Three teaching things: week of May 24
Welcome!
This is experiment—I've found that in the past weeks there have been so many excellent resources and materials related to teaching in learning in higher education created and shared that it's hard to keep track. In te name of not losing track of them all, I'm going to (try and) curate a weekly list of three resources to pay attention to.
Three teaching things is a curated by Gavan Watson: @gavatron
1. The paper
Student Satisfaction and Learning Outcomes in Asynchronous Online Lecture Videos
With the shift to online instruction, instructors might be wondering what are the best approaches to creating asynchronous videos for learning. I found this paper by Choe et al. (2019) helpful because it describes eight different styles of instructional video, and a great Table 2 that summarizes "best practices" for creating engaging videos. While the paper's focus was on assessing video produced in a studio, I there are findings that can apply to videos instructors produce at home (which I'm cherry-picking here):
shorter videos are better;
limit text on slides, and
eye-contact with camera is important.
My one caveat: student satisfaction isn't the same thing as student learning.
Reference: Choe, R. C., Scuric, Z., Eshkol, E., Cruser, S., Arndt, A., Cox, R., Toma, S. P., Shapiro, C., Levis-Fitzgerald, M., Barnes, G., & Crosbie, R. H. (2019). Student Satisfaction and Learning Outcomes in Asynchronous Online Lecture Videos. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 18(4), ar55. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.18-08-0171
2. The resource
Remote teaching: a practical guide with tools, tips, and techniques
This eBook, authored by University of Ottawa Faculty of Science members Alison Flynn and Jeremy Kerr, provides a framework for instructors to translate a in-person course for remote offering. As the authors write: "This guide is intended to take some of the sting out of the process of having to work under such strange and challenging conditions." Topics include assessments, communication and wellness. Certainly the eBook was written with University of Ottawa faculty in mind (there is reference throughout to Ottawa-specific supports) but the underlying principles are more universal than one institution.
3. The tool
Loom Pro: Screencapture videos, free for Students and Educators
I've started using Loom as a simple web-based tool to create screencapture videos. One bonus (see paper 👆🏼) is the ability to include a video capture from a webcam as you're recording the screen (it shows you're a living, breathing human). I've been happy with it, and using your institutional email, you can access Loom Pro at no charge. In addition to creating instructional video, you could consider using Loom as a way to provide feedback (with the caution that Loom is cloud-based, so you want to ensure student privacy and your own institution's privacy considerations).