1a: An understanding of the constrains and benefits of different technologies

Description

In this section, I will be discussing my use of digital multimedia and how this has enhanced the teaching & learning experience across the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Sydney. Here, I am utilising audio-visual media technologies to create educational content for delivery both in lecture/tutorial settings and the University's online Learning Management System (LMS), Canvas. My multimedia production work-flow involves consideration of the teachers' and students' learning requirements in their given educational contexts whilst weighing these up against a range of media formats that can be utilised for digital recording and content delivery. After doing so, I can then determine the most appropriate media technologies to implement accordingly.

Evidence

In March 2018, I created a series of video resources with Assoc. Prof. Steven Cumming in the Faculty of Health Sciences (the University of Sydney). These resources were designed with the intention of 'flipping the classroom' and replacing a traditional 2-hour lecture in week 7 for the unit of study 'HSBH1003: Health, Behaviour and Society'. A series of ten short video vignettes (ranging in duration from 6-9 minutes) covering the lecture content were developed from a combination of digital audio recordings, video footage, animated moving imagery and photography. In contrast to the traditional lecture format(with a given lecture typically delivered once per semester and requiring the audience's physical attendance), students were now able to view the teaching content for week 7 repeatedly and digest this information in an environment and time-slot that best suited their preferences.

It is important to note that whilst the university does implement a lecture recording system for all lectures, these recordings are comprised of an audio track (capturing the lecturer's microphone) and a low quality video track displaying only the lecture slides. Using this system, students are required to sit through lengthy recordings (typically 1-2 hours) for each lecture where they can see neither the lecturer's gaze, physical expressions nor gestures. This does not result in the most engaging education experience. In contrast, the video vignettes that I created for HSBH1003 made use of the visual language of cinema, with the means to composite virtual objects, diagrams, imagery and text alongside the lecturer as they were presenting onscreen. Whilst the video production and editing/compositing processes required more time than that which was required to present and record a traditional lecture, the final videos that I produced were considered to be far more dynamic and engaging.

When creating these multimedia resources, I opted to use high definition digital video as the media delivery format. This allowed me to capture a visual representation of Stephen's gestures and expressions alongside other visual elements and an audio recording of the lecture content. In order to reach the 500+ students in HSBH1003 and deliver the week 7 'flipped classroom' video series via the University's LMS, I was required to find an optimal balance between image quality and file-size for the final video clips. By encoding the videos using the H264 video compression codec, I was able to produce the videos series at a Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) resolution with both high audio-visual quality and acceptable file-sizes for streaming and downloading across a variety of internet bandwidth specifications.

Reflection

Digital audio/visual media offers incredible flexibility for the editing and manipulation of content to create new meaning. Digital media formats can be distributed quickly and easily across vast distances via the internet. After noting that traditional analogue formats and media technology cannot compete with their digital counterparts, it is important to note the constrains that are associated with the production of high quality digital multimedia resources. In order to capture high quality audio, video and photography, I require access to expensive professional-grade equipment (ie. DSLR cameras, lenses, audio recording hardware, microphones, lights and recording storage media). Depending on the scenario, I also require suitable filming conditions/locations, props, actors/presenters, costumes and enough time to set up appropriate 'lighting states' for filming with a production crew that consists of only myself. Whilst it is certainly possible to produce high quality multimedia content as a solo multimedia producer, working within a small crew will allow for duties and responsibilities to be shared during production. The 'post-production' process (ie. editing, compositing and rendering the content) also requires the use of a powerful computing system with a range of specialised media production software installed. With this all considered, producing high quality audio-visual media content quickly becomes an expensive exercise requiring firm knowledge of the hardware and an understanding of how to operate it correctly. Despite these challenges, I still feel that the benefits offered by audio-visual media toward the enhancement of teaching and learning significantly outweigh the constrains attached to working with this technology.