means to go to school at the Ateneo. Imagine being in class with those teachers! We just don’t hear rhetoric and statistics about Ateneo education; we actually see teachers in a virtual classroom. We get to know Ateneo not simply as a university of basketball but also as a university of ideas.”
As Rodrigo succinctly puts it, “I've learned from this experience that Ateneo is truly gifted with many superb teachers. We hope these lectures show just how blessed we are to have them and how blessed we are to be able share them with other communities in this way.” ■