All Things Video

Videos are an excellent tool for online classes--they can help humanize the instructor and foster a stronger sense of connection with students. Explore the ideas, examples, and resources to discover how you can use videos to humanize your online class. If you have a idea or example to add to this resource page, please let us know at mesamost@sdccd.edu.

Using Videos in Your Teaching

Welcome Videos

Welcome students to your course and give a brief imperfect introduction
Gives a positive impression and creates credibility
Includes instructor information (email, office hours, office, and zoom link), expectations, and brief course intro.

Examples

Welcome to the Art History Course from Prof. Cara Smulevitz (recorded with Canvas Studio)
Welcome to GISG 104 from Prof. Rachel Russell (recorded on YouTube)

Course Tour Videos

Shows how to navigate the Canvas course
Gives a quick assignment overview
Mentions anything that might be unique to your course (external tech tools, required synchronous activities, etc.)

Examples

Module Overview Videos

A brief overview of what's ahead in this module.
Serve as a smooth transition from last week's topic to this week's topic.

Examples

Prof. Juan Bernal (Math)
Dr. Liya Sadovnikova (Anatomy)
More examples you can find here Humanizing Online Stem
Example from Instructional Designer Katie Palacios

Microlecture Videos

Brief, shorter than 10 minutes
Focus on a single concept or skill
Conveys a sense of instructor presence
Can be view as many times as students need

Examples

Dr. Mary Gwin (Philosophy)
Prof. Christina Huynh (Math)
For more examples, please check the link Humanizing Online Stem

How-To Videos

Show viewers how to perform a task.
Commonly uses screencasting to record the computer screen to explain the steps involved in a software task.

Examples

Video Tools and Tutorials

Canvas Studio Tutorials

Canvas Studio: Record, Edit Captions, & Publish Captions

Canvas Studio: Add Canvas Studio video to a Canvas Discussion (or anywhere in Canvas w/ the Rich Content Editor)

Canvas Studio: Share Video with a Specific Person

More on Canvas Studio

Professor Cara Smulevitz's Getting Started with Canvas Studio is an excellent spot to get started.
How to Canvas has tons of Canvas Studio tutorials.
SDCCD Online Learning Pathways Open OnDemand site also has several Canvas Studio videos.

Additional Resources for Video Tools

Check out MOST's comprehensive list of video tools for designing your online material! This list covers logistical information and includes tutorials to get set up.

99 Tips for Creating Simple Sustainable Educational Videos

This awesome book by Karen Costa is available through our SD Mesa College Library

Make Super Simple Videos for Teaching Online

A video by Prof. Michael Wesch

How to Make Instructional Videos? | The TechSmith BlogRegardless of your industry, if you’re serious about teaching others, growing your business, or building an online course, instructional videos are the best delivery method.