Module 2

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Module 2: Create Audio and Video Instructional Materials

Audio and video instructional materials can be an important component of your class whether incorporated into a in-person class, developed in preparation for a short-term disruption, or part of a flipped class model. Though many instructors rely on video lectures, audio lectures can be equally impactful, as can texts that you write and share with students.  

In this module, we'll consider how to choose a media type that best fits your content and how to create it using university-provided tools.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this module, you'll be able to:

  1. Divide your lectures into content-focused segments
  2. Record and share your lectures in bCourses
  3. Include a variety of instructional materials that provide a diverse representation of the content
  4. Apply best practices for creating video and audio instructional materials.

All of these learning objectives will help you to achieve the overall course objective: Use your bCourses site to present instructional materials, administer graded components including high-stakes exams, and engage students and Develop engaging instructional materials.

How To Do It

Divide your lectures into content-focused segments

You can pre-record lectures and share them with students as an additional component to your class, part of a flipped classroom approach, or have them on ready in case of a sudden disruption. One way to make these lectures more effective for student learning is to divide them into short, content-focused segments and consider using a variety of media types so that the media best supports the content.

The DIY Media service from DLS provides guidance on how to develop engaging audio and video lectures for students and the tools needed to do it.

The following articles from CTL provide guidance on ways to revise your standard lecture approach. Though the guidance provided is relevant for all modes of instruction, it may be particularly helpful to those trying to incorporate lecture segments into their class.

You may also consider offering lectures in a different format other than video. The following resource from DLS provides guidance on finding the media format that best fits your content.  

Record and share your lectures in bCourses

Kaltura

You can record and share your lectures in bCourses using Kaltura, a web-based video management platform that allows UC Berkeley instructors, students, and staff to upload, edit, manage, and share videos and other media. 

Since Kaltura is easily accessed via bCourses and supported by the university, it is a great option for sharing lectures. (Every course site has a Media Gallery, where you can share media with your students, and every bCourses user has access to My Media, found in bCourse's left hand navigation, where you can upload and manage videos.)

For creating new lectures, you can use the Kaltura Capture Desktop Recorder. See: How do I use Kaltura Capture to record a video? Links to an external site.

Another option is to use Zoom (see next section) to do the recording; your recording files will end up in Kaltura, in your My Media.

There's also RTL's Course Capture service.This service can be used to capture lectures you give in classrooms on campus. If you've used Course Capture in the past, you can reuse recordings from the past. To follow the best practice of providing shorter segments, you can use Kaltura's editing tools. See How do I use the Kaltura video editor? Links to an external site.

The Kaltura Service Page provides links to support for using Kaltura. (Note: Haas School of Business uses Panapto instead of Kaltura. Haas faculty can contact haasdigital@berkeley.edu for more information.)

Zoom

Zoom is fully integrated with Kaltura and bCourses, meaning you can record lectures either synchronously or asynchronously and then share them in bCourses using Kaltura. The following article explains how to share your Zoom recordings in bCourses using Kaltura.

The following guides from DLS provide additional information on recording lectures via Zoom. 

Include a variety of instructional materials that provide a diverse representation of the content

Many instructors already present different instructional materials such as articles, podcasts, or movies during in person class time. If you are organizing your instructional materials in bCourses using Pages, you can share these links via the weekly landing page and provide context for how students should consider the materials in relationship to the rest of the module content.

Before searching for video and audio content on the open web, you can start by checking out what is available via UC Berkeley Library. There are many video streaming options and materials in the audio archives that you can access and add to your course. By using resources via the library, you’ll have the assurance that the links will remain active and meet Fair Use and accessibility standards. If you ever have any issues with the videos, you can also reach out to the Library for support. The following link directs you to the Library's media resources. You can also visit the library's Proxy home page to learn about accessing library resources from off campus.

Best Practices

Now that you know how to complete the activities covered in this module, read more about how best to use them in your course.