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From trivia games to final exams, quizzing tools have a variety of uses for learning as well as assessment. Exams and quizzes have a particularly plentiful range of possibilities in a multimodal or hybrid course, where they can be administered synchronously or asynchronously. Research suggests that the presentation of a tool influences student behavior in response to the tool. In comparing two student discussion boards, one an ungraded discussion and one a graded replacement for a final exam, Cheng et al. (2013) found that students displayed more knowledge on the graded board, but more evidence of learning on the ungraded board. The students who participated in the study were more likely to grapple with new ideas when the stakes were low, but more eager to showcase topics they were confident about when their responses would have a greater impact on their grades. When considering quizzing tools, then, we recommend allowing your course goals to guide your usage.

Do you want to deliver presentations, share tutorials, or teach complex applications in your online course? If so, creating screencasts may be a great option for you. This piece defines what a screencast is, identifies important development considerations and common instructional use cases, and highlights best practices for creating screencasts for your online course.

In our Personal Experience Insights series, members of the Everspring Learning Design department share first-hand accounts of creating online learning content and meaningful takeaways from their professional experiences.

Incorporating prerecorded videos and animations into online learning experiences allows students the opportunity to access content at any time after the material is delivered. The inclusion of video and animation in online learning is now ubiquitous. To promote engagement, it is imperative that such content be delivered to learners clearly and effectively.

Whether designing a fully asynchronous course or a hybrid/blended learning experience, you’re likely thinking about recording a video to explain an idea, tell a story, or demonstrate a skill. And, in many situations, you should (see the Envision piece Video Planning: To Record or Not to Record? if you are wondering whether video is appropriate for your unique situation). Most research shows that online students enjoy learning from video and that it can be an effective way to deliver content. Students often appreciate the opportunity to review material at their own pace and to pause, rewind, and rewatch content as needed (Boateng et. al. 2016; Brame 2016).

While traditional lectures are delivered in front of a classroom, allowing you to read students’ engagement and adjust in real time to both content and pacing, online lectures do not afford the same flexibility. Therefore, it is important to carefully plan your videos in accordance with best practices in online learning. There are many video types and formats to choose from (See the Envision blog: Matching Video Production Style to Learning Goals), and one decision you'll need to make is whether you want to appear on camera. This guide covers best practices for videos that will include your webcam footage.

The familiarity and ease of PowerPoint make it a natural choice for creating instructional videos. After all, your energy is better spent on planning and recording videos than on learning a new tool. However, creating quality slides still requires significant time and attention to detail.

In this video, Everspring's Director of Creative Services Stephanie Dzieglo guides you through the preparation needed to create an impactful video for your course.

So, you’ve decided to record a video for your course (See first, the Envision post: Video Planning: To Record or Not to Record?). Your next concern might be technology related, as you wonder how you can match the production quality of videos you’ve seen in MOOCs (massive open online courses) such as MasterClass or Coursera. But have no fear—research shows no association between production value and learning outcomes (Hansch, et al., 2015; Sturman, Mitchell, & Mitchell, 2018). Furthermore, selecting your technology without initial consideration of your video style would be premature. “When thinking about video for learning, the choice of video production style will have a great impact on a video’s ability to effect pedagogical objectives and desired learning outcomes” (Hansch, et al., 2015, p.20). Production style refers to the holistic organization of a video, which we will discuss in terms of type (what the video aims to accomplish) and output (what the video looks like). Choosing the right style for the content centers the learner and ultimately facilitates an easier selection of technology.

If you want to get high-quality, professional-looking green screen footage, you’ll have to do more than paint a wall green or place a pop-up screen behind you during your shoot. Use the recommendations below to set up a studio that is optimized for green screen video production.