Lectures

Provide students with lectures for viewing on Canvas. You have two options here: pre-recorded or new recording. Choose pre-recorded (i.e., using existing recordings from lecture hall) if the technical quality is good enough and if the content still meets your goal. Otherwise, opt for a new recording. For both, you want to focus on smaller segments as opposed to one lengthy video. Aim for a maximum of 15-minutes per video and 45 minutes of total content to replace a 2-hour lecture. This may be difficult, we know. Don’t feel bad if you end up with longer videos.

Also, we recommend that you use your first lecture to explain to students what you expect (e.g. Zoom etiquette for students), show them around, and walk them through the online course. Or record an introduction video on this, which you can refer back to. See our “Getting Started” tips here.

Okay, let’s take these lectures online!

PRE-RECORDED WEB-LECTURE

Check if the technical quality of your existing web-lecture is good enough (think of audio and visual quality, like do you move out of sight, are students’ questions repeated, is the whiteboard readable, etc.). If the technical quality is sufficient, continue to step 2. Otherwise, record a new lecture (see below). Identify segments (not the entire lecture!) in your web-lecture that you want students to watch. Write down the start time and end time. If possible, break down your web-lecture into segments of 10 to 15 minutes based on (sub)topics. Go to the UvA web-lectures link-generator. Copy and paste the link to your web-lecture in the link-generator. For each segment, add the start time and end time and generate the link. Copy the generated link. Paste the link on Canvas and adjust the settings (e.g., make them available at a set time each week).

PRE-RECORDED NEW LECTURES

Record your slideshow in PowerPoint or Canvas (Kaltura Capture). Upload the links or videos to Canvas for viewing and adjust the settings (e.g., make them available at a set time each week).

NEXT IN CANVAS

For each video, label with topic name instead of only numbering the videos. This helps students find relevant material when they want to re-watch a video. Add clear instructions for your students. For example, indicate when students should watch it, add a question, what to look for and/or and what they should be able to do or know afterwards. This way you activate your students while they watch your videos. Provide a Discussion Board for students to comment on the videos. Add a probe question or ask students to come up with a content-related question to get the discussion started. Consider awarding a bonus point for forum contributions and/or upvotes. Check back on the Discussion Board regularly and reply to students’ questions in the Discussion Board or in a short video before the next lecture.

With large groups, a live Zoom session is less feasible. Students might encounter technical problems which prevent them from (completely) following a live session and there are limits to the number of students that can participate in a Zoom-session. Therefore pre-recorded lectures are the way to go.

We advise you not to copy-paste weblectures as they are, since this has been a source of complaints by students. Instead, we recommend that you check the quality first and then select segments, based on subtopics, that are most valuable for your learning goals. In addition, we recommend that your videos are shorter and the total recorded content is less compared to an offline setting. Pre-recorded videos may take up a lot of energy for you to produce and for your students to watch. So keep it feasible for both you and your students. You want your students to process the content and view each video with enough headspace too. The shorter the videos, the more video content students will actually watch. Plus, the longer the videos, the larger the file size, the upload time, and playback time. At the same time, let’s be pragmatic - sometimes things take a bit longer to explain and some segments will be longer than 15 min. Don’t let that ruin your day (or night).

When you add viewing instructions you encourage your students to watch the videos in a ‘learning mode’ (active processing) instead of a tv mode’ (passive processing). By adding a Discussion Board, you also leave room for questions and answers. Furthermore, it provides you with feedback on what to address further. A Discussion Board does need some encouragement for your students to participate. For example, encouraging upvotes, active responses to their questions, and showing that you’re there from time to time all encourages participation. Addressing the most upvoted questions in your next lecture is particularly encouraging for students, too.