Why use multimedia guide

When thinking about creating multimedia resources consider:

• existing multimedia resources that you can reuse.
• creating your own multimedia resources.
• encouraging students to create multimedia resources.

Using video and audio resources can help you to provide students with different ways to understand the topics in your module. Video and audio resources can offer different representations of phenomena that are not easy to bring to the classroom in another way. Simulations, events that are historically or geographically distant, microscopical representations, space images are only some examples. Also, videos can provide with narratives with which students can relate emotionally, facilitating more genuine and sustainable learning.

However, simply including a video resource does not guarantee any of the previous benefits. To include them effectively, they need to be tightly embedded in the development of your module and linked to your learning outcomes. For instance, the reasons to include the resources should be communicated to students and you should offer opportunities to analyse them and to link its content with the concepts in the module.

Where to get existing video resources

Library Services subscribes to a wide range of online resources which let you stream recordings of TV, radio, film, music and theatre. Prioritise using those clips with captions or transcripts for accessibility.

Teaching ideas for using existing video resources

Clip analysis: Provide a clip for students to analyse the editing, continuity, sequencing, recording method or shot choice in a clip (Journalism, Creative Industries, Creative Writing, Music, Communications and Media Studies)

Foreign languages: Provide real-world examples of native speakers of other languages, e.g. in foreign films or TV programmes, radio programmes or YouTube videos (Languages)

Instruction guides: Thousands of screencast demonstrations probably already exist for the features of most common computer program. Could you use one of these rather than record your own? (All disciplines)

Social commentary or observation of social phenomena: Choose a clip from a documentary, film or news item (or have students choose their own) and ask students to identify and analyse phenomena or theories illustrated in the clip (Social Sciences, Management, Social and Behavioural Psychology, Health Sciences)

Analysing bias: Choose clips which show some form of bias and ask students to identify how the bias distorts or affects the message (Journalism, Sociology, Literature, Communication and Media Studies)

Scenario-based learning: Using clips from documentaries, case studies or even soap operas or films, create problem-based or scenario-based learning activities which require students to analyse the issues involved in a situation and propose methods to tackle or resolve the issues (Health Sciences, Social Sciences, Management, Law)

Multimedia is a large category of types of resources which can include:

• Text and graphics: Slideshow or presentation, diagrams, infographics.
• Audio: podcasts.
• Video: screencapture, Lecture Capture, talking head videos, animation, glass screen videos.

When incorporating multimedia resources into your teaching, make sure to consider:

• Include the resource in your planning: how you will use it, what you expect from students, where it is going to be published, etc.
• Before starting write a draft of the contents. It might help thinking in terms of images and text drafting a storyboard with the scenes and the text for each scene.
• Write a script which you can later include as a transcript for students. Alternatively you can use Kaltura Reach for creating automated captions
• Keep it short: if your video will last more than five minutes, think how you can chunk it in smaller pieces.
• Test the software and the equipment you are using. If you need it, book a training session with the Digital Education team via IT Self Service Portal.
• If you are planning to produce high quality resources using professional equipment, get in touch with the Digital Education team to find out more about the MILL.

Video

Creating your own video resources allows you to produce educational materials that are fitted for the purposes of your module and might provide students with alternative ways to access the contents. At City, different technologies are available to create educational video and audio from your computer without the need of a professional team or specific equipment. Also, if you need to produce high quality materials for a specific project, you could work with the Educational Technology Team in using the available facilities and equipment.

Resources created by lecturers can provide introductions or revisions for some topics. Students can watch these videos in advance, vacating face-to-face time for discussions and questions. This kind of materials also offer the opportunity to revisit the topics covered in the lesson and they can be paused, rewound and played at different speeds. Here some examples of situations in which creating your own resources can help students in their learning:

• Recording video messages to welcome students to the programme or module
• Recording screen-casts as online mini-lectures or revision presentations
• Podcasting relevant updates, news or interviews
• Creating video demonstrations of equipment, techniques, or performances for students
• Creating video case studies or scenarios for use in case-study analysis, scenario-based learning or simulated practice
• Demonstrating computer software functionality

Many of our students carry around devices which let them shoot, edit and upload video and audio easily. Yet, they have few opportunities to do so in their formal or informal learning at university. This is changing however, with more staff exploring ways to allow students to create and share video and audio as part of formative or summative assessment. 

Video-based assessments have been shown to develop not only students' digital literacies and confidence in using multimedia technologies, but also to encourage deeper learning through more active engagement with the subject matter, than more traditional assessment methods. Of course, video won't replace written assessments, but it offers a different approach which can add variety to students' assessments. It can also develop soft skills such as teamwork, communication and oral presentation, and creativity.

With the Moodle Video Assignment, staff can create assignments which allow students to record and upload video or audio submissions.

Mediaspace allows students to create, publish and share video and audio with others.

City Blogs offer students further opportunities for students to publish their work online.

For students who do not possess a video-enabled smartphone or mobile device, or for projects requiring higher quality recordings, students can request equipment from the AV team via IT Self Service Portal.

Ideas for incorporating student-created video/multimedia resources into teaching:

• Presentations can be submitted as screencasts or videos instead of as face-to-face presentations - group presentations can also be conducted as video assignments.
• In quantitative disciplines, video-based assessment can be used to check for plagiarism by requiring students to work through a mathematical problem on video, showing the process they go through to get to their answer.
• If using video or audio for formative or summative assessment, consider how you will assess students' technical skill in producing the recording. In most disciplines (excluding, for example, Music, Creative Industries or Journalism), the production values of the video are less important than understanding of the subject matter, creativity and presentation skills.
• Offering different presentation formats, such as a screencast, slidecast or interview as well as a standard 'talking head' video, allows students who do not want to appear on video for personal or cultural reasons to still complete the assignment.
• Similarly, you can encourage students to think about genre to get creative in their video assignments: students could create a newsroom report, instructional video, or drama scene, for example..
• Video diaries can be an innovative way for students to keep in touch with each other, as well as reflect on their practice, while on placements or working on projects.