Instructor Video Intros: Easy, Fun, and Engaging

Online education has been evolving quite rapidly and with it the technology and techniques to deliver a truly engaging classroom that meets its established goals.   Practices have involved the use of static HTML pages with hyperlinks to creating live interactive spaces using the latest in collaborative software such as Adobe Connect, Skype, or Google Hangouts.  Often times, as instructors we hear that to be successful we need to create and maintain a persona in our online classrooms.  This can often be easier said than done for some of us teaching in the online or hybrid education environments.  If you have resident teaching experience, you probably already have a communication style that works quite well but does it translate well to the online environment?  Or maybe you have incorporated video into your online class but it does not engage students in the way you anticipated.  Quite possibly, you feel you need to have an elaborate video production requiring months of planning, script writing, expensive equipment, and complicated lighting and this has stopped you from incorporating video into your classroom environment.  Using Microsoft PowerPoint and my own video examples, I will provide easy to follow steps that I use in my online and hybrid courses for creating short weekly video intros with minimal production time that are fun, engaging, and may even improve student retention.  These four to seven minute videos that I create on a weekly basis can be easily produced and shared using low cost software and hardware over any video delivery platform including YouTube, Box, or simple file sharing.  Once we produce our videos it can be difficult to gauge if students are watching them which leads to you wondering if it was worth your time.  To help with this, I will also introduce ways to entice students to watch your video and measure if they are watching them.  Over the course of my twelve or fifteen week online and hybrid courses I regularly produce a five to seven minute video that welcomes the class into another week of events while giving them a chance to get a ‘feel’ for who I am also known as a persona.  These weekly intros give students a ‘heads up’ in a positive and upbeat way.  I never lecture during these videos but I keep it information rich. These videos convey my personality or persona which allows for the students to simply get to know me.  Based on student feedback, by making this connection, I create a more conducive learning environment and increases student intrinsic motivation to continue with their studies in the course.  The goals of the presentation will be to motivate attendees to incorporate video intros into their online or hybrid courses, understand the necessary elements for creating engaging video, and provide the steps for developing a video which they can put to use almost immediately at the end of the session.  In following these steps attendees will understand they can create weekly video intros for their students that take little time and will make an immediate positive impact in their class.  At the beginning of the session, I will address common concerns instructors have when they consider weaving a video element into their online delivery.  Concerns include the time that it takes and the software video editing learning curve.  Initially, I was like most instructors who are apprehensive about creating videos.  I considered creating productions that were scripted, using blue or green screen to set the appropriate backdrop and effects, purchasing expensive microphones, cameras and lighting, and even seeking others who have a videography background. It quickly became an exercise that was time consuming and often stressful.  Realizing video delivery in online education was increasing, I approached this with a “this should be easy” mentality.  My courses have synchronous week to week events whereby students are highly encourage to keep pace and the number of course activities can seem overwhelming.  So to help them along, I wanted to personally engage them.  Using some fundamentals of creating engaging videos I began to take this on with a new outlook.  Each video message starts off with an upbeat intro that is consistent each week.  “Hello, I am your instructor Fred Aebli, and this your IST 210 weekly intro.”  The opening trails into an upbeat music track with text and I then return reflecting on any personal events I would like to share as part of developing my persona.  The video then moves to reflections on what was noted in the prior week’s activities.  I like to provide supportive comments and encouragement. The video then shifts to the upcoming events and activities.  I do not introduce any lecture materials but I do give a few tips or inform students about an additional video or message that will go into greater depth.  This could be a separate instructional video demonstrating a “how to” about the upcoming week or reviewing other course materials.  Once this is completed I then begin to wrap up the video with a few comments that may pertain to the school or life in general. These too are meant to be informative and upbeat.  As the video closes I always remind students I am only an ‘email away’ and you can contact me at any time.  My video credits roll with another sound track and I note any production info in a light hearted way.   Over the years I have noted many students do watch the first few weeks but then drop off.  In an attempt to maintain longer viewing of the video, I began to introduce trivia questions that can be used as bonus points in a classroom assessment.  In order to avoid a student from going directly to the trivia question and missing parts of the weekly intro, I place them at varying places in the video.  The trivia question answers are placed in the course content management system and students would then respond there.  An alternative approach is to use PollEverywhere.com and have an embedded link in your video that will link to your trivia question.  If you are using a platform such as YouTube, you can also review the video analytics associated with your video.  In terms of the actual video creation, I capture the video via my smartphone or webcam.  You can use Microsoft Movie Maker available on most Windows based personal computers to assemble your video and then output it to a video format of your choosing.  Windows Movie Maker is based on timeline editing and is quite easy to learn.  It allows for simple video and audio editing, adding titles and captions, video transitions, and exports to all popular video formats.  If you are using an Android device with your Google Account, you can also edit your video on your smartphone and share/export it.  Videos and images can be automatically backed up to Google Photos.   There, using your smartphone, you can apply the Google Photo Assistant feature and assemble a movie which can then be downloaded or shared.  When using Window Movie Maker I export out the video and upload to a YouTube account where I add it to the course playlist and using the HTML code provided by YouTube, I can embed a playlist in a webpage or your course management system.  During the presentation I will demonstrate the development of a weekly video message as outlined above and incorporate a trivia question geared for the attendees of the talk.  The demonstration will also include an overview of how you can capture, edit and create a video using a smartphone all with the intention of showing that it really does not require high end video production skills and it can be done quickly.   As an additional way to keep the attendees engaged in my talk I provide a gamification element.  Considering we are attending the conference in Walt Disney World and there are Mickey Mouse designs hidden throughout Walt Disney World’s parks and resorts, I will place hidden Mickey’s in my Microsoft PowerPoint slides that attendees have to track and then at the end indicate how many there were.  Correct answers will be rewarded!  At the conclusion, I will share some comments from students regarding the use of video in my courses. 

In summary, the presentation will give the audience member a clear understanding of how they can use video in their course and create a new level of engagement with their students.