Using Videos in the Classroom

Dear faculty,

As a media studies scholar, I know the benefits of utilizing videos in the classroom, teaching about the meaning that can be found in media texts, and designing video assignments to allow for different forms of expression.

Many of us have also learned (perhaps the hard way) how difficult it is, sometimes, to create engaging video lectures that go beyond simply recording our voice and showing a set of PPT slides on the screen.

The Center for Teaching at Vanderbilt University has created a fairly extensive teaching guide on creating effective educational videos and I encourage you to explore this resource.

Faculty Development and the Technology and Learning Program are partnering in Spring 2022 to offer a series of four workshops focusing on Using Videos in the Classroom. The workshops will be offered via Zoom and will cover different aspects of educational videos:

Explore the Use of Videos in the Classroom (February 23rd, 3:00 – 4:30 p.m.)
Creating Videos for Your Curriculum (March 30th, 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.)
Manage your Kaltura Videos (April 13th, 3:00 – 4:30 p.m.)
Create Student Video Assignments (April 27th, 3:00-5:00 p.m.)

The workshops are open to everyone, but we ask that you register here for the ones you wish to attend, so we can better plan each workshop based on attendance.

For any questions, please reach out to me (cfferrari@csuchico.edu) or fdev@csuchico.edu , and we look forward to working together towards creating engaging videos and engaging student assignments!

An Exploration of Podcasting in Higher Education

Dear faculty,

This Tuesday Tip is written to encourage you to attend our new series on Podcasting for Teaching and Learning, which will start next week. Faculty Development is organizing the series in collaboration with the Technology and Learning Program, and we hope that you are excited to learn more about how podcasting can be used in your classes. As you can see in the webpage, the meetings will be held in Glenn 302 (a hyflex room, yay!) and also via Zoom, so feel free to attend in your preferred fashion, but we do ask that you register here so we can plan according to the expected audience.

In tandem with this series, I want to make sure that you are aware of a number of resources available on our website:

In particular, I want to point out this article, “Can creative podcasting promote deep learning? The use of podcasting for learning content in an undergraduate science unit” (Pegrum, Bartle & Longnecker, 2014), which examines the use of podcasts in an undergraduate chemistry course, specifically in relation to deep learning. I want to encourage all faculty to think of ways in which podcasting could be useful and beneficial in your classes, across Colleges, disciplines, and formats.

The first workshop will be held next Wednesday, September 29th, 3:00-4:30 pm, and we hope to see you there!

Add a comment to share ways in which you use podcasting in your class!

Zoom Discussion, Breakout Rooms, and Engagement

Dear faculty, 

I know that by now I probably sound like a broken record, but FDEV is really interested in focusing on student engagement this semester. 

I have heard many concerned faculty sharing their experience about how “this semester is just different” and how students are really struggling and dropping out or simply not showing up. 

This is a concern that we have tried to address with the student engagement challenge and today I want to share one of our Teaching Guides about Zoom breakout rooms

The teaching guide includes some practical tips for application in the classroom, but also a number of tutorials and resources you can explore. 

We want to take our effort a step further though, and for this reason, I am asking all faculty to consider contributing to the creation of a database of Zoom discussions, assignments, and activities that you used in your classes and had a positive impact on the students. It is my hope that this list of resources can offer faculty some practical ideas of how to manage zoom discussions and breakout rooms. I know we have some amazing talent among our faculty, so I encourage you to fill out this brief google form and share your successful experience with online student engagement. 

Thank you for your contributions! 

And… a reminder to join us tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. for our weekly Go Virtual Community meeting (Zoom link). We will discuss ideas and experiences with flipped classes! 

Chiara Ferrari, Ph.D. 
Faculty Development, Director
Campus zip: 026
Phone: 530-898-3094
https://www.csuchico.edu/fdev/
Professor
Department of Media Arts, Design, and Technology 
Campus zip: 504
Phone: 530-898-4647