Incorporating Videos in an Online Course

In order to provide a variety of instructional materials, you may choose to incorporate video content. This page will cover best practices for incorporating videos from existing sources to videos you may create on your own.


When Should I Add Videos To My Course?

Video clips can be extremely valuable—both for conveying visual information economically and for helping online students feel connected to you, the instructor. Typically, you’ll want to add videos to your course during the development phase, but adding them during the semester as you teach can be useful, too. Here are the most common uses of video in an online course:

Possible Videos To Create

  • Create a course navigation video that walks new students through your online course and shows them what to expect, what to click to submit an assignment, etc. Best done at the end of the course

  • Create a personal introduction video that lets your students see you—and your enthusiasm for your subject—just as they would in a classroom. Best done during the course

  • Provide a video introduction to the class overall, and to each module (best done during course development).

  • Reimagine your lectures and deliver them as a series of short, concise video clips (best done during development).

  • Provide short videos of yourself giving an assignment or test feedback to individual students or groups (can be done while you’re teaching, for personalized feedback, or during development, to create a visual combination rubric-plus-example).

  • Provide a short video “post-mortem” after a major assignment or test to address commonly misunderstood concepts or other concerns (must be done during the semester, as the value of this approach is tailoring your remarks to your current crop of students).

 


How Do I Create My Own Videos?

Refer to our https://boisestateecampus.atlassian.net/l/c/a7TQGGwD about properly preparing. When it comes time to hit record, here are recommended options for creating videos at Boise State: 

Panopto

Panopto is now Boise State’s preferred method for creating, storing, and sharing videos. No matter what you use to create your video, this is where you will upload your final videos.

See also https://boisestate.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/LTS/pages/172195852/Panopto (LTS Knowledge Base Articles)

Zoom

Zoom is another option for recording a screencast, meeting, or live lecture that can automatically store videos into your Panopto account. 

See also (LTS Knowledge Base Articles)

Camtasia

Camtasia is another option that offers better features for editing your own videos. Remember that you will upload finished videos to Panopto for use in your course.

See also (LTS Knowledge Base Articles)

 


Where Do I Find Existing Video Content?

There are a variety of tools through which you can locate streaming videos to use in your online course. This is a list of sources to consider. Remembering that online courses need to be accessible to all students, it is recommended you also review how to Find Accessible Videos and Check Video Accessibility.

 


How Do I Use Existing Video?

Whether you are making use of video content you found from an online source like those listed above or you want to share videos recorded previously, it is recommended that you do not upload videos to Canvas where storage space is limited. Storing videos in Panopto allows for easier sharing and comes with the added support of Boise State’s Help Desk

See also:

Uploading Media to Panopto

 


Other resources

See also (eCampus Online Navigator Knowledge Base articles)


Need more help? Try eCampus Center Faculty Development.
Suggest more topics by contacting onlinecourseresource@boisestate.edu.