Video and digital media are important tools that can help bolster the educational experience. The use of video in the classroom allows educators to illustrate and demonstrate complex ideas with the help of visual and audio learning elements.
The resources below highlight the benefits of teaching with video; showcase what you can do with multimedia in the classroom; and offer a variety of BU faculty testimonials and multimedia strategies faculty employ to enhance the teaching and learning experience.
Benefits of Teaching with Video
- When students have access to video content to watch outside of class, class time can be used for comprehension checks, discussion, and reinforcement of content.
- Multimedia content helps to vary and enhance the learning process, and leads to better knowledge retention.
- Educational video can provide more opportunities for students to engage with the content.
- Students around the world can learn from course content made available through video.
- Video can sometimes demonstrate complex ideas and access other times and places better than speaking can.
- Video can help instructors overcome limitations like large class sizes and limited time.
What Can We Do with Video?
Instructors can use video to provide supplemental materials for their students. This can help reinforce content and give students resources to prepare for assessments.
Instructors Benefit from Flipped Classrooms
Many professors have benefitted from using video to flip their classroom. A flipped course is one in which students absorb new material largely outside of class time.
When a course is flipped, professors have more time available to engage with their students, rather than racing through introductions to new content. Once an instructor has created video content, they possess a permanent library of learning resources which can be reused for new students in various learning contexts.
Student benefits
In a flipped course students have more opportunities to engage with their instructor and peers. Students also can take greater ownership over their education, and are allowed a level of flexibility that is unavailable in traditional class structures.
Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs
MOOCs are created largely through video. These courses consist of a series of learning modules that explain content, punctuated by comprehension checks at the end of each section. They are valuable for students around the world learning in diverse contexts.
Using Video at BU
BU supports multiple valuable platforms for creating and editing educational video. EdTech supports Echo360 as well as MyMedia(which includes CaptureSpace). Many BU faculty use their computer’s screencasting tools along with Adobe Creative Cloud products such as Adobe Rush, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Audition, etc. to create instructional videos.
This video includes testimonials and excerpts from how professors across BU are using video and digital media as an educational tool.
How to Use Video as a Tool to Enhance Learning and Comprehension
Faculty Voices
Pary Fassihi, assistant director for the Center for Teaching & Learning and former BU College of Arts & Sciences Writing Program instructor, flipped her ESL writing course, and soon found that class time was used more effectively and that her students’ comprehension of the content improved.
Bruce Anderson of BU College of Arts & Science Earth & Environment Department flipped his class. As a result his students were better prepared for class, and he could better address student difficulties. Additionally, his student evaluations improved significantly after the course restructuring.
Connect with a Learning Community
Digital Learning & Innovation is committed to building learning communities and creating gathering places for Boston University leadership, faculty, and staff technology users to share ideas, meet and connect with colleagues, and discuss platforms designed to improve students’ learning experiences.
About the Teaching with Technology Faculty Community
The purpose of the Teaching with Technology Community group is to create a network for BU faculty to share ideas and learn new approaches to teaching with digital technologies. The group provides an opportunity for faculty members to discuss ways in which technology tools can benefit students’ learning, as well as how to advocate effectively for teaching with technology.
Connect with the Teaching with Technology Community.
Interested in learning more about teaching with multimedia?
Connect with the Center for Teaching & Learning at ctl@bu.edu or view this list of BU TechWeb trainings for upcoming Adobe Creative Cloud workshops.
