What?

Recorded lectures or presentations involve the instructor creating a video that captures the instructor's screen while they discuss slides or other course documents. Typically, in addition to the slides or document, the video has an accompanying video box of the instructor discussing the material or an audio recording of the instructor that follows along with the images. The videos are pre-recorded and edited before being uploaded to D2L or YouTube for students to watch at any time.

Why?

While there are benefits to hosting virtual classes so that the class can engage in real time, recording lectures and presentations is an option for providing more edited and scripted content. The fact that the videos can be available to watch at any time is especially helpful for students who don’t have continual access to the technology necessary to participate during the regular class time.

Additionally, pre-recording content rather than hosting live discussions of brand new content allows the instructor to write a clear script of what is to be covered and control the pacing.

Google Slides and PowerPoint

With both Google Slides and PowerPoint, audio files can be uploaded with each slide by choosing "Insert" and adding an audio recording of you going over each slide. This option means recording a separate audio file for each slide.

Faculty using MacBooks can utilize QuickTime Player to record their screen while narrating through their slides. This captures the full presentation in a single file that includes the slides and audio. That file that can then uploaded to D2L or to YouTube.

Screencast-O-Matic

Screencast-O-Matic provides a free way to record your screen and webcam for videos of up to 15 minutes. Recording both the webcam screen and your computer screen at once creates a recording in which students can follow along with the slides while also seeing a smaller video of you discussing each slide. The combination of video and screen is one way to help get over the isolation created during a time of remote teaching as students can continue to see your gestures and expressions when going over material.

Uploading Videos to YouTube and Sharing In D2L

Once a video has been created, faculty can upload videos to YouTube and place the videos in D2L for easy access. For instructions on logging into YouTube, uploading videos, and sharing D2L, use these instructions in this Guide for Uploading Videos to YouTube and sharing in D2L.

• Draft an outline or full script before recording and stick to it. This can help keep your focus, avoid unwanted verbal tics, and also can be shared with students before or after posting the presentation to allow for great accessibility.

• In the video, create continuity in the course by explicitly referring to previous content in the course such as previous lessons, assignments, or other student contributions, and also provide previews for later lessons: "This is similar to our class's first assignment in which you..."

• Provide structured opportunities for students to engage and apply the content of the recordings. Include in the module requirement to participate in a class blog, discussion, or virtual group activity tied to the recording. Direct students to such assignments in both the recorded lecture and in a News item or other written instructions.

• Try to keep any recordings 15 minutes or less to maintain students’ attention. You might have a recording that directs students to complete an assignment or participate in a discussion before moving on to the next recording or segment.

• Rather than including slides with only text, try to include a combination of slides with text, links to videos (keep the videos short and no more than 2-3 video links per lesson), audio recordings, and graphics.

• A benefit of uploading videos to YouTube is that faculty can take advantage of YouTube's automatic close captioning feature. By creating captions and then manually editing the auto-generated captions, faculty make the materials more accessible to students who are hearing impaired as well as those who don't have the option to view materials with the sound on. Additionally, editing the captions is a helpful device for instructors to learn about their own pacing and enunciation in delivery. For more information on creating accessible videos, consult page 29 of the Content Accessibility Resource Guide.

The article "Everything You Need to Know About Building a Great Screencast Video" provides additional advice on designing and recording screencast video lectures.

In the two videos below, ECC faculty discuss the technology platforms that they use to make their videos dynamic.

Below, Chasity Gunn, Instructor of English, details how she utilizes nearpod to make videos interactive, and even involve assessment, for her students.