“I would rather have one day of authentic student engagement than a career of handing out worksheets.”
—Sean Junkins
Dear Faculty,
With the fall semester (and the holiday season) quickly approaching, we hope the semester is running smoothly for you and our students. As we continue to adapt to the evolving education landscape, we would like to highlight the importance of faculty creating their own lecture videos for blended and online learning environments. While using pre-recorded materials or third-party content is commonplace and is a fantastic way to supplement instruction, there are several compelling reasons why faculty-created lecture and demonstration videos enhance the blended and online learning experience for students:
Personalized Learning Experience:
One of the key advantages of faculty-created lecture videos is the personal connection they foster. When students hear directly from their professors, it helps establish a sense of community and trust, even in a virtual setting. A faculty member’s unique teaching style, tone, and personality come through in the videos, which makes the content more engaging and relatable. This connection can lead to greater student motivation and participation, as they see their instructor as a guide and mentor in the learning process.
Customization and Flexibility:
By creating their own lecture videos, faculty can ensure that the content aligns precisely with the course objectives, unit outcomes, and the needs of students. Custom videos allow for more flexibility in terms of pacing, examples, and explanations that reflect the specific context of the course. It also enables faculty to respond to feedback from students and adjust the content to address any areas of difficulty, ensuring that the learning experience remains dynamic and responsive to student needs.
Active Learning and Engagement:
Faculty-created videos provide opportunities for incorporating active learning strategies. Instructors can embed interactive elements like quizzes, polls, and discussion prompts within the videos themselves, encouraging students to engage actively with the material. Furthermore, faculty-created videos allow for better integration of multimedia, such as animations, diagrams, and real-world examples, which can help clarify complex concepts and keep students interested in the subject matter.
Better Alignment with Course Design:
When faculty members create their own videos, they can ensure that the materials complement the overall course design and structure. This coherence helps reinforce learning objectives, assessment expectations, and the progression through course content. Faculty-created videos also allow for the integration of personal insights, anecdotes, and additional resources that deepen students’ understanding of the subject matter and support different learning preferences. UMassD students crave YOUR subject matter expertise!
Flexibility in Revision and Updating:
As academic disciplines evolve and new information emerges, faculty can easily update their videos to reflect the latest research, trends, and developments within their field. Pre-recorded third-party content may become outdated or fail to address specific topics important to the course. Faculty-created videos ensure that content remains current and relevant to the specific course and the students enrolled.
Empowerment and Professional Development:
Creating lecture videos not only benefits students but also supports faculty professional development. By engaging in the process of video creation, instructors gain new skills in digital content creation, which enhances their ability to communicate and present effectively in online and blended settings. This can empower faculty to take ownership of their teaching materials and contribute to the broader academic community in innovative ways.
Faculty-created lecture videos are essential for fostering a personalized, engaging, and flexible online learning environment. They offer a unique opportunity for instructors to connect with students, ensure course content is aligned with learning goals, and support student success. As we continue to embrace blended and online education, we strongly encourage faculty members to create their own videos as a means to enrich the learning experience and provide students with the best possible education.
-The ID Team
CITS | Instructional Development
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Did you know…
Closed captions and transcripts are required to ensure accessibility for people with hearing impairments, particularly those who are deaf or hard of hearing, allowing them to fully access audio and video content by providing a text representation of what is being said, including important sound effects and background noise. Did you know that closed captions and transcripts also benefit individuals with learning disabilities, non-native language speakers, or those watching in noisy environments, making content more inclusive overall? Don’t take our word for it – listen to students!
2025 New Approaches to Teaching and Learning Conference:
CITS | Instructional Development Workshops:
- Thu, 11/21/24 at 5:00 pm – Navigating YuJa Panorama in Canvas.
- Tue, 11/26/24 at 10 am – Adobe In-Design, Part 2: Working with text frames, text threading, placing images, and text wrap.
- Tue, 11/26/24 at 1:00 pm – VoiceThread Advanced: Skills and Ideas.
- Tue, 12/3/24 at 10 am – Adobe In-Design, Part 3: Managing color, the eyedropper tool, colorizing black and white images, paragraph and object styles.
View a full list of Blackboard and Canvas workshops and self-paced offerings!
Instructional Development works with faculty to…
- Explore, design, and experiment with different teaching and learning modes.
- Research and integrate technologies that can enhance teaching and learning.
- Design and develop online courses and programs.
- Write learning outcomes, design assessments, craft activities, and develop content.
- Utilize best practices for using instructional technologies.
Feel free to contact us online to book an appointment!