Whilst I am not really a fan of video, and would much prefer to read the transcript rather than wait for someone to speak the words out, there are some benefits to including video in a virtual learning environment. The Three I’s Framework, by Asensio and Young[1], posits that people take in more information when it is presented visually, compared with text and voice alone. This helps to reduce the cognitive load, as the brain can process pictures faster than text. Additionally, changes in colour or contrast can emphasise relationships within information much better than you could say it out loud.
Video also has pedagogical roles such as facilitating cognition[2]—pictures can quickly give information whereas words take longer[3], animated diagrams to explore a process[4], and illustrating concepts with real examples. Secondly, video can provide realistic amplified experiences by showing otherwise inaccessible things, such as aerial or undersea viewpoints, and places, e.g. dangerous or overseas locations. Thirdly it can also nurture affective characteristics: firstly, activation/resolve/motivation—where the viewer is provoked into doing something or stimulated to learn, or the characteristics of attitudes/emotions/feelings, where video can be used to alleviate isolation of the distance learner by showing or hearing the teacher or peers. Finally, video can also be used to demonstrate skills – e.g. manual/craft skills, dance or fitness routines, or interpersonal skills such as counselling or interviewing.
In terms of distance learning, video can be used to give the presence of an instructor. This helps the students to engage with the course – knowing that there’s someone there and someone who cares about their learning on the course – which may make them less likely to procrastinate or drop out[5]. An instructor also allows humour and wit to be introduced to the course.
In Careers Network, we are already using video in terms of marketing, documenting events, lecture capture (limited range of workshops available through Panopto), how-to videos (e.g. Careers Connect), live broadcast (Facebook), student recording, video interview practice.
I think in the future we could do more of flipped classroom, more robust video content management, more innovative uses in staff training. Also I think we need to do more with lecture capture in order to make more of our events accessible to distance learners.
This blogpost is part of the Learning in the Digital Age module, which I am doing during my secondment in developing careers resources for the University’s new Dubai campus.
[1] Young, C and Asensio, M (2002) Looking through Three ‘I’s: the Pedagogic Use of streaming Video. In Banks, S,Goodyear, P, Hodgson, V and McConnell, D (eds), Networked Learning 2002, Sheffield, March. Conference Proceedings pp. 628-635
[2] Koumi, J., (2015) Learning outcomes afforded by self-assessed, segmented video-print combinations. Cogent Education, 2 (1)
[3] Young, C and Asensio, M (2002) Looking through Three ‘I’s: the Pedagogic Use of streaming Video. In Banks, S,Goodyear, P, Hodgson, V and McConnell, D (eds), Networked Learning 2002, Sheffield, March. Conference Proceedings pp. 628-635
[4] Koumi, J., (2015) Learning outcomes afforded by self-assessed, segmented video-print combinations. Cogent Education, 2 (1)
[5] Brown, M., Hughes, H., Keppell, M., Hard, N. and Smith, L. (2015) ‘Stories from Students in Their First Semester of Distance Learning’, The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 16(4)
Of Remarkable Things 