If you’re considering adding media to your course, it is important to think about how that media asset can enhance what you want to share with your students. We find this to be particularly true if your course is primarily or fully online.
We’ve included two statements here, taken from a recent Educause Review article, “Short and Sweet: The Educational Benefits of Microlectures and Active Learning” by Hua Zeng, Educause Review (February 2022) to help reinforce the benefits of including media from a student perspective.
"According to social agency theory, seeing the instructor helps students feel that the instructor is providing direct instruction, producing a feeling of connection to the instructor and the course, which contributes to students' persistence and retention in online courses."
Linda B. Nilson and Ludwika A. Goodson, (San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, 2021).
"Empirical research has found that seeing the instructor in videos can increase students' perceived learning and satisfaction in online courses, and students experience a significantly lower level of mental effort when the instructor is "present" in a video that covers a difficult topic."
Jiahui Wang and Pavlo D. Antonenko, Computers in Human Behavior 71, no. 2 (January 2017): 79–89.
Putting effort into building a media element that is “evergreen” can alleviate efforts in future iterations of the course since the media can be reused. Providing asynchronous media that learners can watch on their own time gives you back some time in the live class for other means of engagement. Creating course videos also provides an opportunity for you to share what you're excited about, or what the challenges or takeaways of the course will be in a more informal and comfortable setting.
The resource links in this section will help you prepare for creating either short course introduction videos or microlectures. We also share some guidance on presentation tips ahead of recording your video, and give some technical information to help you assess your recording options.