Embedded Files
Choosing the Medium
Choosing the Medium
When creating content for your online course, it largely falls into a question of finding the best medium for getting the instruction across. You are not able to rely effectively on having the same "in-class" gut feelings that experienced instructors rely on, and so your approach to developing course materials needs to be multifaceted and cater to wider audiences.
Videos
Videos
Recording videos allow for a lot of flexibility in which types of content you can share with your students, as well as capturing your unique dynamisms.
Whether you are recording a lecture, capturing a lab experiment, or doing a full production, use the following tips to help you out:
Write out your script! Plan for what you are going to say and align your thoughts to your learning objectives. Document what you will need for supporting graphics and media.
Your videos don't have to be long. A 40-minute lecture is far too long for any student to be able to digest in a single sitting. Consider breaking up your traditional lectures into 10-12 minute chunks focused on a single learning activity or objective.
You can use H5P within Moodle to bake in formative assessments. This will allow for knowledge and skill checks throughout an individual lecture video and give you, as the Instructor, a snapshot of how students are retaining the learning you are giving.
Do I Need to Be On the Video?
Do I Need to Be On the Video?
Strictly speaking, no. Consider it, though! Students learning online will benefit from being able to see your face and match the cadence of your voice to your physical appearance. If you are nervous about being on camera for too long, start your recording with just yourself and then transition into some other material like an image or a slide deck. Make sure to drop in to close out the lesson!
What Tools Do I Need to Record?
What Tools Do I Need to Record?
You will need some type of computer, such a laptop, and access to recording software. Through your Elms College Zoom account, you have access to screen recording abilities. You can read more about that here.
Once you have what we call "raw" footage, you may want to edit your video. In a device operating with Windows, you can use ClipChamp to make edits to your videos. There are many great online tools as well, such as Canva or YouTube, which offer very basic editing functionality.
Audio
Audio
Audio is a powerful medium that can capture your voice and be readily available for students. Consider using a podcast format for some of your instruction, tailor-made for students that are on the go or would otherwise benefit from having instructional material available while they work on other assignments or projects for your course.
Slide Decks / Graphical Presentations
Slide Decks / Graphical Presentations
Slide Decks, whether generated in PowerPoint, Google Slides, or otherwise, are intended to be representations of presented material. When you are creating slide decks for your course, consider the following:
If you are intending to use these in conjunction with a lecture, use MORE graphics and visual aids than text. If you use text, it should always be supplementary.
If you are intending to have your slide deck be an instructional resource, similar to a textbook, text is fine and should be used to provide clarifying information. It is recommended that you still use more graphics and other visual aids.
Text-Based, or Textbook-Based
Text-Based, or Textbook-Based
Student reading and comprehension is still an important part of the journey. Supplement your instruction with appropriate readings and other text-based options. Use other features in Moodle to reinforce both comprehension and understanding of your students' learning, such as Quizzes, Assignments, and Discussion Forums.
So Which is best?
So Which is best?
Use all the mediums you can in your online course, but follow this logic:
Video is better than audio, which is better than graphics, which is better than text.
H5P
H5P
H5P is a powerful, free content creation tool with direct integration with Moodle. You can read more about what H5P can offer via this link:
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